Review: The Unified Learning Model: How Motivational, Cognitive, and Neurobiological Sciences Inform Best Teaching Practices

Abstract

The Unified Learning Model: How Motivational, Cognitive, and Neurobiological Sciences Inform Best Teaching Practices . By Duane F. Shell, David W. Brooks, Guy Trainin, Kathleen M. Wilson, Douglas F. Kauffman and Lynne M. Herr . 2009. Springer (ISBN 9789048132140). 211 pp. Hardcover. $139.00. As a teacher, I desire a deep understanding of how students learn, so that I can be effective. As a teacher of science, my desire for understanding includes the researched explanations of learning theories. I am not satisfied by anecdotal reference nor convinced without testing a hypothesis. In the field of physics, Einstein searched for a Grand Unified Theory. In biology, cell theory unites the entire field. I sensed similarities trying to be reached with this model. It is not a theory, but a model based on the research in the field. The writers of The Unified Learning Model (ULM) intend their book to satisfy classroom teachers as well as teaching …