If we teach in the way that human brains learn, both students and their teachers will thrive! This book aligns evidence from the learning sciences on how and what students need to learn with classroom practice (pre-K-12).

Contents Foreword  xiii Acknowledgments  xvii 1.  Why Now?  1 Looking Ahead  5 2.  The Science of Success  7 At a Glance  7 Introduction  7 The How of Learning  11 What Children Learn: A Breadth-of-Skills Approach Through the 6 Cs  24 Where the How Meets the What of Learning  31 3.  Case Study 1: The 6 Cs Go to an Independent School in Pennsylvania  34 At a Glance  34 Introduction  34 A Theme-Based Approach as One Embodiment of the 6 Cs System  38 Themes, the 6 Cs, and the Principles of Playful Learning  48 4.  Case Study 2: Designing for Equity in a Michigan School District  49 At a Glance  49 Introduction  50 Using Human-Centered Design After Exploring the Underlying Barriers  52 Results: The System Shifts Toward Success for All  67 Next Steps to Intensify Learning  68 Slow Down to Speed Up  69 5.  Case Study 3: Statewide Scale-Up of Playful Learning in New Hampshire Kindergarten Classrooms  71 At a Glance  71 Introduction  71 Motivation for Change  73 Evidence-Based Approach for Change  74 Impacts and Outcomes  80 Guided Play in COVID-19 Classrooms  83 Further Investment in Guided Play and Coaching  83 Conclusion  85 Chapter 5 Supplemental Resources  86 6.  Bringing It Home: Adapting the Model for Your School  97 Step 1: Get Buy-In  101 Step 2: Educate  101 Step 3: Co-Design  102 Step 4: Try It Out  103 Step 5: Broaden Your Scope  103 Step 6: Assess How It Is Going  104 Step 7: Home and School  105 Step 8: Have a School- or Grade-Wide Conclusion  105 7.  Authentic Assessment to Support the Science of Learning  106 At a Glance  106 Introduction  106 Motivation: Why Engage in Assessment?  107 Measurement of the Knowledge and Skills That Matter  108 Developmentally Appropriate Assessment  109 Summative and Formative Assessment  110 There Is More Than One Type of Authentic Assessment  115 Clantete: Using Authentic Assessment to Support the 6 Cs  122 Radnor Middle School: Authentic Assessment to Support Student Learning  123 Conclusion  124 8.  Jumping Over School Walls: The 6 Cs and Learning Principles Are Everywhere  125 At a Glance  125 Introduction  125 Enter Playful Learning Landscapes: Informal Learning at Its Best  126 Media: The Learning Principles and the 6 Cs Work Here, Too  129 Conclusion  134 9.  Re-Imagining Education at Your School  135 Introduction  136 The 6 Cs Prepare Students for Success  136 How Can We Help Children Remember What They Learn So That It Is Sticky?  138 How Do We Teach in a Way That Supports Transfer?  139 How Do We Move From the “Memorize and Spit-It-Out-on-the-Test” Model to One in Which Students Are More Engaged in Their Learning?  139 Appendix A: Visual Chapter Synopses  145 Appendix B: Recommendations for Further Study  159 References  163 Index  179 About the Authors  185

“Most of us agree that it is critical at this moment in time to reimagine what school could be. This reimagination must be informed by the best available science and built on current educational wisdom found in our schools. This book does just that and makes clear that more playful learning across the K–12 school system would be the most natural way to help all students learn the 21st-century knowledge and skills they need in life.” —From the Foreword by Pasi Sahlberg, author of Finnish Lessons 3.0: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland? and professor of education, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia