Powerful Learning: Studies Show Deep Understanding Derives from Collaborative Methods

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Brigid Barron & Linda Darling-Hammond

A review of research on the most effective K-12 teaching practices from two of the coauthors of Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding.

In the book, copublished by Jossey-Bass and The George Lucas Educational Foundation, the authors explore the ways in which project learning, cooperative learning, and performance-based assessment generate meaningful student understanding in the classroom. A summary was published in the October 2008 issue of Edutopia magazine and is available on the Foundation web site. The authors conclude:

A growing body of research has shown the following:

Students learn more deeply when they can apply classroom-gathered knowledge to real-world problems, and when they take part in projects that require sustained engagement and collaboration.
Active-learning practices have a more significant impact on student performance than any other variable, including student background and prior achievement.
Students are most successful when they are taught how to learn as well as what to learn.

The expanded chapter is also available (as a large 7.6MB, PDF file)