From the bestselling author of What the Best College Teachers Do, the story of a new breed of amazingly innovative courses that inspire students and improve learning Decades of research have produced profound insights into how student learning and motivation can be unleashed—and it’s not through technology or even the best of lectures. In Super Courses, education expert and bestselling author Ken Bain tells the fascinating story of enterprising college, graduate school, and high school teachers who are using evidence-based approaches to spark deeper levels of learning, critical thinking, and creativity—whether teaching online, in class, or in the field. Visiting schools across the United States as well as in China and Singapore, Bain, working with his longtime collaborator, Marsha Marshall Bain, uncovers super courses throughout the humanities and sciences. At the University of Virginia, undergrads contemplate the big questions that drove Tolstoy—by working with juveniles at a maximum-security correctional facility. Harvard physics students learn about the universe not through lectures but from their peers in a class where even reading is a social event. And students at a Dallas high school use dance to develop growth mindsets—and many of them go on to top colleges, including Juilliard. Bain defines these as super courses because they all use powerful researched-based elements to build a “natural critical learning environment” that fosters intrinsic motivation, self-directed learning, and self-reflective reasoning. Complete with sample syllabi, the book shows teachers how they can build their own super courses. The story of a hugely important breakthrough in education, Super Courses reveals how these classes can help students reach their full potential, equip them to lead happy and productive lives, and meet the world’s complex challenges.

"An exploration of some of the most intriguing college teachers' pedagogy, challenging traditional learning environments"--

What makes a great teacher great? Who are the professors students remember long after graduation? This book, the conclusion of a fifteen-year study of nearly one hundred college teachers in a wide variety of fields and universities, offers valuable answers for all educators. The short answer is—it’s not what teachers do, it’s what they understand. Lesson plans and lecture notes matter less than the special way teachers comprehend the subject and value human learning. Whether historians or physicists, in El Paso or St. Paul, the best teachers know their subjects inside and out—but they also know how to engage and challenge students and to provoke impassioned responses. Most of all, they believe two things fervently: that teaching matters and that students can learn. In stories both humorous and touching, Ken Bain describes examples of ingenuity and compassion, of students’ discoveries of new ideas and the depth of their own potential. What the Best College Teachers Do is a treasure trove of insight and inspiration for first-year teachers and seasoned educators.

Develop the Skills to Learn Anything Faster, Easier, and More Effectively Written by the creators of the #1 bestselling course of the same name, this book will teach you how to "hack" your learning, reading, and memory skills, empowering you to learn everything faster and more effectively. What Would You Do If You Could Learn Anything 3 Times Faster?In our rapidly changing and information-driven society, the ability to learn quickly is the single most important skill. Whether you're a student, a professional, or simply embarking on a new hobby, you are forced to grapple with an every-increasing amount of information and knowledge. We've all experienced the frustration of an ever-growing reading list, struggling to learn a new language, or forgetting things you learned in even your favorite subjects. This Book Will Teach You 3 Major Skills:Speed reading with high (80%+) comprehension and understandingMemory techniques for storing and recalling vast amounts of information quickly and accuratelyDeveloping the cognitive infrastructure to support this flood of new information long-termHowever, the SuperLearning skills you'll learn in this course are applicable to many aspects of your every day life, from remembering phone numbers to acquiring new skills or even speaking new languages. Anyone Can Develop Super-Learning SkillsThis course is about improving your ability to learn new skills or information quickly and effectively. We go far beyond the kinds of "speed reading" (or glorified skimming) you may have been exposed to, diving into the actual cognitive and neurological factors that make learning easier and more successful. We also give you advanced memory techniques to grapple with the huge loads of information you'll soon be able to process. "This book should be the go-to reference for anyone looking to upgrade their mind's firmware!" -Benny Lewis, Language Learning Expert Learn How to Absorb and Retain Information in a Whole New Way - A Faster, Better Way The Authors' Proprietary Method for Teaching Speed Reading & Memory Improvement You may have even taken a normal speed reading course in the past, only to realize that you didn't retain anything you read. The sad irony is that in order to properly learn things like speed reading skills and memory techniques in the past, you had to read dozens of books and psychological journals to decode the science behind it. Or, you had to hire an expensive private tutor who specializes in SuperLearning. That's what I did. And it changed my life. Fortunately, my co-authors (experts and innovators in the fields of superlearning, memory improvement, and speed reading) agreed to help me transform their materials into the first ever digital course. Over 25,000 satisfied students later, we have transformed our course into a book you can enjoy anywhere. Our teaching methodology relies heavily on at-home exercises. The chapters themselves are only part of what you're buying. You will be practicing various exercises and assignments on a regular basis over the course a 7 week schedule. In addition to the lectures, there are hours of supplemental video and articles which are considered part of the curriculum. "This vital book contains all the tools needed to learn, memorize, and reproduce anything you want with the joy that ease brings. Don't take another class until you've read it!" -Dr. Anthony Metivier, Author & Memory Expert If you wish to improve memory and concentration, learn more effectively, read faster, and learn the techniques of memory champions - look no further! An awesome read that will push the limits of your brain. Levi does an incredible job of guiding you through, to bring your brain from average to UNSTOPPABLE!" -Nelson Dellis, 4-Time USA Memory Champion

Thanks to learning science and to the creativity of teaching and learning professionals, we know much more about the ways students learn experientially and collaboratively. For our courses, teaching scholars have identified practices and pedagogies that engage students to collaborate and experience deeper learning. Ken Bain has called Super Courses the courses that possess opportunities for learning in the classroom, the lab, and into the world where experiential learning joins course content. The course practices and pedagogies so fundamental to deep learning should also be included in program design (both for academics and campus life) and even the curriculum itself. Putting it all Together provides a frame that includes the pedagogies and practices and discussion of the larger contexts within which they can be applied. The book also offers more than thirty brief chapters of selected practices applied in individual contexts. The authors are faculty members, administrators, and staff professionals who have developed learning experiences for students. The rationale behind the book is simple: embedding the most powerful practices and pedagogies within courses, programs, and the curriculum calls for every professional at every institution to play a different but equally important role in improving student learning and student success.