
Hands-on, Practical Guidance for Educators
From math,
literacy, equity, multilingual learners, and SEL, to assessment, school counseling,
and education leadership, our books are research-based and authored by experts
on topics most relevant to what educators are facing today.

Visible Learning for Science, Grades K-12
By: John Taylor Almarode, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Allan Hattie
- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781506394183
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2018
- Page Count: 216
- Publication date: March 09, 2018
Price: $41.95
For Instructors
By selecting the request for exam copy above, you will be redirected to our parent site, Sage Publishing, to process your inspection copy request. Thank you.
Related Professional Learning
Related WebinarsTools
Description
In Visible Learning for Science, the authors reveal that it’s not which strategy, but when, and plot a vital K-12 framework for choosing the right approach at the right time, depending on where students are within the three phases of learning: surface, deep, and transfer.
Synthesizing state-of-the-art science instruction and assessment with over fifteen years of John Hattie’s cornerstone educational research, this framework for maximum learning spans the range of topics in the life and physical sciences. Employing classroom examples from all grade levels, the authors empower teachers to plan, develop, and implement high-impact instruction for each phase of the learning cycle:
Surface learning: when, through precise approaches, students explore science concepts and skills that give way to a deeper exploration of scientific inquiry.
Deep learning: when students engage with data and evidence to uncover relationships between concepts—students think
Transfer learning: when students apply knowledge of scientific principles, processes, and relationships to novel contexts, and are able to discern and innovate to solve complex problems.
Visible Learning for Science opens the door to maximum-impact science
Key features
- video clips will illustrate the topics in science classrooms at elementary, middle, and high school levels [NEED TO DISCUSS VIDEO]
- includes planning tools, rubrics, and templates
- includes how-to's for planning pre and post assessments as well as alternate forms of assessment such as PBA
Author(s)
John Taylor Almarode
Dr. John Almarode is a bestselling author and has worked with schools, classrooms, and teachers all over the world on the translation and application of the science of learning to the classroom, school, and home environments, and what works best in teaching and learning. He has done so in Australia, Canada, Egypt, England, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Korea, Thailand and all across the United States.
He is an Associate Professor of Education in the College of Education. In 2015, John was awarded the inaugural Sarah Miller Luck Endowed Professorship. In 2021, John was honored with an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia. At James Madison University, he continues to work with pre-service teachers and graduate students, as well as actively pursues his research interests including the science of learning, the design and measurement of classroom environments that promote student engagement and learning.
The work of John and his colleagues has been presented to the United States Congress, Virginia Senate, at the United States Department of Education as well as the Office of Science and Technology Policy at The White House.
John began his career in Augusta County, Virginia, teaching mathematics and science to a wide-range of students. Since then, John has authored multiple articles, reports, book chapters, and eleven books including Captivate, Activate, and Invigorate the Student Brain in Science and Math, Grades 6 - 12 (Corwin Press, 2013), From Snorkelers to Scuba Divers (Corwin Press, 2018), both with Ann Miller, and Visible Learning for Science, with Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie (Corwin Press, 2018). He recently finished a book focusing on clarity, Clarity for Learning, with Kara Vandas (Corwin Press, 2019), as well as Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades 6 - 8, and Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades 9 - 12 both with Doug Fisher, Joseph Assof, Sara Moore, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie (Corwin, 2019), all with Corwin Press. Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades K - 2 and Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades 3 - 5 with the same author team plus Kateri Thunder hit the shelves in March of 2019. He is also the past co-editor of the Teacher Educator’s Journal.
In 2019, John and his colleagues developed a new framework for developing, implementing, and sustaining professional learning communities: PLC+. Focusing on sustained change in teacher practice, the PLC+ framework builds capacity within teacher-led teams to maximize student learning. The books, PLC+ Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design, The PLC+ Playbook, Grades K - 12, The PLC+ Activator’s Guide will support this work in schools and classrooms.
John and his colleagues have also focused a lot of attention on the process of implementation – taking evidence-based practices and moving them from intention to implementation, potential to impact through a series of on-your-feet-guides around PLCs,Visible Learning, Visible Teaching, and the SOLO Taxonomy. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, John and his colleagues developed the Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction (SAGE). In November of 2020, Student Learning Communities (ASCD) was released, followed by Great Teaching by Design (Corwin Press), The Success Criteria Playbook (Corwin), an educational textbook on teaching science in the inclusive early childhood classroom, Inclusive Teaching in the Early Childhood Science Classroom (Routledge), and A Quick Guide to Simultaneous, Hybrid, & Blended Learning (Corwin).
Continuing his collaborative work with colleagues on what works best in teaching and learning, How Tutoring Works, Visible Learning in Early Childhood, and How Learning Works, all with Corwin Press, were released in 2021.
Douglas Fisher
Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. He is the recipient of an International Reading Association William S. Grey citation of merit and an Exemplary Leader award from the Conference on English Leadership of NCTE. He has published numerous articles on teaching and learning as well as books such as The Teacher Clarity Playbook, PLC+, Visible Learning for Literacy, Comprehension: The Skill, Will, and Thrill of Reading, How Tutoring Works, and How Learning Works. Doug loves being an educator and hopes to share that passion with others.
Nancy Frey
John Allan Hattie
Table of Contents
List of Videos
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction
Chapter 1. Science Learning Made Visible
Visible Learning
Surface, Deep, and Transfer
Challenging Tasks
Science Is More Than Demonstrations and Labs
The Role of Social Skills in Science
Teacher Clarity
Conclusion
Reflection Questions
Chapter 2. Science Surface Learning Made Visible
Surface Learning in Science
Selecting Science Tasks That Promote Surface Learning
Surface Learning in Science Made Visible
Scientific Processes and Thinking
Feedback
Conclusion
Reflection Questions
Chapter 3. Science Deep Learning Made Visible
Deep Learning in Science
Selecting Science Tasks That Promote Deep Learning
Deep Learning in Science Made Visible
Scientific Processes and Thinking
Feedback
Conclusion
Reflection Questions
Chapter 4. Science Transfer Learning Made Visible
Transfer Learning
Types of Transfer: Near and Far
The Paths for Transfer: Low-Road Hugging and High-Road Bridging
Managing Misconceptions
Conditions Necessary for Transfer Learning
Selecting Science Tasks That Promote Transfer Learning
Helping Students Transform Scientific Understanding
Scientific Processes and Thinking
Feedback
Conclusion
Reflection Questions
Chapter 5. Science Learning Made Visible Through Evaluation
Determining Impact
Calculating the Effect Size
Selecting Evaluations That Promote
Response to Intervention in the Science Classroom
Learning From What Doesn’t Work
Conclusion
Reflection Questions
References
Index
Reviews
This is a carousel with review cards. Use the previous and next buttons to navigate.
Mandy Frantti, Teacher, Munising Public Schools“The authors have written a book with research to support that various learning techniques are effective at different times. Its lack of ‘an all or nothing’ approach truly impresses. This book reminds teachers to make relevance obvious when teaching science standards and that mistakes are necessary for learning to occur. It is so relevant in today’s school climate and is an easy read for busy teachers who are trying to do the best they can for their students.”
Munising Public Schools
Dr. Rita Hagevik, Associate Professor and Graduate Director of Science Education, University of North Carolina at Pembroke“Visible Learning for Science is a great science methods text with its many, many great examples and excellent inclusion of research. I would definitely use this book in the classroom!”
University of North Carolina at Pembroke