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

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. This is an excellent book about how learners learn and behave in a classroom and how this understanding about learning could be put to use by teachers for effective teaching. The authors present the Unified Learning Model (ULM), which is based on three basic principles of learning, namely working memory allocation, prior knowledge, and motivation. The book is divided into two parts. In the first, the basic principles of ULM that cause learning are described in detail, and in the second part application of the model to develop effective teaching and learning strategies is discussed. There are several learning theories and models in contemporary education literature that have created conflicts and confusion in the minds of teachers and education researchers because these theories use different vocabulary and explain only certain aspects of learning phenomena. The ULM is an attempt to connect different learning theories and encompass almost all the aspects of learning. The authors explain with clarity the three basic principles of learning and their connection to form the ULM. The first chapter is a brief introduction to the ULM. In chapter 2, "Learning," the authors do an excellent job of explaining …