A Revolution in Teaching: And We’re Just Getting Started

Cheery Friday Greetings from Barb Oakley! 

A Revolution in Teaching: And We’re Just Getting Started

Coursera celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day this week by recognizing a few of their instructors—and, yes, I was surprised (and slightly surreal-ed) to find myself leading the list.

What stood out, though, was what this moment reflects. For a long time, research has been the primary path to broad academic influence—shaping medicine, technology, policy, and more. Teaching has always had deep impact too—but historically, it’s been seen as more local, unfolding student by student, classroom by classroom.

That’s what’s changed.

With the rise of online learning, teaching now operates at the same scale as research. A thoughtfully designed course can reach learners across the globe and reshape how entire fields are understood—not just in one institution, but everywhere. It’s not that teaching is newly important. It’s that its reach has finally caught up with its value.

And here’s the thing: when teaching is excellent, it looks easy. The ideas feel clear. The path through the material seems obvious. But that clarity is the result of hard, often invisible work—carefully structuring content, anticipating confusion, smoothing rough edges. The better the teaching, the more likely it is to be taken for granted.

So here’s to the teachers—whose skill hides in plain sight, and whose work is quietly reshaping how the world learns.

What If “Good Teaching” Isn’t Good Teaching?

For decades, we’ve embraced bold reforms in education—more exploration, more tech, less memorization. But quietly, across much of the Western world, something strange has been happening: IQ scores are slipping.

At researchED Toronto 2025, I’ll be sharing a new theory—one that traces a subtle but powerful shift in how we teach and what it may be doing to how we think.

This conference brings together an extraordinary group of educators, researchers, and truth-tellers ready to challenge assumptions and spark change. Because sometimes the road to cognitive decline is paved with good intentions. Register now to learn more! 

Learn Faster. Remember More. It’s Not Magic—It’s Memory Mastery!

If you’ve ever wanted to sharpen your memory, learn faster, or actually remember what you study, you’ll want to check out what my friend Nelson Dellis is up to. He’s the current and 6x USA Memory Champion and one of the world’s leading experts on memory training.

Nelson is launching a brand-new round of his popular memory course, the Everest Memory Masterclass, on June 1st. It’s packed with the same techniques he’s used to memorize thousands of digits, names, faces, and more—and how you can apply them to everyday life, school, or work.

If you want early access and a chance at some special bonuses, hop on the waitlist here:
👉 https://www.everestmemory.com/waitlist

(Spots are limited, and it always fills up fast.)

Seeking Educational Consulting Support for a New Learning Institute in Kerala

Learning How to Learner Sudheer Mambra is embarking on an exciting educational journey! After a successful career in finance, he’s planning to establish an educational institution in Kerala, India that will help students prepare for professional accounting qualifications. Sudheer is deeply passionate about implementing evidence-based learning techniques, including spaced repetition and active recall, to help students truly master the material. He’s looking for someone who could provide practical guidance on applying these principles in real classroom settings—from curriculum design to lesson structure, assignments, and retention strategies. If you have expertise in developing educational programs that incorporate learning science principles and would be willing to lend your insights, please reach out to Sudheer at sudheermambra74@gmail.com. He’s particularly inspired by how understanding the neuroscience of learning can transform educational outcomes, and your experience could help shape this new venture!

That’s all for now. Have a happy week in learning!

Barb Oakley

• Uncommon Sense Teaching—the book and Coursera Specialization!
• Mindshift—the book and MOOC
• Learn Like a Pro—the book and MOOC
• The LHTL recommended text, A Mind for Numbers
• For kids and parents: Learning How to Learn—the book and MOOC. Pro tip—watch the videos and read the book together with your child. Learning how to learn at an early age will change their life!