A Quick Guide To Making Your Teaching Stick- K-5 -workshop Help Desk- By Schwartz- Shanna Published By Firsthand -2008- Jun 2026

The book provides practical, "pocket-sized" professional development focused on several universal principles of stickiness:

In "A Quick Guide to Making Your Teaching Stick, K–5" (2008), Shanna Schwartz outlines four key principles for creating lasting classroom instruction, including teaching for readiness, active participation, physical representations, and embracing approximation. Part of the Workshop Help Desk series, this guide emphasizes practical, actionable strategies for K–5 educators to improve retention in writing and literacy workshops. A detailed sample of the book's approach is available via Pearson Canada Schwartz argues that if you cannot say your

By following these tips and incorporating them into your teaching practice, you can help your K-5 students retain information better and achieve greater academic success. The book provides practical

Schwartz argues that if you cannot say your teaching point in one simple sentence, your students cannot remember it. For K-5 learners, cognitive load is the enemy of retention. including teaching for readiness

For teaching to stick, students must approximate the skill with your scaffolding still present .

Since young learners often forget abstract verbal instructions, teachers should provide "anchors" like physical artifacts or charts that students can refer to during independent work.

The book’s longevity stems from its foundation in cognitive science: Schwartz wrote for the workshop classroom, but her advice applies to any setting—including intervention groups, homeschool co-ops, and tutoring.