Ratings26
Average rating4
To most of us, learning something "the hard way" implies wasted time and effort. Good teaching, we believe, should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines, the authors offer concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners. Memory plays a central role in our ability to carry out complex cognitive tasks, such as applying knowledge to problems never before encountered and drawing inferences from facts already known. New insights into how memory is encoded, consolidated, and later retrieved have led to a better understanding of how we learn. Grappling with the impediments that make learning challenging leads both to more complex mastery and better retention of what was learned. Many common study habits and practice routines turn out to be counterproductive. Underlining and highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. More complex and durable learning come from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has set in, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Speaking most urgently to students, teachers, trainers, and athletes, Make It Stick will appeal to all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement. - Publisher.
Reviews with the most likes.
What I liked - The advices. What I didn't like - The chapters had many examples, which is a good thing, but I got pretty bored of the book. I usually read few paragraphs and then make notes but when I actually thought about what I learnt from reading those few paragraphs, nothing came up in my mind. The same point was stressed multiple times in different ways. So I recommend this for someone who wants to learn about this "tips" with lots of examples that draw the same conclusion. But the examples do solidify the concepts they talk about.
For people who just want to learn how to study properly while retaining as much as possible, I recommend "The Only Study Guide You'll Ever Need"
A potent summary of things to keep in mind if you want learning to last. Although if you're familiar with the theories of spaced repetition, elaboration, testing effects etc., this can easily be skipped.