Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

Peter C. Brown · Henry L. Roediger III · Mark A. McDaniel

Apr 2014 · Harvard University Press

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Not far in but frustrated. First that analogies in a book on learning are parochially American. How many of us find differentiation between Atlanta and Phoenix meaningful? or find a description predicated on knowledge about baseball terminology anything but obfuscating over illuminating. Maybe this is extending their observation that learning that has to be worked at sticks more but hey guys you forgot it also has to connect in the first place. Second the constant repetition that we have wrong strategies like re reading. 10 words would cover it but we get 10 pages on what not to do. shorten the book! increase the ratio of how to succeed vs page count, thus boost the value. In this point it's the irony that we are told multiple times that repeated reading of the same point it doesn't much help! So far at 20% the how to messages received are (is) testing is beneficial to comprehension and application as these abilities rest on recall as a foundation. test with delayed feedback is best

This book covers a lot on research done on learning techniques; what works, what doesn't work. Be patient with this book and you will leave with new understanding on memory and learning techniques.

Active recall and spaced repetition, along with interleaving and many more - Time to test me on this book. Wish me luck!

About the author

Peter C. Brown is a writer and novelist in St. Paul, Minnesota. Henry L. Roediger III is James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. Mark A. McDaniel is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education (CIRCLE) at Washington University in St. Louis.