Book

Outsmart Your Brain

Why Learning Is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy

Daniel Willingham

Gallery Books, 2023

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Recommendation

Psychology Professor Daniel Willingham offers tips for learners and trainers in his research-backed guide to improving how you acquire and retain knowledge. Willingham’s recommendations, based on insights from cognitive psychology, frequently upend common wisdom about studying, test-prep and teaching. The brain, he says, doesn’t know the best ways to learn; hence, intuitive methods often don’t produce the best results. Instead, Willingham offers counterintuitive – but brain science–based – tools for learning and training, as well as a revised understanding of the important role played by motivation and confidence.

Take-Aways

Common teaching practices don’t align with how the brain learns. The field of cognitive psychology offers guidance on how to learn better.
Seek context and structure, practice active listening and make connections during lectures.
Structure your note-taking, and read for retention – but beware “speed reading.”

About the Author

Daniel T. Willingham teaches psychology at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on applying findings from cognitive psychology and neuroscience to K–12 education. His books include Why Don’t Students Like School? and When Can You Trust the Experts? Willingham also writes the “Ask the Cognitive Scientist” column for American Educator magazine.

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M. P. 10 months ago

really
A. G. 11 months ago

The summary gives you an overview of the book. I was reading it with both a student and teacher point of view. I wish there were some practical examples to apply already in the classroom. These may come in the original book but I think that the summary provides a good understanding on what the book is about and the main blocks.
Interesting to see if when buying the books, I get the answers I am looking for.

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