Outsmart Your Brain
Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
In this revolutionary, comprehensive, and accessible guide on how the brain learns, discover how to study more efficiently and effectively, shrug away exam stress, and most of all, enjoy learning.
When we study, we tend to focus on the tasks we can most easily control—such as highlighting and rereading—but these practices only give the illusion of mastery. As Dan Willingham, professor of psychology and bestselling author, explains, familiarity is not the same as comprehension.
Perfect for teachers and students of all ages, Outsmart Your Brain provides real-world practices and the latest research on how to train your brain for better learning. Each chapter provides clear and specific strategies while also explaining why traditional study processes do not work. Grounded in scientifically backed practical advice, this is the ultimate guide to improving grades and better understanding the power of our own brains.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Willingham (Why Don't Students Like School?), a psychology professor at the University of Virginia, delivers a straightforward manual on how college students can learn more effectively. The author draws on psychological research and his teaching background to offer strategies for students to better absorb class material. He recommends that readers balance writing notes with paying attention to a lecture's meaning, because too much focus on the former can lead students to miss the latter. Highlighting the importance of organization to memory retention, he describes a study that found participants better remembered words when they were presented in a "logically organized" diagram, and he suggests readers reorganize their notes into tree diagrams to prepare for tests. Much of the advice is commonsensical, as when Willingham advises students to find a distraction-free space to study and to avoid multitasking. Still, college students will appreciate the author's pick-and-choose approach, such as when he provides suggestions for stemming anxiety—including mindfulness meditation and interpreting anxiety symptoms as excitement—and encourages readers to "see what works for you." Though much of the guidance isn't surprising, students will likely find some useful tips.
