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Make It Stick Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel headset

Overview
In Make It Stick (2016), Peter C. Brown, Henry Roediger, and Mark McDaniel offer an introduction to cognitive science for readers who
wish to enhance their individual learning processes. The authors believe that most people tend to adopt unproductive learning styles. As a
corrective, they outline proven learning strategies backed by extensive empirical data and examples. Although intelligence is conditioned
by biology and the environment, neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s capacity to change and develop over time, makes it possible for an
individual to adapt and learn new abilities. With conscious adoption of specific strategies, learners can turn neuroplasticity to their
advantage.

Many students and teachers believe that repetition and intense focus are essential components of any learning strategy, but this is a false
assumption. It results from observations that these strategies appear to yield results in the short term, giving both teachers and students
the impression that information has been deeply absorbed. However, there is no shortcut to deep learning. Creating lasting change in the
mind is no easy feat; effective strategies for producing enduring results are slow to yield them. Effort, patience, and discipline are
required to achieve long-term gains.

One of the most persistent learning myths concerns something called mass practice. Cramming for exams is a typical example of this
strategy. Although cramming might result in a higher test score than doing nothing at all, it is much more effective to allow time to
elapse between study lessons by spacing them out. Reading through learning material and following study with a self-quiz after a suitable
interval has elapsed is a more effective learning strategy than spending the same amount of time trying to memorize information.
Focusing on recall over time leads to a deeper understanding and mastery of knowledge than when material is simply reread.

Another myth concerns the consistency of information. Traditional school lessons are typically segmented into topics, as when an
English literature syllabus begins with Old English, moves through Middle English and Renaissance literature, and then on to
Romanticism, modernism, and contemporary texts. Rather than focus on one set of problems before moving on to another, it is better to
shuffle things around by alternating and varying different types of related problems.

When exposure to information is spaced out, the material is partially forgotten. The process of remembering partially forgotten
knowledge forces the mind to exert considerable effort to retrieve what it learned, even with material reviewed as recently as a week
prior. This exertion requires learners to sift through their repository of knowledge to locate what they are seeking. In so doing, they
contextualize new information and deepen their grasp of it. Through rapid exposure to topics that are both related and different, the mind
trains itself to see how information fits into the larger picture.

Armed with these learning strategies, the mind can slowly convert knowledge into habits of thought. The mind’s initial encounter with
knowledge will store it as a short-term memory. When recalling this knowledge from memory, the mind constantly updates it, connecting
it to more recently acquired knowledge. Recall can be aided by mnemonic devices which help to access complex knowledge. If learners
retrieve that knowledge frequently, and embed it in the mind deeply, its recall becomes second nature.

This slow and arduous learning process allows learners to undergo a process of trial and error, measuring their faculties against objective
criteria. By using flashcards, for instance, a student exercises his recall memory while squaring his knowledge with the facts on the
cards. A violin player may think that she is performing a correct vibrato, but she may be wrong; her mentor’s corrective feedback ensures
that she doesn’t slip into a bad habit. In areas where recall is diminished or lacking, more work is required. With repeated trial and error,
a learner avoids the pitfalls of subjective perceptions, which are frequently misleading.

Because trial and error is at the core of effective learning strategies, failure is inherent to growth. If learners understand this, they can
change their attitude about what they can do, with the understanding that they are in control of their own success.

If learners embrace an arduous learning curve and trust research over popular assumptions about learning, they set themselves on the
road to mastery.

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