What do you think?
Rate this book
Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy
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.
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.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published January 24, 2023
715 people are currently reading
9876 people want to read
About the author
Daniel T. Willingham
20 books233 followersDaniel Willingham earned his B.A. from Duke University in 1983 and his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Harvard University in 1990. He is currently Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, where he has taught since 1992. Until about 2000, his research focused solely on the brain basis of learning and memory. Today, all of his research concerns the application of cognitive psychology to K-12 education. He writes the “Ask the Cognitive Scientist” column for American Educator magazine, and is an Associate Editor of Mind, Brain, and Education. He is also the author of Why Don't Students Like School? (Jossey-Bass) and When Can You Trust the Experts? (Jossey-Bass). His writing on education has been translated into ten languages.
from http://www.danielwillingham.com/about...
from http://www.danielwillingham.com/about...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
February 16, 2025
“Memory is the residue of thought.”
Hey, not bad. Stuff is easier to learn when it has meaning. That seems simple, but you have to…uh…think about it. See, I loved history and had a good grip on it because I cared about it, because I thought about it all the time. That got me good grades. So I can dig the overall takeaway.
The book is steeped in neuroscience research. Willingham’s ideas are backed up with meaningful data, presented in real-people language. Also, it’s clear the author has taught and mentored thousands of students. I often felt like I’d met many of them.
His tips are also, for the most part, supported by real life experience. The first few chapters offer some very helpful advice for not just remembering, but gaining a deep understanding of just about anything. Sure, following the plan helps students get the best grade, but he seems to make the point that truly grasping an academic subject requires concentration and taking the content seriously. The advice isn’t gimmicks, not special tricks for someone to do less work for a greater gain. At the same time, he tries to get students to work smarter, not harder. The focus seems to be college learning, though I can see employing some of this for grad school or even academic-type jobs (like mine). I also liked his “For Educators” sections at the end of each chapter: he does a good job of helping us help students.
That said, I can’t help but point out the irony of a book promising to make something easy that has 94 “tips.” Even the smartest among us will have a hard time recalling all those important points, no matter how meaningful they are. Yes, I know it’s not meant to be read that way, so it’s best to just have on the bookshelf for reference.
Also, I do wish the author would’ve offered some later chapters with more advanced advice. “Get a good night’s sleep” and “Find a place to study without distractions” are completely true, but isn’t this supposed to be a book that goes beyond the basics? Then again, maybe he’s trying to reach out to students who haven’t developed those fundamental skills needed to get through college-level learning. Though the tone tells me otherwise.
I had to read a lot of these chapters for work, so there was a fair amount of grumbling here. But I liked the science and think it might be helpful for students AND educators.
Hey, not bad. Stuff is easier to learn when it has meaning. That seems simple, but you have to…uh…think about it. See, I loved history and had a good grip on it because I cared about it, because I thought about it all the time. That got me good grades. So I can dig the overall takeaway.
The book is steeped in neuroscience research. Willingham’s ideas are backed up with meaningful data, presented in real-people language. Also, it’s clear the author has taught and mentored thousands of students. I often felt like I’d met many of them.
His tips are also, for the most part, supported by real life experience. The first few chapters offer some very helpful advice for not just remembering, but gaining a deep understanding of just about anything. Sure, following the plan helps students get the best grade, but he seems to make the point that truly grasping an academic subject requires concentration and taking the content seriously. The advice isn’t gimmicks, not special tricks for someone to do less work for a greater gain. At the same time, he tries to get students to work smarter, not harder. The focus seems to be college learning, though I can see employing some of this for grad school or even academic-type jobs (like mine). I also liked his “For Educators” sections at the end of each chapter: he does a good job of helping us help students.
That said, I can’t help but point out the irony of a book promising to make something easy that has 94 “tips.” Even the smartest among us will have a hard time recalling all those important points, no matter how meaningful they are. Yes, I know it’s not meant to be read that way, so it’s best to just have on the bookshelf for reference.
Also, I do wish the author would’ve offered some later chapters with more advanced advice. “Get a good night’s sleep” and “Find a place to study without distractions” are completely true, but isn’t this supposed to be a book that goes beyond the basics? Then again, maybe he’s trying to reach out to students who haven’t developed those fundamental skills needed to get through college-level learning. Though the tone tells me otherwise.
I had to read a lot of these chapters for work, so there was a fair amount of grumbling here. But I liked the science and think it might be helpful for students AND educators.
April 26, 2022
If you think this is just another “how-to” book, you would be wrong. Too bad this book wasn’t around when I was a struggling student of any age. I could have benefited from Tip 50--If you can’t remember a fact, such as listing the names of animals, try using themes, such as animals on a farm, in Australia, circus animals. Or Tip 23--Consider note taking to be a team sport. Working with a group of students or even just one other person can keep you on track, expand on ideas, pick up things you left out. I found Chapter 8, How to Take Tests, a chapter I could have used in my day and Chapter 9, How to Learn from Past Exams, a definite help. There may be some tips and discussions you may have heard before but it only helps to hear them again and again and in new ways. The author expands on all his topics and tips which adds a great deal to understanding his suggestions. Wonderful book to use in any learning situation.
May 9, 2023
This would be better titled "Why College Is Hard and How You Can Pass or Ace Your Courses." It's completely school-focused and ALMOST entirely focused on experiences & strategies at the post-secondary level.
Poorly marketed, and not helpful for me at all.
Poorly marketed, and not helpful for me at all.
November 4, 2023
I appreciate Danial Willingham as he is presenting findings from the Cognitive Sciences on how people learn. Ironically, people receiving a master of education will likely get none of this since the reigning paradigm is Progressivism and Critical Pedagogy. Teacher training functions more like an induction into a religious cult that has a doctrine that is to be affirmed regardless of facts and reality.
I like how Willingham, for example, can actually acknowledge the mountains of research that have demonstrated learning styles are a myth, whereas the M.Ed that I am about to complete, has talked as if differentiation based upon our student's learning style is the gospel in nearly every course. Willingham can acknowledge the evidence showing the huge importance of retrieval practices, whereas those who are being taught how to be educators will instead be instructed to disparage knowledge, and instead promote 21st-century skills and critical consciousness.
It is just so repugnant that the science that actually investigates how people learn is practically not taught in higher education, if you want it, you have to go looking elsewhere.
I like how Willingham, for example, can actually acknowledge the mountains of research that have demonstrated learning styles are a myth, whereas the M.Ed that I am about to complete, has talked as if differentiation based upon our student's learning style is the gospel in nearly every course. Willingham can acknowledge the evidence showing the huge importance of retrieval practices, whereas those who are being taught how to be educators will instead be instructed to disparage knowledge, and instead promote 21st-century skills and critical consciousness.
It is just so repugnant that the science that actually investigates how people learn is practically not taught in higher education, if you want it, you have to go looking elsewhere.
January 11, 2022
This book is very user friendly! I learned a few things about my own habits that might not be the most productive in terms of getting results. The sections on highlighting and reading difficult books was very interesting! This would be a valuable tool for students to assess their own study habits/skills and try to develop stronger strategies. It would also be interesting to have educators review this work with students to help support learning. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2023
I was excited for this book because I enjoyed Daniel Willingham's Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom. I really liked the first couple chapters - they were filled with Willingham's typical mix of scientific research and practical application. However, he really didn't have enough material for a full-length book here, as evidenced by its descent into observations that anyone could suggest - don't cram the night before a test, pay attention during lectures - and don't rely much on the latest developments in cognitive science. If you're looking for a book about the implications for learning of the brain's structures, I'd highly recommend Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning instead.
September 22, 2023
Great if you’re in school. However, the carry-over to everyday life is definitely beneficial.
December 15, 2024
I wish I would have read this before I completed my undergrad lol
October 3, 2025
SO GOOD! This is a MUST READ for anyone in education and officially my new graduation gift for any student about to start college or grad school. It is written FOR students, but as an instructor there were invaluable takeaways in every section that either affirmed or challenged my current teaching techniques. Even though it’s for students, each chapter ended with a “For Instructors” section with actionable takeaways. I left the book inspired to work more initially to make “hard learning” easy.
February 13, 2023
This book was recommended to me by a previous employer and as I start the second semester of my phd I've been struggling to optimize how I retain information. I often find myself forgetting things immediately after I learn the,/think I know them and then discover when prompted that I have no idea what they are. I found this book to be a SUPERB and rigorous dive in basically how to hack oneself to optimize one's capacity to be a better learner. Highly recommend for anyone feeling like they want to improve in school.
A few things I learned:
1. There's no free lunch ever - all the things you don't want to do when learning (actually doing hard problems, always taking good notes and organizing them, reading slowly and synthesizing) are all completely necessary for learning optimally. In fact, the less pleasant a learning strategy is, the better it usually is for helping you learn!
2. Many of the most commonly used strategies for memorization are ineffective -copying, highlighting notes, repeating information in one's head; all ineffective. Flash cards and creating examples that are cognitively intensive are ideal.
3. Shame is a powerful tool to hold oneself accountable. If you want to do something or accomplish something/ tell someone! Then you'll be too embarrassed not to do it.
A few things I learned:
1. There's no free lunch ever - all the things you don't want to do when learning (actually doing hard problems, always taking good notes and organizing them, reading slowly and synthesizing) are all completely necessary for learning optimally. In fact, the less pleasant a learning strategy is, the better it usually is for helping you learn!
2. Many of the most commonly used strategies for memorization are ineffective -copying, highlighting notes, repeating information in one's head; all ineffective. Flash cards and creating examples that are cognitively intensive are ideal.
3. Shame is a powerful tool to hold oneself accountable. If you want to do something or accomplish something/ tell someone! Then you'll be too embarrassed not to do it.
May 3, 2022
This book is really fantastic!! I really wish it was around when I was in school! Willingham is a professor and an excellent writer. His insights from that perspective are so informative and very helpful to read from a student's perspective. He also provides guidance for his fellow instructors. The advice he gives throughout the book is both engaging and very helpful. While much of it isn't necessarily new, the additional insights and his unique framing make them resonate more. He tries to help all kinds of students and is also up to date on relevant research of the tips he provides. As organization and planning is a large emphasis in the book, I unsurprisingly found that the book was also organized very well and intuitively, in a manner that actually makes it easier to remember the information learned throughout. While I do enjoy reading this genre immensely,I found Willingham's book to be hard to put down as it maintains interesting content in a manner that keeps the reader constantly engaged. Fantastic book and especially great for students!
December 7, 2023
I picked up this book to see if it could help me develop lessons for high school students regarding lates research on learning and test preparation for finals. Much of what was here I already knew as a long time educator, but I found myself wishing I had been able to give this to my own children before they went to college.
Despite the fact that much of the advice was applicable to high school students, I found that it was most useful for those heading to college, facing long lectures, study groups, high stakes tests. In high school, educators are encouraged to break up learning and to assess often. But this would have been so useful to me heading into my freshman year in college, faced with the demands of the typical college lecture course that has a grade based on two exams alone.
So...did I find some nuggets of information I can share with my students? Yes. But this may become my new purchase for seniors who are graduating and have plans for post secondary academics. "The Places You'll Go" only goes so far, but this one might actually be useful.
Despite the fact that much of the advice was applicable to high school students, I found that it was most useful for those heading to college, facing long lectures, study groups, high stakes tests. In high school, educators are encouraged to break up learning and to assess often. But this would have been so useful to me heading into my freshman year in college, faced with the demands of the typical college lecture course that has a grade based on two exams alone.
So...did I find some nuggets of information I can share with my students? Yes. But this may become my new purchase for seniors who are graduating and have plans for post secondary academics. "The Places You'll Go" only goes so far, but this one might actually be useful.
November 12, 2022
Simply the best book out there on practically leveraging your brain to maximize your studies and learning process. Definitely one I will be returning to
May 8, 2023
Useful for Professors, possibly more useful for professors than students
February 28, 2024
[3.5] Willingham has written a well-organized book that can help all of us to become better learners by embracing practical strategies for fine-tuning our mental mindsets.
In all candor, this is not a fun-filled reading experience. It doesn’t serve up many vivid anecdotes or touches of humor. That’s not its intention. It offers dozens of tips (94, but who’s counting?) for students, educators and others who are eager to improve their mental acuity.
Speaking of students, some reviewers have accurately described the book as “very school focused.” As someone who has taught college communications classes on a part-time basis for nearly 4 decades, this emphasis was fine. But I believe the author could have broadened the overall appeal of the book by including more anecdotes and examples that involved workplace and lifestyle scenarios. Much of the content focuses on tips for understanding lectures, taking more helpful notes and taking tests. There is also some excellent advice for educators about preparing questions that make tests fair and effective.
Some content involves embarrassingly obvious stuff. Cramming for tests isn’t smart in most cases. Never write things in your notes that you don’t completely understand. You get the idea. But the book also includes dozens of fascinating insights. As someone who warns students about the dangers of procrastination, I was intrigued by the author’s approach to this common problem. He explores “the planning fallacy” that recognizes how people tend to underestimate the amount of time a task will take to complete. Think about your least favorite construction project. Willingham serves up tips for pummeling procrastination, including using to-do lists as visual incentives for logging incremental progress and training your brain to think of work tasks as less disagreeable, and the “fun” tasks less enjoyable.
Granted, many of the tips aren’t rocket science, and have been covered in other self- help books (example: set smaller, attainable goals to make intimidating tasks seem more manageable ones.) But I really liked his “Just start” strategy: Simply tell yourself “I will work five minutes, and if it’s miserable, I will stop.” You might be surprised how often you will not stop.
The book also includes some excellent tips for grappling with anxiety, a problem the author has encountered. One tip involves recognizing thought patterns that can make anxiety worse. Reinterpret what your body is feeling. Train your brain to not talk about yourself as being stressed out, but instead as being excited (“Your body is telling you it’s ready for adventure!”)
Could the content have been pruned to include only the 40 or 50 most insightful relearning strategies? Probably. Nevertheless, it’s a helpful primer who anyone who is eager to fine-tune learning skills.
In all candor, this is not a fun-filled reading experience. It doesn’t serve up many vivid anecdotes or touches of humor. That’s not its intention. It offers dozens of tips (94, but who’s counting?) for students, educators and others who are eager to improve their mental acuity.
Speaking of students, some reviewers have accurately described the book as “very school focused.” As someone who has taught college communications classes on a part-time basis for nearly 4 decades, this emphasis was fine. But I believe the author could have broadened the overall appeal of the book by including more anecdotes and examples that involved workplace and lifestyle scenarios. Much of the content focuses on tips for understanding lectures, taking more helpful notes and taking tests. There is also some excellent advice for educators about preparing questions that make tests fair and effective.
Some content involves embarrassingly obvious stuff. Cramming for tests isn’t smart in most cases. Never write things in your notes that you don’t completely understand. You get the idea. But the book also includes dozens of fascinating insights. As someone who warns students about the dangers of procrastination, I was intrigued by the author’s approach to this common problem. He explores “the planning fallacy” that recognizes how people tend to underestimate the amount of time a task will take to complete. Think about your least favorite construction project. Willingham serves up tips for pummeling procrastination, including using to-do lists as visual incentives for logging incremental progress and training your brain to think of work tasks as less disagreeable, and the “fun” tasks less enjoyable.
Granted, many of the tips aren’t rocket science, and have been covered in other self- help books (example: set smaller, attainable goals to make intimidating tasks seem more manageable ones.) But I really liked his “Just start” strategy: Simply tell yourself “I will work five minutes, and if it’s miserable, I will stop.” You might be surprised how often you will not stop.
The book also includes some excellent tips for grappling with anxiety, a problem the author has encountered. One tip involves recognizing thought patterns that can make anxiety worse. Reinterpret what your body is feeling. Train your brain to not talk about yourself as being stressed out, but instead as being excited (“Your body is telling you it’s ready for adventure!”)
Could the content have been pruned to include only the 40 or 50 most insightful relearning strategies? Probably. Nevertheless, it’s a helpful primer who anyone who is eager to fine-tune learning skills.
April 28, 2024
Read for a book club with my colleagues.
There's nothing inherently "wrong" with this book, but I don't feel like it added any new information or ideas to the topics it covered, merely collecting the usual advice/techniques for note-taking, studying, avoiding procrastination, etc. in one place. As someone who has taught ESL, academic skills, and professional development courses in universities for about a decade, Willingham's tips are standard, matching what I was taught and what we actively teach and discuss with students in the classroom.
Aside from that, I do have some criticisms based on my personal preferences:
Willingham explains the rationale behind his advice with vague "research shows" hand waving without ever describing any details of the research itself. Yes, there is a chapter-by-chapter bibliography included at the end of the book, but I would have appreciated more discussion and analysis of the relevant studies (their sample sizes and populations, the methodology, the actual data behind the findings, their limitations). This is just not that kind of book, but it made me wish I had read something that was that kind of book instead.
There is some (read: very little) acknowledgement that these tips may vary in effectiveness and application based on individual factors like personality, but I wish this had been a much bigger point. There is absolutely no mention of neurodiversity or cultural/education system differences that could also hugely impact how a person learns and what is effective for them. I can accept that these considerations were beyond Willigham's purview, but, writing from my own experiences as both learner and teacher, it truly does feel like an oversight and oversimplification of "how you can make learning easy."
There's nothing inherently "wrong" with this book, but I don't feel like it added any new information or ideas to the topics it covered, merely collecting the usual advice/techniques for note-taking, studying, avoiding procrastination, etc. in one place. As someone who has taught ESL, academic skills, and professional development courses in universities for about a decade, Willingham's tips are standard, matching what I was taught and what we actively teach and discuss with students in the classroom.
Aside from that, I do have some criticisms based on my personal preferences:
Willingham explains the rationale behind his advice with vague "research shows" hand waving without ever describing any details of the research itself. Yes, there is a chapter-by-chapter bibliography included at the end of the book, but I would have appreciated more discussion and analysis of the relevant studies (their sample sizes and populations, the methodology, the actual data behind the findings, their limitations). This is just not that kind of book, but it made me wish I had read something that was that kind of book instead.
There is some (read: very little) acknowledgement that these tips may vary in effectiveness and application based on individual factors like personality, but I wish this had been a much bigger point. There is absolutely no mention of neurodiversity or cultural/education system differences that could also hugely impact how a person learns and what is effective for them. I can accept that these considerations were beyond Willigham's purview, but, writing from my own experiences as both learner and teacher, it truly does feel like an oversight and oversimplification of "how you can make learning easy."
March 15, 2023
This was my first time reading one his books and I was not disappointed. Willingham does a terrific job of writing with a simplistic flair. He finds the balance between providing enough evidence and depth without sacrificing ease of reading and comprehension.
I would argue this should be mandatory reading for any serious student. He challenges current educational trends that are flashy (the false idea of learning styles for example) but are not backed by research. Robust amount of footnotes at the end shows his knowledge of the subject.
While it it primarily geared towards students, I found the information helpful as an educator as he provides tips for instructors at the end of each chapter.
I would argue this should be mandatory reading for any serious student. He challenges current educational trends that are flashy (the false idea of learning styles for example) but are not backed by research. Robust amount of footnotes at the end shows his knowledge of the subject.
While it it primarily geared towards students, I found the information helpful as an educator as he provides tips for instructors at the end of each chapter.
December 28, 2023
A book written mostly to high school and college students about how to study, Willingham offers 90+ tips for studying. If that feels like a lot, it is. I wish the tips were categorized as oppressed to being numbered sequentially, so it didn't seem like an interminable step-by-step approach to studying. This book could have said the same things in half as many pages, I think. That said, there are some interesting factoids and practical advice for learners and teachers alike.
February 19, 2023
Truly a masterful (& easy-to-read) book about learning, teaching, and all the wonder that is education! Will be purchasing for the new teachers and college-goers in my life! Highly recommend!
November 13, 2023
Brilliant book. Could have been better if it was mbetter divider into two sections. Helpnfor students, and help for educators.
May 4, 2024
Great read for any teacher who has to work with test strategies. Although the book is geared towards students, it also give teachers tips and tricks on how to best support them throughout the process.
July 27, 2024
Lots of great tips on how to study and learn more effectively. I think these suggestions would make a great study skills curriculum at a certain school for the gifted… just saying…
September 21, 2024
I sure do wish I had this book to read when I was a student in school. The author provides almost 100 scientifically proven tips, each with multi-step strategies for learning. And, since I am still wanting to learn new information, lots of the tips are helpful for me as a senior citizen who feels I forget new information too quickly. Definitely this book is a wonderful gift for college bound younsters.
April 17, 2024
This is an excellent book on study skills and exam preparation, based on research in cognitive science. At the end of each section, there are tips for teachers as to how they can help their students to put the ideas into practice. The book is aimed at American college students but I found it pretty relevant for my French middle-school pupils (especially those in their final year, with exams on the horizon). This is a follow-up book to Willingham's equally readable 'Why don't students like school?', with realistic practical suggestions that can be adapted for different ages and subjects.
October 8, 2025
2025.04.10–2025.04.29
Contents
Willingham DT (2023) (08:50) Outsmart Your Brain - Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy
Advance Praise for Outsmart Your Brain
Introduction
• How I Came to Write This Book
• Why Your Brain Must Be Outsmarted
• How to Use This Book
01. How to Understand a Lecture
• Tip 01: Extract the Organization from a Lecture
• Tip 02: Expect Listening to Require Work
• Tip 03: If You’re Given Notes, Use Them to Check Your Notes, Not Replace Them
• Tip 04: Be Thoughtful About When to Read Assignments
• Tip 05: Get Over Your Reluctance to Ask Questions
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
02. How to Take Lecture Notes
• Mental Processes Required to Attend a Lecture
• Mental Processes Needed to Take Notes
• Tip 06: Be Ready
• Tip 07: Determine in Advance Whether You Plan to Understand More or Write More
• Tip 08: You Should Usually Take Notes Longhand
• Tip 09: Evaluate Your Notes on the Spot
• Tip 10: Don’t Use a Note-Taking System
• Tip 11: Use Note-Taking Shorthand
• Tip 12: Use Lecture Recordings Judiciously
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
03. How to Learn from Labs, Activities, and Demonstrations
• The Purposes of Learning Activities
• How Learning Follows Attention
• Attention, Memory, and Learning by Doing
• Tip 13: Be There and Engage
• Tip 14: If the Activity Is Brief and Offers a Surprising, Interesting Experience, It’s Probably an Analogy
• Tip 15: If the Activity Comes with a Script, You’re Supposed to Learn Either Skills or Concepts
• Tip 16: For Projects, Pick the Problem with Care, Seek Feedback Along the Way, and Reflect at the End
• Tip 17: When the Purpose Is the Activity Itself, Know the Difference Between Experience and Practice
• Tip 18: If the Main Point of the Activity Is the Experience, Plan What to Observe
• Tip 19: Don’t Forget to Take Notes as You’re Experiencing
• Tip 20: Look at Things from the Instructor’s Perspective
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
04. How to Reorganize Your Notes
• Good Organization Helps Memory
• Tip 21: Find Connections Among Elements of Your Notes
• Tip 22: Spot Holes in Your Notes
• Tip 23: Consider Note Taking to Be a Team Sport
• Tip 24: When Getting Help with Your Notes from the Instructor, Ask Focused Questions
• Tip 25: Optional: Make Your Notes Look Good
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
05. How to Read Difficult Books
• Tip 26: Don’t Do What Most People Do: Just Read and Highlight
• Tip 27: Use a Reading Strategy That Fits Your Goal
• Tip 28: Take Notes as You Read
• Tip 29: Allocate Significant Time to Reading
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
06. How to Study for Exams
• Tip 30: Avoid These Commonly Used Strategies
• Tip 31: Keep in Mind That Preparing to Study Is Studying
• Tip 32: Prepare a Study Guide
• Tip 33: Avoid Found Materials
• Tip 34: Pose and Answer Meaningful Questions to Get Memories to Stick
• Tip 35: Use Mnemonics for Meaningless Content Only
• Tip 36: How to Use Your Study Guide
• Tip 37: Don’t Worry About Your Style
• Tip 38: After You’ve Prepped on Your Own, Meet with Your Study Group
• Tip 39: Remember That Cramming Usually Doesn’t Pay
• Tip 40: To Prepare for Application Problems, Compare Examples
• Tip 41: To Prepare for Problem Variations, Label the Subgoals
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
07. How to Judge Whether You’re Ready for an Exam
• Many Factors Contribute to Judgments of Learning
• Tip 42: Be Clear About What It Means to “Know” Something
• Tip 43: Rereading Leads to Overconfidence in Your Knowledge
• Tip 44: Evaluate Your Preparation with the Right Type of Self-Testing
• Tip 45: Don’t Use Practice Tests to Judge Your Readiness for an Exam
• Tip 46: Study Until You Know It; Then Keep Studying
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
08. How to Take Tests
• Tip 47: Prepare and Take Care
• Tip 48: Learn to Cope with Ordinary Test Anxiety
• Tip 49: Imagine Yourself in the Place Where You Studied
• Tip 50: If You Can’t Remember a Fact, Think About Themes
• Tip 51: Keep Trying
• Tip 52: Beware of “Pop Knowledge”
• Tip 53: Ask the Instructor for Clarification, but Show What You Know
• Tip 54: Don’t Overthink
• Tip 55: For an Essay Question, Don’t Start Writing Until You Know How the Essay Ends
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
09. How to Learn from Past Exams
• Tip 56: Categorize Your Mistakes
• Tip 57: Analyze What Went Wrong on Essay Questions
• Tip 58: See Trick Questions for What They Are
• Tip 59: Think About What Went Right
• Tip 60: Don’t Cringe
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
10. How to Plan Your Work
• Tip 61: Get Enough Sleep
• Tip 62: Plan a Block of Consistent, Dedicated Time for Learning
• Tip 63: Use a Calendar
• Tip 64: Make a To-Do List for Each Study Session
• Tip 65: Set and Revisit Your Learning Goals
• Tip 66: Set Goals with the Hidden Factors in Mind
• Tip 67: Develop a Plan
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
11. How to Defeat Procrastination
• Tip 68: Don’t Rely on Willpower to Reduce Procrastination, Rely on Habit
• Tip 69: Each To-Do List Item Should Be Concrete and Take Twenty to Sixty Minutes
• Tip 70: Reframe Your Choice
• Tip 71: Just Start, and You’ll See That It’s Not That Bad
• Tip 72: Tell Others What You’re Up To
• Tip 73: Consider Whether Your Procrastination Is a Way to Self-Handicap
• Tip 74: Make the Temptation a Reward
• Tip 75: Track Your Progress but Ignore Your Streaks
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
12. How to Stay Focused
• Tip 76: Choose Your Work Location with Care
• Tip 77: Improve Your Work Location
• Tip 78: Don’t Choose Distraction
• Tip 79: Rethink Your Evaluation
• Tip 80: Test Whether You Want Social Media or Enjoy It
• Tip 81: Chew Gum
• Tip 82: Fight Chronic Mind Wandering
• Tip 83: Make Yourself Less Susceptible to Mind Wandering
• Tip 84: Plan Breaks, Take Breaks
• Tip 85: Regroup or Move Along
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
13. How to Gain Self-Confidence as a Learner
• Tip 86: Rethink What It Means to Be a Learner
• Tip 87: Be Around Other Learners
• Tip 88: Compare Yourself to Yourself
• Tip 89: If You Didn’t Get Practical Learning Advice from Your Family, Get It from Others
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
14. How to Cope with Anxiety
• Tip 90: Evaluate Progress as Any Improvement in Doing What You Want to Do
• Tip 91: Avoid These Four Common Responses to Anxiety
• Tip 92: Reinterpret What Your Mind Is Telling You
• Tip 93: Reinterpret What Your Body Is Telling You
• Tip 94: Tame Your Wild Thoughts with Mindfulness Meditation
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Daniel T. Willingham
Bibliography
Index
Contents
Willingham DT (2023) (08:50) Outsmart Your Brain - Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy
Advance Praise for Outsmart Your Brain
Introduction
• How I Came to Write This Book
• Why Your Brain Must Be Outsmarted
• How to Use This Book
01. How to Understand a Lecture
• Tip 01: Extract the Organization from a Lecture
• Tip 02: Expect Listening to Require Work
• Tip 03: If You’re Given Notes, Use Them to Check Your Notes, Not Replace Them
• Tip 04: Be Thoughtful About When to Read Assignments
• Tip 05: Get Over Your Reluctance to Ask Questions
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
02. How to Take Lecture Notes
• Mental Processes Required to Attend a Lecture
• Mental Processes Needed to Take Notes
• Tip 06: Be Ready
• Tip 07: Determine in Advance Whether You Plan to Understand More or Write More
• Tip 08: You Should Usually Take Notes Longhand
• Tip 09: Evaluate Your Notes on the Spot
• Tip 10: Don’t Use a Note-Taking System
• Tip 11: Use Note-Taking Shorthand
• Tip 12: Use Lecture Recordings Judiciously
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
03. How to Learn from Labs, Activities, and Demonstrations
• The Purposes of Learning Activities
• How Learning Follows Attention
• Attention, Memory, and Learning by Doing
• Tip 13: Be There and Engage
• Tip 14: If the Activity Is Brief and Offers a Surprising, Interesting Experience, It’s Probably an Analogy
• Tip 15: If the Activity Comes with a Script, You’re Supposed to Learn Either Skills or Concepts
• Tip 16: For Projects, Pick the Problem with Care, Seek Feedback Along the Way, and Reflect at the End
• Tip 17: When the Purpose Is the Activity Itself, Know the Difference Between Experience and Practice
• Tip 18: If the Main Point of the Activity Is the Experience, Plan What to Observe
• Tip 19: Don’t Forget to Take Notes as You’re Experiencing
• Tip 20: Look at Things from the Instructor’s Perspective
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
04. How to Reorganize Your Notes
• Good Organization Helps Memory
• Tip 21: Find Connections Among Elements of Your Notes
• Tip 22: Spot Holes in Your Notes
• Tip 23: Consider Note Taking to Be a Team Sport
• Tip 24: When Getting Help with Your Notes from the Instructor, Ask Focused Questions
• Tip 25: Optional: Make Your Notes Look Good
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
05. How to Read Difficult Books
• Tip 26: Don’t Do What Most People Do: Just Read and Highlight
• Tip 27: Use a Reading Strategy That Fits Your Goal
• Tip 28: Take Notes as You Read
• Tip 29: Allocate Significant Time to Reading
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
06. How to Study for Exams
• Tip 30: Avoid These Commonly Used Strategies
• Tip 31: Keep in Mind That Preparing to Study Is Studying
• Tip 32: Prepare a Study Guide
• Tip 33: Avoid Found Materials
• Tip 34: Pose and Answer Meaningful Questions to Get Memories to Stick
• Tip 35: Use Mnemonics for Meaningless Content Only
• Tip 36: How to Use Your Study Guide
• Tip 37: Don’t Worry About Your Style
• Tip 38: After You’ve Prepped on Your Own, Meet with Your Study Group
• Tip 39: Remember That Cramming Usually Doesn’t Pay
• Tip 40: To Prepare for Application Problems, Compare Examples
• Tip 41: To Prepare for Problem Variations, Label the Subgoals
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
07. How to Judge Whether You’re Ready for an Exam
• Many Factors Contribute to Judgments of Learning
• Tip 42: Be Clear About What It Means to “Know” Something
• Tip 43: Rereading Leads to Overconfidence in Your Knowledge
• Tip 44: Evaluate Your Preparation with the Right Type of Self-Testing
• Tip 45: Don’t Use Practice Tests to Judge Your Readiness for an Exam
• Tip 46: Study Until You Know It; Then Keep Studying
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
08. How to Take Tests
• Tip 47: Prepare and Take Care
• Tip 48: Learn to Cope with Ordinary Test Anxiety
• Tip 49: Imagine Yourself in the Place Where You Studied
• Tip 50: If You Can’t Remember a Fact, Think About Themes
• Tip 51: Keep Trying
• Tip 52: Beware of “Pop Knowledge”
• Tip 53: Ask the Instructor for Clarification, but Show What You Know
• Tip 54: Don’t Overthink
• Tip 55: For an Essay Question, Don’t Start Writing Until You Know How the Essay Ends
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
09. How to Learn from Past Exams
• Tip 56: Categorize Your Mistakes
• Tip 57: Analyze What Went Wrong on Essay Questions
• Tip 58: See Trick Questions for What They Are
• Tip 59: Think About What Went Right
• Tip 60: Don’t Cringe
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
10. How to Plan Your Work
• Tip 61: Get Enough Sleep
• Tip 62: Plan a Block of Consistent, Dedicated Time for Learning
• Tip 63: Use a Calendar
• Tip 64: Make a To-Do List for Each Study Session
• Tip 65: Set and Revisit Your Learning Goals
• Tip 66: Set Goals with the Hidden Factors in Mind
• Tip 67: Develop a Plan
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
11. How to Defeat Procrastination
• Tip 68: Don’t Rely on Willpower to Reduce Procrastination, Rely on Habit
• Tip 69: Each To-Do List Item Should Be Concrete and Take Twenty to Sixty Minutes
• Tip 70: Reframe Your Choice
• Tip 71: Just Start, and You’ll See That It’s Not That Bad
• Tip 72: Tell Others What You’re Up To
• Tip 73: Consider Whether Your Procrastination Is a Way to Self-Handicap
• Tip 74: Make the Temptation a Reward
• Tip 75: Track Your Progress but Ignore Your Streaks
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
12. How to Stay Focused
• Tip 76: Choose Your Work Location with Care
• Tip 77: Improve Your Work Location
• Tip 78: Don’t Choose Distraction
• Tip 79: Rethink Your Evaluation
• Tip 80: Test Whether You Want Social Media or Enjoy It
• Tip 81: Chew Gum
• Tip 82: Fight Chronic Mind Wandering
• Tip 83: Make Yourself Less Susceptible to Mind Wandering
• Tip 84: Plan Breaks, Take Breaks
• Tip 85: Regroup or Move Along
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
13. How to Gain Self-Confidence as a Learner
• Tip 86: Rethink What It Means to Be a Learner
• Tip 87: Be Around Other Learners
• Tip 88: Compare Yourself to Yourself
• Tip 89: If You Didn’t Get Practical Learning Advice from Your Family, Get It from Others
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
14. How to Cope with Anxiety
• Tip 90: Evaluate Progress as Any Improvement in Doing What You Want to Do
• Tip 91: Avoid These Four Common Responses to Anxiety
• Tip 92: Reinterpret What Your Mind Is Telling You
• Tip 93: Reinterpret What Your Body Is Telling You
• Tip 94: Tame Your Wild Thoughts with Mindfulness Meditation
• For Instructors
• Summary for Instructors
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Daniel T. Willingham
Bibliography
Index
December 30, 2022
I wish this book (or one of its type) had been available to me when I was in high school and college and that I had the drive to find it. The lessons it contains would have made my studying and note taking much more effective!
There are many things to like about this book:
- It's organization lets you read it straight through, or choose the chapters that you feel would be most beneficial to you. This organization also makes the book a good reference tool.
- Key points are highlighted.
- The 94 tips presented are practical and helpful.
- The author doesn't just offer opinions, he backs them up with research.
- Each section is summarized "In a sentence" which reinforces what you've just learned.
- At the close of each Chapter, he has a section "For Instructors". In it, he clarifies the points that make learning difficult for students and gives them a plethora of ideas as to what they, as teachers, can do to help students get past these obstacles and get their material across in a more understandable manner. To me, this is one of the most important and helpful things in the book, and make it an outstanding reference for educators.
An excellent books for students and instructors alike, I rank this as 5 stars.
My thanks to Gallery Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley. The publication date is set for 1/24/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.
There are many things to like about this book:
- It's organization lets you read it straight through, or choose the chapters that you feel would be most beneficial to you. This organization also makes the book a good reference tool.
- Key points are highlighted.
- The 94 tips presented are practical and helpful.
- The author doesn't just offer opinions, he backs them up with research.
- Each section is summarized "In a sentence" which reinforces what you've just learned.
- At the close of each Chapter, he has a section "For Instructors". In it, he clarifies the points that make learning difficult for students and gives them a plethora of ideas as to what they, as teachers, can do to help students get past these obstacles and get their material across in a more understandable manner. To me, this is one of the most important and helpful things in the book, and make it an outstanding reference for educators.
An excellent books for students and instructors alike, I rank this as 5 stars.
My thanks to Gallery Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley. The publication date is set for 1/24/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.
March 5, 2023
*won an ARC in a good reads giveaway
I wish I’d had this book when I was in school. I am looking forward to sharing it with my kids in a few years to help them with school. There’s so much good advice on how to actually learn better. The format is great for reading as needed (have a test, read that section) with highlights and bullet points and summaries to make sure the reader gets the takeaway the author wants.
I wish I’d had this book when I was in school. I am looking forward to sharing it with my kids in a few years to help them with school. There’s so much good advice on how to actually learn better. The format is great for reading as needed (have a test, read that section) with highlights and bullet points and summaries to make sure the reader gets the takeaway the author wants.
November 4, 2024
Deep dive into improving how you learn
This is another book I’ve picked up on how to learn. There is a lot of great stuff in this book. One of the reasons this book is pretty great is that it has a small section at the end of each chapter for instructors to consider ways to help students improve their learning. This book was appropriately written for college students, and would be worth any student’s time to read and benefit from the techniques included. My one criticism of the book is that there is a LOT of material for students. It’s not something that most students will use every idea in the book, but that’s okay - even a few improvements gleaned from this book could help most college students, and probably all their instructors, too.
This is another book I’ve picked up on how to learn. There is a lot of great stuff in this book. One of the reasons this book is pretty great is that it has a small section at the end of each chapter for instructors to consider ways to help students improve their learning. This book was appropriately written for college students, and would be worth any student’s time to read and benefit from the techniques included. My one criticism of the book is that there is a LOT of material for students. It’s not something that most students will use every idea in the book, but that’s okay - even a few improvements gleaned from this book could help most college students, and probably all their instructors, too.
August 1, 2025
I wish I would have read this when I was in college or high school
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews