Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens

This book is a great read and full of study and memory recommendations for anyone at any age who wants to improve scholastic performance. There is also a FREE version of this material on Dr. Blakely's Coursera.com site for those who are not comfortable with reading in depth about how to learn. I took the free course and passed. Learned alot.

I CAN NOT put this book down but also using the pomodoro technique with every view pages. I learned so much and have been teaching even my friends. I picked up this book because I saw Barb on a YouTube video then signed up for her course. I am a 41 year old adult and heck If I can learn this like a teen I can teach it to anyone. In love. I also incorporate the mind palace I learned to create with Ron White in his black belt memory course Brainathlete.com and using the Make it Stick for learning technique I read in the book Make it stick (blue cover). This is an incredible add to my continued improvement on my learning towards the 100 BIBLE verses goal for 2021. Everyone should buy this book written for teens but just as good for adults!!

This book presents a summary of ideas that the authors believe are important for “learning how to learn”. It is supplied in a format that is intended to make children and teens feel comfortable. It is significant that the ideas for how to learn presented in the book have some scientific support, especially from neuroscience, Dr. Sejnowski’s focus. The style of the book is very warm and clearly communicates various techniques in a way that is not intimidating to the intended audience of young people. The illustrations and the “metaphors” provide a direct and non-technical way to make the discussion in the book meaningful. The techniques and perspectives for improving learning presented in the book are known to be effective, under certain circumstances, and have a general usefulness outside any particular field of study like English or math. I can highly recommend this book for young people, and also for their parents and teachers.

This book is intended for a very young audience. I’m not that audience. It was difficult to read at first because I felt patronized but once you get into the authors’ “vibe” it gets better. I guess it is a good introduction to neuroscience and people with children will be better judges. My main criticism would be its lack of a complete list references. One would need to consult another book! For instance, the authors mention that memory consolidation from the hippocampus to the neocortex occurs while sleeping and they make the process seem fast. The process takes years. That’s why people with damage to the hippocampus not only present anterograde amnesia but retrograde amnesias for a few years before the injury. Also, while the authors seem perfectly aware of the role that emotions play in decision making, and thus regal the readers with a series of illustrations and playful jokes that predispose her to like the book, they don’t explicitly mention the role of emotions in directing attention. But maybe I’m asking too much for a book intended for kids.

This book transformed my teaching practice. I loved the explanation of how we have to cognitive modes. The book uses engaging examples to help teach concepts.

I use this book with my 7th graders. It has helped them learn new ways to study and to create habits that will help them be successful long-term. It is written in an accessible way with language they can understand and enjoy.

This is definitely one of the best books out there that brings the science of learning to a much-younger audience! It’s very comprehensive and I really think every library in the world should have at least a copy of this book!

I read this book while learning JavaScript, a programming language on my own, self-taught. The methods presented in the book are very useful and I still use some of them a year later after reading the book. I am 49 and even though the primary audience is teenagers, I would not let that stop you from buying the book. Good luck!