Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning Is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy

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. (Nov.)