Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning is a collaboration between cognitive psychologists Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel and writer Peter C. Brown. Published in 2014 by a division of Harvard University Press, the book presents crucial findings in the field of learning science via relatable examples and engaging stories. The book’s central argument is that humans have an incredible, perhaps limitless, capacity for learning, but there are effective and ineffective approaches to it. Furthermore, some of the best learning strategies are counterintuitive and unpopular while some of the most common ones are ineffective but persist nonetheless. The authors break myths about memory and deliver strategies empirically proven to result in long-term learning. Many of these suggestions have implications for education policy, a realm that the authors address despite not setting out to do so—their interests lying more with empowering everyday learners.

Plot Summary

Make It Stick consists of a short preface and eight chapters. Each chapter is divided into sub-sections and ends with a “takeaway” that recaps main ideas. The book’s structure is consistent and intentional as the authors actively employ their own learning strategies to help readers remember said strategies (i.e., they often repeat material and elaborate on important concepts in multiple contexts).

Chapter 1 discusses common misconceptions about learning. It establishes some of the ways in which people routinely inhibit their own learning or fail to recognize effective learning while it is happening.

Chapter 2 discusses the learning process and the importance of retrieval—calling up stored information from memory to further learn, process, revise, and store more information for future use.

Chapter 3 discusses the best modes of practice for learning new information and keeping it accessible in the brain.

Chapter 4 emphasizes that learning should be effortful, even difficult. The authors distinguish between challenges that aid learning and challenges that hinder it.

Chapter 5 discusses potential mental hurdles. Though capable of learning, the brain also distorts information; memory is highly subjective and often grossly inaccurate. The authors advise their readers to “avoid illusions of knowing” and stick to validated strategies for achieving mastery.

Chapter 6 discusses the pervasive notion of learning styles and the ways in which educators cater to them (visual and auditory modes being among the most well-known). The theory indicates that people learn best when an instruction style matches their personal preferences, but the authors reject this notion as scientific evidence fails to support it.

Chapters 7-8 teach people how to amplify their cognitive and learning abilities, providing advice for students, teachers, and trainers in particular. The chapters outline specific strategies for successful learning in a variety of contexts and stress the power of a person’s mindset in determining their learning capacity.

Make It Stick challenges readers to take control of (and take responsibility for) their own learning throughout the course of their lives.