Harvard University Press

 hardcover, ebook, audio book

“I would assign all professors charged with teaching undergraduates one book: Make it Stick.”

Annie Murphy Paul, the Brilliant blog

“The single best work I have encountered on recent findings about the human brain and how we learn.”

James M. Lang, The Chronicle of Higher Education

“A profoundly important book. It’s extremely rare to find a book that everyone should read, but Make it Stick deserves such praise.”

Lisa Hansel,  The Core Knowledge Blog

“Fantastic! Every educator—and parent, and student, and professional—ought to have it on their own personal syllabus.”

Annie Murphy Paul,  The Brilliant Blog

“This is a must. Will leave you pondering the processes through which you acquire new knowledge and skills.”

Hazel Christie, London Times Higher Education

“Anyone who teaches anything would benefit from reading this book.”

Jennifer Gonzales, the Cult of Pedagogy blog

“You’ll want to find something new to learn after reading it.”

Stan Hynds, Northshire Bookstore

“Once or twice a year, I come across something that changes how I do things. This book has already started to shake things up.”

Catherine Stover, catherinestover.com

“I think it might be the ultimate self-help guide.”

Lisa Hansel, The Core Knowledge Blog

“In my opinion, Make it Stick is the best book in the world for adults about how to learn effectively.”

Barbara Oakley, author of Learning How to Learn, a guide for kids and teens.

3 Big Ideas about Learning

Get it out to get it in

It’s retrieval from memory, not review, that deepens learning and makes it stick.

Some difficulties are desirable.

Difficulties that resemble real-world conditions, and require effort to overcome, deepen learning and improve later performance.

A growth mindset motivates.

When learners know that mental effort builds mental abilities, they pick tougher challenges and persist longer to meet them.

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Intuition misleads us.

Many strategies that feel productive, like
rereading and massed practice, are labor in vain.