Make It Stick Book Summary

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MakeitStick:Summary|BookReviews
BookReviews
June6,2014
WhatIhavefoundinallthewonderfulbooksoutthere
MakeitStick:Summary
PostedbysafeisriskyunderBooks,Education,Ideas,Learning
[5]Comments
In todays world, parents are extremely observant about how their children are learning. Be it
academicsormusicorsportanyotherfieldthatthechildhasdevelopedasemblanceofliking,the
parentgivesandseeksalltheguidanceavailabletomakehis/herkidslearningprocesseffective.
Given the hyperconnected instant gratification world that we are all living it, Kids left to their
owndevices,becomejustthat,intheliteralsense.Theirlivesaresurroundedbyworldofdevices
(cell phones, gaming consoles, ipod, ipad, etc.) and naturally they develop an affinity towards
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them. One doesnt need some academic research to infer that attention spans are going down
https://rkbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/makeitsticksummary/
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them. One doesnt need some academic research to infer that attention spans are going down
across all age groups, more so in children. In such an environment, can parents or teachers be
confident that the children develops thinking and metathinking(thinking about how they are
thinking)skillstobecomeeffectivelearners?.
There is a mad rush towards alternative education schools everywhere. Parents are under the
notion that schools that focus on standardized testing and standardized learning might not be
effectivefortheirkidwhomtheythinkissomehowspecialfromeveryone.Inwhatsensethey
are special, only future would tell, but that doesnt stop them from thinking that education
mustbesomehowcustomizedtosuittheirkidslearningstyle.
Inmyownfamily,Ihaveseenmycousinskidsbeingputthroughaschoolwherethereareno
testsatalluntil8thor9thgrade.TheschooladvertisestothegeneralpublicsayingthattheirUSP
is small class room sizes and NO TESTS. The admission process in the school creates a massive
frenzyamongsteveryoneandevengetscitedinthelocalnewspapers.ParentsfeelthatthisNO
TEST environment will unleash creativity amongst their kids and turn their little ones in to a
creativegenius.Isitreallytruethatanenvironmentwithouttestsfostersgoodlearning?Whyis
thereauniversalbacklashagainsttests?Whyiseveryonefixatedonlearningstyles?Whatis
wrong with the current educational system? How does one become an effective learner? These
andmanymorequestionsareansweredinthisbook.Hereisanattempttosummarizethebook.
LearningIsMisunderstood
This chapter is a prelude to the book and lists down the claims that the authors verify via field
researchinvariouschaptersofthebook.Whataretheclaimsmadeattheoutset?
Learningisdeeperandmoredurablewhenitseffortful.Learningthatseasyislikewritingin
sand,heretodayandgonetomorrow.
We are poor judges of when we are learning well and when were not. When the going is
harder and slower and it doesnt feel productive, we are drawn to strategies that feel more
fruitful,unawarethatthegainsfromthesestrategiesareoftentemporary.
Rereadingtextandmassedpracticeofaskillornewknowledgearebyfarthepreferredstudy
strategies of learners of all stripes, but theyre also among the least productive. By massed
practicewemeanthesingleminded,rapidfirerepetitionofsomethingyouretryingtoburn
intomemory,thepracticepracticepracticeofconventionalwisdom.Crammingforexamsis
anexample.Rereadingandmassedpracticegiverisetofeelingsoffluencythataretakentobe
signsofmastery,butfortruemasteryordurabilitythesestrategiesarelargelyawasteoftime.
Retrieval practicerecalling facts or concepts or events from memory is a more effective
learning strategy than review by rereading. Periodic practice arrests forgetting, strengthens
retrievalroutes,andisessentialforhangingontotheknowledgeyouwanttogain.
Whenyouspaceoutpracticeatataskandgetalittlerustybetweensessions,oryouinterleave
thepracticeoftwoormoresubjects,retrievalisharderandfeelslessproductive,buttheeffort
produceslongerlastinglearningandenablesmoreversatileapplicationofitinlatersettings.
Tryingtosolveaproblembeforebeingtaughtthesolutionleadstobetterlearning,evenwhen
errorsaremadeintheattempt.
Peopledohavemultipleformsofintelligencetobringtobearonlearning,andyoulearnbetter
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when you go wide, drawing on all of your aptitudes and resourcefulness, than when you
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when you go wide, drawing on all of your aptitudes and resourcefulness, than when you
limitinstructionorexperiencetothestyleyoufindmostamenable.
Whenyoureadeptatextractingtheunderlyingprinciplesorrulesthatdifferentiatetypesof
problems,youremoresuccessfulatpickingtherightsolutionsinunfamiliarsituations.This
skillisbetteracquiredthroughinterleavedandvariedpracticethanmassedpractice.
In virtually all areas of learning, you build better mastery when you use testing as a tool to
identifyandbringupyourareasofweakness.
Elaborationistheprocessofgivingnewmaterialmeaningbyexpressingitinyourownwords
andconnectingitwithwhatyoualreadyknow.Themoreyoucanexplainaboutthewayyour
newlearningrelatestoyourpriorknowledge,thestrongeryourgraspofthenewlearningwill
be,andthemoreconnectionsyoucreatethatwillhelpyourememberitlater.
Rereading has three strikes against it. It is time consuming. It doesnt result in durable
memory.Anditofteninvolvesakindofunwittingselfdeception,asgrowingfamiliaritywith
thetextcomestofeellikemasteryofthecontent.
It makes sense to reread a text once if theres been a meaningful lapse of time since the first
reading, but doing multiple readings in close succession is a timeconsuming study strategy
that yields negligible benefits at the expense of much more effective strategies that take less
time.Yetsurveysofcollegestudentsconfirmwhatprofessorshavelongknown:highlighting,
underlining,andsustainedporingovernotesandtextsarethemostusedstudystrategies,by
far.
Risingfamiliaritywithatextandfluencyinreadingitcancreateanillusionofmastery.Asany
professorwillattest,studentsworkhardtocapturetheprecisewordingofphrasestheyhear
inclasslectures,laboringunderthemisapprehensionthattheessenceofthesubjectliesinthe
syntaxinwhichitsdescribed.Masteringthelectureorthetextisnotthesameasmastering
the ideas behind them . However, repeated reading provides the illusion of mastery of the
underlyingideas.Dontletyourselfbefooled.Thefactthatyoucanrepeatthephrasesinatext
oryourlecturenotesisnoindicationthatyouunderstandthesignificanceofthepreceptsthey
describe,theirapplication,orhowtheyrelatetowhatyoualreadyknowaboutthesubject.
Alltheaboveclaimsareverifiedbyexperimentscarriedoutinvariousschoolsettingsandother
unconventionalplaces.Theauthorsattheverybeginningmakeitclearthatthelearningtheories
thathavebeenhandeddowntoushavebeenaresultoftheory,loreandintuition.Butoverthe
lastfortyyearsandmore,cognitivepsychologistshavebeenworkingtobuildabodyofevidence
toclarifywhatworksandtodiscoverthestrategiesthatgetresults.
ToLearnRetrieve
Weallforgetthings.Iftheyaretrivialstuff,theyreallydontmatter.Butiftheyarekeyprinciples,
concepts,thenourlearningwillbestuntedanditbecomespainfullyobviousthatweneedtore
readtheforgottenstuff.Togiveaspecificexample,letssayIamlearningaboutJumpmodeling
and there is an introductory section on Poisson processes. In the past I would have spent some
timegoingoverPoissonprocessesandunderstandingthemathbehindit.Thekeytheoremsare
somewhereinmymemory.Notallareatmybeckandcall.So,wheneverIcomeacrossaconcept
that I have tough time recalling, my usual strategy is to reread the old section. Not an ideal
strategy, says this chapter. I think most of us follow the above strategy where rereading is the
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gotochoicetomakethingsfresh.Thechapterfocusesononekeypointretrievalpractice.Thisis
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gotochoicetomakethingsfresh.Thechapterfocusesononekeypointretrievalpractice.Thisis
akindofpracticewhereyoumakeanefforttorecallthoseconceptsfromyourmemory,reflecton
thoseconceptsfromtimetotime.Thisisnotthesameasrereadingthetext.
Theauthorsmakeastrongcasefortestingasameansofretrievalpractice.Theretrievaleffectin
the cognitive psychology field is known as testing effect. Through the results of various
experiments conducted, the authors suggest that testing immediately after a lecture, or testing
yourselfatspacedintervalsisfarbetterthanrereadingatspacedintervals.Repeatedretrievalties
theknotofmemory.Retrievalmustbespacedoutratherthanbecomingamindlessrepetition.It
shouldrequirecognitiveeffort.Theauthorsbackupthesesuggestionswithfieldexperimentsthat
show that frequent testing of students with delayed feedback gave better performance than
merelyrereadingorrevisitingthematerialbeforemidtermandendterm.
Foranadultlearner,howdoesthisapply?Iguessonemustselftest,eventhoughitispainful.Itis
actuallybetterifitispainfulasitleadstogreatereffortatretrievalandhencebetterlearning.How
should the tests be designed? For programming there are many suggestions out there. For
somethinglikemath,Ithinkthebestwayistoreadatheoremandtrytogiveaproofinyourown
words trying to recall whatever you have learnt the previous time around. Merely reading
through the proofs or concepts will not make the learning stick. This is called the generation
effect.Yougeneratetheprooffromsomeclues.Inthecaseofframeworksorsetofideas,you
canprobablywriteanessayrecallingalltheaspectsofthetheorywithoutrereading.Itiseasyto
fallintothetrapof,OkIhaveforgotten,letmerereadthematerial.Insteadthischaptersays
that one must pause, take a self test, then quiz yourself as you go over the material again, and
thenreflectonwhatyouhaverelearnt.Thishasatermcalledelaborationintheliterature.This
meansyouelaboratethelearningorpracticesessionsothatmemorypathsarestrengthened.The
other thing I have started following recently is to take a small 60 page booklet and keep noting
down whatever you find interesting for the day in the form of statements, visuals or just about
anythingthatcapturesthelearning.Obviouslyasyougoalongthese60pagediariesaccumulate.
Once in a while you can pick a booklet and read the statements that you found interesting a
monthago,6monthsago,ayearago.Thisisakindofretrievalpracticewhereyouaretryingto
learnbetterbytestingyourself.
Mixuppractice
Theauthorsintroduceatermcalledmasspracticewhereyoukeeppracticingoneaspectofskill
developmentuntilyouaregoodatitandthenmoveon.Thisisclearlyseenintextbookswhere
eachchapterisfollowedbyasetofproblemsthatareonlyrelevanttothatchapterandthereader
isaskedtopracticetheexercisesandthenmoveontothenextchapter.Thisistheusualadvice
passedontousfrommanypeople.Practice,practiceuntiltheskillisburnedintothememory.
Faith in focused repetitive practice is everywhere and this is what the authors mean by mass
practicePracticethatisspacedout,interleavedwithotherlearning,andvariedproducesbetter
mastery,longerretentionandmoreversatility.Thereisonepricetopaythough.Fromthepartof
thelearner,itrequiresmoreeffort.Therearenoquickpositiveaffirmationsthatcomewithmass
practice.LetssayyouhavebeenimmersedindoingBayesiananalysisforafewmonths,thenyou
takeabreakandgetbacktoit,therewillbeaninherentslownessatwhichyoucandigestthings
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asthoseconceptsarelyingsomewhereinyourlongtermmemoryandinvokingthemtakeseffort.
takeabreakandgetbacktoit,therewillbeaninherentslownessatwhichyoucandigestthings
asthoseconceptsarelyingsomewhereinyourlongtermmemoryandinvokingthemtakeseffort.
Buttheauthorssaythatthisisagoodthing.Eventhoughlearningfeelsslower,thisisthewayto
go.
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Thisphenomenonofmasspracticeiseverywhere.Summercamps,focusedworkshops,training
seminars.Spacingoutyourpracticefeelslessproductivefortheveryreasonthatsomeforgetting
hassetinandyouvegottoworkhardertorecallconcepts.Itdoesntfeellikeyoureontopofit.
Whatyoudontsenseinthemomentisthattheaddedeffortismakingthelearningstronger.
Whydoesspacedpracticework?Massedpracticeisgoodforshorttermmemory.Butthesadpart
is that such a practice does not lead to durable learning. For something to get in to long term
memory,thereshouldbeconsolidationinwhichmemorytracesarestrengthened.Ifyoudonot
activatethesememorytraces,thenthepathswillbelost.Itislikelayinganewroadandusingit
for a week or so, and then moving on. Unless you use the road often, the material never gets a
chancetobecomestrongandintheprocesslosesvitality.
Practice also has to interleaved. Interleaving is practicing two or more subjects or two different
aspectsofthesamesubject.Youcannotstudyoneaspectofsubjectcompletelyandmoveonto
another subject and so on. Linearity isnt good. Lets say you are learning some technique, for
exampleEMalgorithm.Ifyousticktodataminingfield,youwillseeitsapplicationinletssay
mixtureestimation.Howeverbyinterleavingyourpracticewithletssaystatespacemodels,you
see that EM algorithm being used to estimate hyperparameters of a model. This interleaving of
varioustopicsgivesaricherunderstanding.Obviouslythereisapricetopay.Thelearnerisjust
aboutlearningtounderstandsomething,whenheisaskedtomovetoanothertopic.So,thatsense
of feeling that he hasnt got a full grasp on the topic remains. It is a good thing to have but an
unpleasantsituationthatalearnermusthandle.
VariedpracticeLetssayyouareaquantandtryingtobuildfinancialmodels.Variedpracticein
your case would be to build a classification model, a Bayesian inference model, a Brownian
motion based model, a more generic Levy process based model, a graph based model etc. The
point is that you develop a broader understanding of relationships between various aspects of
modelbuilding.Ifyousticktoletssayfinancialtimeseriesforanyear,thenmoveontomachine
learningforanotheryear,itislikelythatyouaregoingtomissconnectionsbetweeneconometric
modelsandmachinelearningmodels.Havingsaidthat,itisnotapleasantfeelingtoincorporate
varied practice in ones schedule. Imagine you are just about understand the way to build a
particlefilter,atechniquetodoonlineestimationofstatevectorandyouhavealreadyspentquite
an amount of time on that subject. It is time to move to another area, lets say building a levy
processbasedmodel.AssoonasyoustartdoingsomethingonLevyprocess,yousensethatyour
knowledgePoisson+Renewalprocessesisveryrustyandthelearningisextremelyslow.Thisis
theunpleasantpart.Buttheauthorshaveareassuringmessage.Whenthelearningappearsslow
andeffortful,thatiswherereallearningistakingplace.
Compared to mass practice, a significant advantage of interleaving practice is that they help us
learntoassesscontextanddiscriminatebetweenproblems,selectingandapplyingproblemsfrom
arangeofpossibilities.Theauthorsgiveanexampleoflearningpaintingstylestodrivehome
thepointofinterleavedandvariedpractice.
Practice like you play and you will play like you practice. The authors stress the importance 5/12
of
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Practice like you play and you will play like you practice. The authors stress the importance of
simulations for better practice. If you are in to trading strategy development, simulating time
series and testing the strategy out of sample is fundamental for a better understanding of the
strategy. In fact, with the rise of MCMC, the very process of estimation and model selection is
doneviasimulation.Theauthorsalsobringoutanexamplewheredailyreflectioncanbedoneas
aformofretrievalpractice.
I liked the last section of this chapter where the authors share the story of Georgia university
football coach who is following the principles of retrieval, spacing, interleaving, variation,
reflectionandelaboration,inmakinghiscollegeteamabetterplayingteam.
EmbraceDifficulties
Short term impediments that make for stronger learning have come to be called desirable
difficulties, a term coined by Elizabeth and Robert Bjork. The chapter starts with an example of
militaryschoolwherethetraineesarenotallowedtocarrynotebooksorwritestuff.Theyhaveto
listen,watch,rehearseandexecute.Testingisapotentrealitycheckontheaccuracyofyourown
judgment of what you know how to do. The process of strengthening the long term memory is
calledconsolidation.Consolidationandtransitionoflearningtolongtermstorageoccursovera
periodoftime.Anaptanalogyforhowthebrainconsolidatesnewlearningistheexperienceof
composing an essay. Lets say you are studying point processes, a class of stochastic processes.
Firsttimearoundyoumightnotbeabletoappreciateallthesalientpointsofthetext.Youstart
out feeling disorganized and the most important aspects are not salient. Consolidation and
retrievalhelpssolidifytheselearnings.Ifyouarepracticingoverandoveragaininsomerapid
firefashion,youareleaningonshorttermmemoryandverylittlementaleffortisneeded.Thereis
aninstantimprovement,buttheimprovementisnotrobustenoughtosustain.Butifyoupractice
by spacing and interleaving, the learning is much deeper and you will retrieve far easily in the
future.
Durable robust learning means we do two things First, as we recode and consolidate new
materialfromshorttermmemoryintolongtermmemory,wemustanchortheresecurely.Second,
we must associate it with a diverse set of cues that will make us adept at recalling the material
later. Having effective retrieval clues is essential to learning and that is where tools like
mindmapshelpalot.Thereasonwedontrememberstuffisthatwedontpracticeandapplyit.If
youareintobuildingsaymath/statmodels,itisessentialtoatleastsimulatesomedataset,build
atoymodelsothatpracticegetssomekindofanchorageforretrieval.Withoutthis,anyreading
of a model will stay in your working memory for some time and then vanish. Knowledge,
learningandskillsthatarevivid,holdsignificance,andthosethatarepracticedperiodicallystay
withus.Ourretrievalcapacityislimitedandisdeterminedbythecontext,byrecentuse,andthe
numberandvividnessofthecuesthatyouhavelinkedtotheknowledgeandcancallontohelpit
bringitforth.
Psychologists have uncovered a curious inverse relationship between ease of retrieval practice
and the power of that practice to entrench learning, the easier knowledge or skill is for you to
retrieve,thelessyourretrievalpracticewillbenefityourretentionofit.
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Thereisanexcellentcasestudyofabaseballteamwheretheteamissplitintotwoandtheyare
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Thereisanexcellentcasestudyofabaseballteamwheretheteamissplitintotwoandtheyare
givenvariedpracticeregimen.Firstgrouppractices45pitchesevenlydividedintosetsofthree
whereeachsethasaspecifictypeofpitchthrown.Thesecondgroupalsopractices45pitchesbut
this time, the pitches were randomly interspersed. After the training, the first group feels good
about their practice while the second group feels that they were not developing their skills
properly. However when it came to the final performance test, the second group performed far
betterthanthefirstgroup.Thisstoryillustratestwopointsfirst,ourjudgmentsofwhatlearning
strategies work best for us are often mistaken, colored by illusions of mastery. Second, some
difficulties that require more effort and slow down apparent gains will feel less productive but
will more than compensate for that by making the learning stronger, precise and durable. The
moreyouhaveforgottenatopic,themoreeffectiverelearningwillbeinshapingyourpermanent
knowledge.Theauthorsalsomakeitapointtohighlightthatifyoustruggletosolveaproblem
before being shown how to solve it, the subsequent lesson is better learned and more durably
remembered.
Thischapterandthisbookisanamazingfountainheadofideasthatonecanuse.Noteverything
isnewbutthefactthatthereisanempiricalevidencetobackitupmeansthatyouknowthatitis
notfolklorewisdom.OnethingIlearntfromthebookwhichhasreinforcedmywayoflearningis
write to learn. After reading a book or reading a concept, I try to write it down so that I can
relate to things that I have already learnt, relate to aspects of the field that I want to eventually
applyetc.Thisobviouslytakesupalotoftime,butthelearningisfarmorerobust.Ithinkbook
summaries that I manage to write is one of the best ways to reflect on the main contents of the
book. I tend to write a pretty detailed summary of key ideas so that the summary serves as a
materialforretrievalpracticeatalaterpointintime.
The other idea this chapter talks about is about the need to commit errors to solidify learning.
CametoknowaboutFestivaloferrorsandFailconference.ThereisalsoastoryaboutBonnie,
awriterandselftaughtornamentalgardener,whofollowsthephilosophy,leapbeforeyoulook
becauseifyoulook,you probably wont like what yousee. Hergarden writingappears under
thenameBlunderingGardener.Bonnieisasuccessfulwriterandherstorygoesontoshowthat
struggling with a problem makes for stronger learning and how a sustained commitment to
advancing in a particular field of endeavor by trialanderror leads to complex mastery and
greater knowledge of interrelationships of things. Bonnies story is pretty inspiring for anyone
whowishestotackleadifficultfield.Bygoingheadlongintothefieldandlearningfromthetrial
anderrorprocess,andthenwritingabouttheentertainingsnafusandunexpectedinsights,sheis
doing two things. Firstly, she is retrieving the details and elaborating the details. Generative
learning means learner is generating the answer than recalling it. Basically it means learn via
trialanderror.
Takeaways
LearningisathreestepprocessInitialencoding,consolidationandretrieval
Ability to recall what you already have depends on the repeated use of information and
powerfulretrievalclues
Retrievalpracticethatseasydoeslittletostrengthenlearning,themoredifficultthepractice,
thegreaterthebenefit
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Retrieval needs to be spaced. When you recall something from your memory when it has
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Retrieval needs to be spaced. When you recall something from your memory when it has
already become rusty, you need more effort and this effortful retrieval strengthens memory
andmakeslearningpliable
Practiceneedstobeinterleavedandvaried
Tryingtocomeupwithananswerratherthanpresentingittoyouleadstobetterlearningand
retention
AvoidIllusionsofknowing
The chapter starts by describing two modes of thinking System 1 and System 2, from Daniel
KahnemansbookandsaysthatwebaseouractionsbasedonSystem1moreoftenthanSystem2.
Our inclination to finding narratives means that it has a significant say in our memory
capabilities.Therearelotofillusionsandmisjudgmentsthatwecarryalong.Onewaytoescape
from them is to replace subjective experience as the basis for decisions with a set of objective
gaugesoutsideourselves,sothatourjudgmentssquareswiththerealworldaroundus.Whenwe
have reliable reference points, we can make good decisions about where to focus our efforts,
recognizewherewevelostourbearings,andfindoutwayagain.Itisimportanttopayattention
to the cues you are using to judge what you have learned. Whether something feels familiar or
fluentisnotalwaysareliableindicatoroflearning.Neitherisyourlevelofeaseinretrievingafact
orphraseonaquizshortlyafterthetext.Farbetteristocreateamentalmodelofthematerialthat
integratesvariousideasofthetext,connectstowhatyoualreadyknow,andenablesyoutodraw
inferences. How ably you can explain the text is an excellent cue for judging comprehension,
because you must recall the salient points, put in your own words and give the logic of how it
connectstoeverythingelse.
Getbeyondyourlearningstyles
Itisacommonstatementthatyoucomeacrossinthemedia,everykidisdifferent,thelearning
style has to be specific and catering to the kids learning style. On the face of it, the statement
looksobvious.Empiricalevidencehoweverdoesnotsupportit.Theauthorsgivealaundrylistof
allthelearningstylesthathavebeenputforthandsaythatthereisabsolutelynoevidencethat
cateringtoindividuallearningstylemakesanydifference.Thesimplefactthatdifferenttheories
embrace such wildly discrepant dimensions gives cause for concern about their scientific
underpinnings. While its true that most all of us have a decided preference for how we like to
learnnewmaterial,thepremisebehindlearningstylesisthatwelearnbetterwhenthemodeof
presentationmatchestheparticularstyleinwhichanindividualisbestabletolearn.Thatisthe
criticalclaim.
Theauthorssaythat
Moreover,theirreviewshowedthatitismoreimportantthatthemodeofinstructionmatchthenature
ofthesubjectbeingtaught:visualinstructionforgeometryandgeography,verbalinstructionforpoetry,
and so on. When instructional style matches the nature of the content, all learners learn better,
regardlessoftheirdifferingpreferencesforhowthematerialistaught.
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So, if the learning styles dont matter, how should one go about ? The authors mention two
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So, if the learning styles dont matter, how should one go about ? The authors mention two
aspectshere
1. Structurebuilding:Theredoappeartobecognitivedifferencesinhowwelearn,thoughnot
the ones recommended by advocates of learning styles. One of these differences is the idea
mentioned earlier that psychologists call structure building: the act, as we encounter new
material,ofextractingthesalientideasandconstructingacoherentmentalframeworkoutof
them.Theseframeworksaresometimescalledmentalmodelsormentalmaps.Highstructure
builderslearnnewmaterialbetterthanlowstructurebuilders.
2. Successfulintelligence:Gowide:dontroostinapigeonholeofyourpreferredlearningstyle
but take command of your resources and tap all of your intelligences to master the
knowledgeorskillyouwanttopossess.Describewhatyouwanttoknow,do,oraccomplish.
Then list the competencies required, what you need to learn, and where you can find the
knowledge or skill. Then go get it. Consider your expertise to be in a state of continuing
development,practicedynamictestingasalearningstrategytodiscoveryourweaknesses,and
focusonimprovingyourselfinthoseareas.Itssmarttobuildonyourstrengths,butyouwill
become ever more competent and versatile if you also use testing and trial and error to
continuetoimproveintheareaswhereyourknowledgeorperformancearenotpullingtheir
weight.
Increaseyourabilities
This chapter starts off by giving some famous examples like the popular Marshmallow study,
Memoryathletestodrivehomethepointthatbrainiseverychanging.Thisobviouslymeansthat
the authors take the side of nurture in the nature vs. nurture debate. The brain is remarkably
plastic,tousethetermappliedinneuroscience,evenintooldageformostpeople.Thebrainisnot
a muscle, so strengthening one skill does not automatically strengthen others. Learning and
memory strategies such as retrieval practice and the building of mental models are effective for
enhancingintellectualabilitiesinthematerialorskillspracticed,butthebenefitsdontextendto
masteryofothermaterialorskills.Studiesofthebrainsofexpertsshowenhancedmyelinationof
the axons related to the area of expertise but not elsewhere in the brain. Observed myelination
changesinpianovirtuososarespecifictopianovirtuosity.Buttheabilitytomakepracticeahabit
isgeneralizable.Totheextentthatbraintrainingimprovesonesefficacyandselfconfidence,as
thepurveyorsclaim,thebenefitsaremorelikelythefruitsofbetterhabits,suchaslearninghow
tofocusattentionandpersistatpractice.
After an elaborate discussion on IQ, the authors suggest three strategies to amp up the
performancelevels:
1. Maintaining a growth mindset Carol Dwecks work is used as the supporting argument.
Dweckcametoseethatsomestudentsaimatperformancegoals,whileothersstrivetoward
learninggoals.Inthefirstcase,youreworkingtovalidateyourability.Inthesecond,youre
working to acquire new knowledge or skills. People with performance goals unconsciously
limit their potential. If your focus is on validating or showing off your ability, you pick
challengesyouareconfidentyoucanmeet.Youwanttolooksmart,soyoudothesamestunt
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over and over again. But if your goal is to increase your ability, you pick everincreasing
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over and over again. But if your goal is to increase your ability, you pick everincreasing
challenges,andyouinterpretsetbacksasusefulinformationthathelpsyoutosharpenyour
focus,getmorecreative,andworkharder.
2. DeliberatePracticeWell,thishasbecomeacommontermaftermanyauthorshavewritten
journalistic accounts of Anders Ericssons research. In essence it means that expert
performanceinmedicine,science,music,chess,orsportshasbeenshowntobetheproductnot
justofinnategifts,ashadlongbeenthought,butofskillslaiddownlayerbylayer,through
thousandsofhoursofdedicatedpractice.
3. Memory cues Until a learner develops a deep learning of a subject, he/she can resort to
mnemonicdevices.Consciousmnemonicdevicescanhelptoorganizeandcuethelearningfor
readyretrievaluntilsustained,deliberatepracticeandrepeateduseformthedeeperencoding
andsubconsciousmasterythatcharacterizesexpertperformance.
It comes down to the simple but no less profound truth that effortful learning changes the brain,
buildingnewconnectionsandcapability.Thissinglefactthatourintellectualabilitiesarenotfixed
frombirthbutare,toaconsiderabledegree,ourstoshapeisaresoundinganswertothenaggingvoice
thattoooftenasksusWhybother?Wemaketheeffortbecausetheeffortitselfextendstheboundaries
ofourabilities.Whatwedoshapeswhowebecomeandwhatwerecapableofdoing.Themorewedo,the
more we can do. To embrace this principle and reap its benefits is to be sustained through life by a
growth mindset. And it comes down to the simple fact that the path to complex mastery or expert
performance does not necessarily start from exceptional genes, but it most certainly entails self
discipline, grit, and persistence ; with these qualities in healthy measure, if you want to become an
expert,youprobablycan.Andwhateveryouarestrivingtomaster,whetheritsapoemyouwrotefora
friends birthday, the concept of classical conditioning in psychology, or the second violin part in
HaydensFifthSymphony,consciousmnemonicdevicescanhelptoorganizeandcuethelearningfor
ready retrieval until sustained, deliberate practice and repeated use form the deeper encoding and
subconsciousmasterythatcharacterizeexpertperformance.
MakeItStick
The authors implement the lessons from the book within the confines of the book itself. This
chapterislikeaspacedrepetitionofalltheideasmentionedinthepreviouschapters.So,ifyou
dont bother about the empirical evidence, you can just read this chapter and take them at face
value,incorporatetheminyourscheduleandseeiftheymakesense.
Takeaway
ThisisbyfarbestbookIhavereadthattalksabouthowtogoaboutlearningsomething?.There
aregemsinthisbookthatanylearnercanincorporateinonesscheduleandseeadrasticchange
intheirlearningeffectiveness.Thebookisagoldmineforstudents,teachersandlifelonglearners.
IwishthisbookwaspublishedwhenIwasastudent!.
10/12
9/16/2015
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5ResponsestoMakeitStick:Summary
1. AnilTulsiramSays:
September21,2014at8:17am
Hi
Thanksforpostingsuchadetailedsummary.Ifullyagreewithyourpointson1)Making
mindmaps2)Writingtolearn.IambloggingforlasttwoyearsandrealizedthatIunderstand
asubjectbetterafterIwriteapostonit.Iamabletocombinevariousthoughts..
Request:keepingtrackofblogwillbecomeeasyifyoucanpostthelinkontwitterorgive
optionofsubscribingbyemail.
AnilTulsiram
Reply
1. safeisriskySays:
September21,2014at1:26pm
ThanksAnilforyourcomment.Gladyoulikedthesummary.Ihavethoroughlyenjoyed
readingthisbookasmanyprinciplesmentionedinitarebackedbysolidresearchandthe
findingsareunconventional.
Iwillactivatethesubscribethroughemailoption.
Happyreading.
RK
Reply
2. renmeninyoluezberdengeer|BakentSays:
11/12
9/16/2015
2. renmeninyoluezberdengeer|BakentSays:
October15,2014at4:03pm
[]Kitabnayrntlzeti.[]
Reply
3. HowWeLearn:BookReview|BookReviewsSays:
November23,2014at1:58pm
[]accomplishments.Thisbookcollatesideasfromsomeoftherecentbooksonlearningsuch
as,MakeitStick,AMindforNumbers,TheFiveElementsofEffectiveThinking,
Mindset,etc.[]
Reply
4. sheilaSays:
June30,2015at2:11pm
Ijustreadthebook&seriouslythebookisworthMORETHAN100timesthepriceIpaidfor
thebook.Itisawesome!
Reply
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