{"product_id":"how-we-learn-the-surprising-truth-about-when-where-and-why-it-happens-9780812993882","title":"How We Learn: The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn the tradition of \u003ci\u003eThe Power of Habit \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Thinking, Fast and Slow\u003c\/i\u003e comes a practical, playful, and endlessly fascinating guide to what we really know about learning and memory today--and how we can apply it to our own lives.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e From an early age, it is drilled into our heads: Restlessness, distraction, and ignorance are the enemies of success. We're told that learning is all self-discipline, that we must confine ourselves to designated study areas, turn off the music, and maintain a strict ritual if we want to ace that test, memorize that presentation, or nail that piano recital. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But what if almost everything we were told about learning is wrong? And what if there was a way to achieve more with less effort? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eHow We Learn, \u003c\/i\u003e award-winning science reporter Benedict Carey sifts through decades of education research and landmark studies to uncover the truth about how our brains absorb and retain information. What he discovers is that, from the moment we are born, we are all learning quickly, efficiently, and automatically; but in our zeal to systematize the process we have ignored valuable, naturally enjoyable learning tools like forgetting, sleeping, and daydreaming. Is a dedicated desk in a quiet room really the best way to study? Can altering your routine improve your recall? Are there times when distraction is good? Is repetition necessary? Carey's search for answers to these questions yields a wealth of strategies that make learning more a part of our everyday lives--and less of a chore. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e By road testing many of the counterintuitive techniques described in this book, Carey shows how we can flex the neural muscles that make deep learning possible. Along the way he reveals why teachers should give final exams on the first day of class, why it's wise to interleave subjects and concepts when learning any new skill, and when it's smarter to stay up late prepping for that presentation than to rise early for one last cram session. And if this requires some suspension of disbelief, that's because the research defies what we've been told, throughout our lives, about how best to learn. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The brain is not like a muscle, at least not in any straightforward sense. It is something else altogether, sensitive to mood, to timing, to circadian rhythms, as well as to location and environment. It doesn't take orders well, to put it mildly. If the brain is a learning machine, then it is an eccentric one. In\u003ci\u003e How We Learn, \u003c\/i\u003eBenedict Carey shows us how to exploit its quirks to our advantage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/09\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780812993882\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.40w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/19\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/15\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2014 pg. 128\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/24\/2014 pg. 22\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews Fall Preview\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/15\/2014 pg. 28\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2014 pg. 4\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/05\/2014\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Benedict Carey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43150273020085,"sku":"9780812993882","price":23.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_47f1c127-90ac-40bb-8744-f7772684e6d9.jpg?v=1696345073","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/how-we-learn-the-surprising-truth-about-when-where-and-why-it-happens-9780812993882","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}