How we learn: the surprising truth about when, where and why it happens.
Record details
- ISBN: 0812984293
- ISBN: 9780812984293
- ISBN: 0812993888
- ISBN: 9780812993882
- ISBN: 1447252101
- ISBN: 9781447252108
- ISBN: 1447286340
- ISBN: 9781447286349
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Physical Description:
print
xvi, 254 pages : illustrations, portraits, 21 cm - Publisher: New York : Random House Trade, 2015.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-244) and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Basic theory -- Retention -- Problem solving -- Tapping the subconscious |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Learning, Psychology of Learning Physiological aspects Study skills |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Kirtland Community College.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kirtland Community College Library | BF 318 .C37 2015 | 30775305493620 | General Collection | Available | - |
Kirkus Review
How We Learn : The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Carey (Poison Most Vial: A Mystery, 2012, etc.) choseto write scientific mysteries for kids as a distraction from his day job as ascience reporter for the New York Times, until it dawned on himthat he had an amazing story to share: Ostensibly poor study habits can beimportant to improving learning strategies.Recent experiments in cognition offer startling insightsinto how the brain works, contradicting traditional beliefs about the merits ofconcentration and self-discipline. "Distractions can aid learning," writes theauthor. "Napping does, too. Quitting before a project is done: not bad, as analmost done project lingers in memory far longer than one that is completed."Taking a break and texting or checking emails when faced with a knotty mathproblem may actually facilitate a solution. New research indicates that memoryis a two-stage process: In addition to storage, there is retrieval, which is anassociative process. What we remember from one moment to the next may not beidentical; images are embedded "in networks of perceptions, facts and thoughts,slightly different combinations of which bubble up each time." Carey describesexperiments that demonstrate the remarkable fact that if subjects are shown aseries of pictures or lines of poetry that they are asked to memorize, theirrecall will improve over several days without further practice. In the case ofa meaningless array of syllables or numbers, however, this is not the case."Forgetting is not only a passive process of decay but also an active one, offiltering," and the brain treats nonsense syllables as dispensable clutter.Forgetting is part of the mental process of fixing a memory. If we aremotivated to solve a difficult problem, our brains will take advantage of abreak to continue working "offline" while we turn our attention elsewhere.A fascinating perspective on how we can benefit from thedistractions of daily life. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Publishers Weekly Review
How We Learn : The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Carey provides a rich exploration into the theoretical underpinnings of the most recent research on learning. He unravels many myths, such as the benefits of studying in quiet, with clear prose supported by anecdotes, experiments, and examples. The main drawback is that several of Carey's exercises for readers are not entirely conducive to the audio format. Reader Kramer has a deep, almost jovial voice that manages to convey the authority and expertise of Carey's text. He is exceptionally adept at pacing and emphasis, making it easy to follow the denser parts of the text. When possible, he also adds enough emotion to his voice to connect with the reader. For instance, when Carey is relating some of his own success and failures, one can hear the hint of a smile in Kramer's voice, which enhances the listening experience. A Random House hardcover. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
BookList Review
How We Learn : The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
*Starred Review* From his own spotty learning experience and his work as a science reporter for the New York Times, Carey has learned a thing or two about the complex, sometimes arduous, and often highly individual process of learning. Carey explores many theories on how we learn, including the impacts of napping, background music, doodling, and sleep patterns and the importance of making mistakes. One major conclusion: there is no right or wrong way to learn, but when the brain lives with whatever you're studying, it learns the material better. Carey argues that small alterations in learning patterns can help us retain what we learn and connect it to what we already know. Drawing on research and quirky experimentation in biology, neuroscience, and psychology, Carey explores the gamut of the learning process. He begins by explaining how the brain works, then goes on to techniques that strengthen the learning process, then comprehension techniques that help solve problems, and, finally, deeper exploration of particular ways (perceptual models and memory consolidation during sleep) to tap into the subconscious mind to develop skills for learning without thinking. A totally fascinating look at learning, with helpful insights for students and any reader interested in learning everything from a new language to flying to playing chess.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2014 Booklist
Library Journal Review
How We Learn : The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Carey, a science reporter for the New York Times, here examines how the human brain ingests, retains, recalls, solves problems, and builds meaning in the day-to-day learning process. Part popular science, part self-help, the book questions much of the folk wisdom concerning studying and learning (e.g., studying in the same quiet place actually doesn't aid recall and comprehension). Carey also picks apart how different study tactics apply to different content and forms of learning. The book is aimed at people trying to increase their learning capabilities, so readers looking for a broader approach should instead read a scholarly work. Steve Kramer's narration keeps listeners engaged with an energetic and thoughtful style. VERDICT Fans of popular-science books will enjoy the upbeat narration, interactive exercises, and practical scope of this work. Educators, hard-core students, and helicopter parents will get some handy self-help tips from the appendixes. ["This highly engaging read is recommended for educators from early childhood through higher education and beyond," read the review of the Random hc, LJ 9/1/14.]-Cliff Landis, Georgia State Univ. Lib., Atlanta (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
New York Times Review
How We Learn : The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens
New York Times
August 23, 2015
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company
A CALL TO ACTION: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, by Jimmy Carter. (Simon & Schuster, $16.) President Carter's 28th book surveys global discrimination against women, much of which he attributes to distorted interpretations of major religions and sacred texts. Carter argues that these flawed approaches, exacerbated by the world's "growing tolerance of violence and warfare," need immediate corrective action. SWEETNESS #9, by Stephan Eirik Clark. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $15.) At the outset of this novel, an eager young flavor chemist, David Leveraux, is testing a promising new sugar substitute when he notes troubling side effects. Years later, the chemical has saturated the American diet, and its insidious effects are everywhere, including David's own family: His heavyset wife flits between fad diets, his son drops verbs from his speech and his unhappy daughter goes vegan in protest. HOW WE LEARN: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens, by Benedict Carey. (Random House, $16.) Like many other students, Carey, a New York Times science reporter, "grew up believing that learning was all self-discipline." After following research that investigates how learning actually occurs, he reconsiders that belief, presenting strategies to help us study smarter. THE WHEREWITHAL, by Philip Schultz. (Norton, $16.95.) This novel in verse centers on Henryk Stanislaw Wyrzykowski, a man dodging the Vietnam War and translating the journal his mother kept during a massacre in their hometown in 1940s Poland. Steeped in tragedy, the story captures the "strain of finding the wherewithal to face suffering on every human scale," Adam Plunkett wrote here. THE SECRET HISTORY OF WONDER WOMAN, by Jill Lepore. (Vintage, $16.95.) Wonder Woman's back story may begin among the mythic Amazons, but her origins are distinctly American, As it turns out, her "secret history" is due in large part to her eccentric creator, William Moulton Marston, whose fraught feminism and kinky proclivities were evident on the page. (In Lepore's telling, it was no coincidence that the superhero was tied up in virtually every comic.) THE INVENTION OF EXILE, by Vanessa Manko. (Penguin, $16.) A Russian émigré arrives in America in 1913, but after being sent back to Russia and, later, traveling to Mexico, spends a lifetime trying to return. This debut novel tells the story of an "epic love frustrated but never destroyed by political antagonism between nations," our reviewer, Jonathan Dee, wrote.