Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens Review

A Mind for Numbers and its wildly popular online companion course "Learning How to Learn" have empowered more than two million learners of all ages from around the world to master subjects that they once struggled with. Fans often wish they'd discovered these learning strategies earlier and ask how they can help their kids master these skills as well. Now in this new book for kids and teens, the authors reveal how to make the most of time spent studying.

     We all have the tools to learn what might not seem to come naturally to us at first--the secret is to understand how the brain works so we can unlock its power. This book explains:

  *  Why sometimes letting your mind wander is an important part of the learning process
  *  How to avoid "rut think" in order to think outside the box
  *  Why having a poor memory can be a good thing
  *  The value of metaphors in developing understanding
  *  A simple, yet powerful, way to stop procrastinating

Filled with illustrations, application questions, and exercises, this book makes learning easy and fun.

My Thoughts:

I want my kids to succeed in life and to enjoy learning. As a homeschool mom I put a lot of time and effort into our schooling. We have certain topics in subjects that need some improvement and at times we hit a mental brick wall with their understanding. Usually, when we hit that wall I find that we need to step back a bit and then approach the subject again after the brain fog has lifted. It works for my family. After reading Barbara Oakley’s book over the last few weeks I have found some valuable information for myself and to pass on to my kids about studying.

The book is intended for grades 5 and up. Even adults can glean useful information to help for themselves. This is a paperback book with 16 Chapters. The book is illustrated with some funny characters that will appeal to kids in this age range. The author comes across as easy going and injects humor throughout the book. She explains the concepts and some more technical words in layman’s terms. She uses endnotes to refer to on definitions and interesting facts, and etcetera.

Some information that is covered is the focus and diffuse mode. Does listening to music enhance or hurt your learning while you’re studying? Some steps to boost your reading power with active recall. Neurons in your brain to enhance your learning powers while studying. Which learns better a Hiker brain vs. Race car brain? So much more information.

Another feature is that at the end of each chapter are several helps.  There are several portions that are highlighted in gray separate boxes.

The first being “Pause and Recall” which is going to ask you to think back to the main idea of the chapter you just read. With techniques like picturing the imaginative characters and other ideals to help you recall what you just read.  

The next box is “Now you Try! This is something that you have to do to test out the theory per say with what you learned in the chapter. It could be exercising or other activities.

Then “Summing it Up” which points out the main idea or concepts of each chapter.

The final box is “Check your Understanding” These are questions that you can ask yourself mentally or on paper. The answers are in the back of the book.

I actually thought that this was a well written book that has a lot of useful information. The only thing that I’m trying to grasp with my brain chain is how appealing it will be for the intended ages even though I feel it’s written for their level. I have a child who enjoys reading and the humor is right up his alley. She uses a lot of metaphors to make connections with learning. My son will read whatever I assign to him but, I have a hard time grasping this age range picking up this book and reading it. Yes, I think once they get into it they will see the value of it and enjoy it. I don’t know maybe it’s just me? My son reads all kinds of books on topics that interest him and things he needs to research something on. I’m just undecided on the appeal for the age range. Trust me I would love to be wrong on my thinking with this. We need a generation  of thinkers and those who can adapt and learn new things with passion.

Don’t get me wrong this is packed full of information and has a lot of intriguing concepts that I need to explore for myself.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this information accordance with the FTC Regulations.