book review – Page 2 – Education & Teacher Conferences

Insight into a Bright Mind by Nicole Tetreault

Erik Jahner, PhD

April 17, 2024

Insight into a Bright Mind by Nicole Tetreault

Insight into a Bright Mind: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Stories of Unique Thinking is a profoundly personal book, authored by Nicole Tetreault who finds neuroscience deeply meaningful on a personal level, shaping her understanding of herself and the world around her. The book is a neuroscience-informed exploration of her own personal reflections as an individual who is twice exceptional, recounting experiences with teachers, peers, and her children and interpreting the often-misunderstood lives of other exceptional individuals. The narrative reveals how the author’s early encounters with neuroscience have been intricately woven into a deeper understanding of herself, transforming the book into a piece of literature rather than mere information. You will be introduced to her personal experience from running, to Barbie, mathematics, and coloring with her mother. You will experience her pain, frustration, and joy. This emotionally evocative narrative not only ignites curiosity but also prompts introspection into one’s own development and story.

The book excels in translating neuroscience into culturally relevant ideas including autism, giftedness, gender, intelligence, and creativity just to name a few. This is an example of how neuroscience can enrich our understanding of ourselves and others beyond appreciating biology alone. Crafted with aesthetic expertise, each paragraph is not only enjoyable to read but also brims with a fascinating array of information about the brain.

Prior to reading this book, I had assumed that the topic might not interest me, deeming it too specialized and applicable only to a niche audience. However, the book defies these expectations by delving into the stories of exceptional minds and brains, shedding light on what they can reveal about ourselves and our interactions. Celebrating diversity, it aims to elucidate and dispel misconceptions that arise when attempting to confine individuals into narrow categories.

Unlike typical neuroscience for the layperson or confessions from a research bench that require diligent study and note-taking, this book seamlessly integrates neuroscience into an exploratory narrative, leaving readers eager for more. While packed with neuroscience, the text remains accessible due to the author’s adept translation and incorporation into an engaging writing style.

Each chapter within the book serves as a compelling essay into the exceptional experiences and the unique nature of each brain which defies categorization. The initial chapters provide a solid foundation in neuroscience, dispelling common myths and the development of the brain, showcasing its uniqueness akin to a snowflake and a development that is equally complex as it unfolds and interacts with our world. Subsequent chapters delve into the intellectual, personal, and sensory experiences of gifted individuals, offering readers a profound appreciation for their exceptional perspective. As the narrative progresses, emotions and attention are explored in depth, each chapter contributing to a deeper understanding and enjoyment of the subject.

We then see an intriguing exploration of neurological uniqueness beyond descriptions of autism spectrum to enlighten the reader with a deeper more appreciative understanding of some of the differences that get lumped together into some diagnoses. We then get a surprising connection between the brain and the gut that is sure to only further tantalize your curiosity and expand your dinner conversations. Moreover, the book offers invaluable advice for parents throughout, presenting alternative perspectives on situations that may initially seem discouraging from a child’s developmental standpoint. It not only encourages parents to embrace their child’s unique abilities but also offers insights into how these abilities may not always align with the development of other skills. The lesson offered is clear. Help your child identify their strengths, those strengths may often be hidden by asynchronous development, and then foster an environment with love and informed support to help your child explore their potentials. The last chapter gives some concrete steps you will enjoy putting into practice as a parent or teacher.

Furthermore, Insight into a Bright Mind transcends being merely informative, emerging as a creative masterpiece in its own right. I believe this book hits a specific area where neuroscience, culture, and creativity meet. Few authors have been able to achieve this, and I would place this book in the realm of Oliver Sacks with a pinch of Walt Whitman or Maya Angelou bringing together science, story-telling, and poetry. Elegantly structured and vividly written, it tantalizes the senses, resembling a captivating novel as readers delve into the author’s mind and, in turn, reflect on their own.

Erik Jahner, PhD

March 21, 2024

The Neuroscience of You by Chantel Prat

What a blast! Despite diving into countless neuroscience introductions, this journey felt uniquely enjoyable, resonating with me both as an educator and an eager neuroscience explorer. Chantel Prat’s The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain Is Different and How to Understand Yours effortlessly blends captivating storytelling with profound insights into the emerging understandings and mysteries of the human brain. Prat’s background as a professor of neuroscience at the University of Washington and her expertise in a variety of cross-disciplinary fields and translation of psychology and neuroscience in several popular science outlets makes her book feel deeply personal and conversational. Through personal anecdotes, and reflective questions and surveys that make the book relevant to you, Prat makes neuroscience accessible and appealing to newcomers and seasoned enthusiasts alike.

The first part of the book introduces neuroscience basics in relatable terms, avoiding overwhelming terminology while still challenging experts with nuanced concepts. Prat ensures the content remains current, reflecting modern understandings rather than outdated perspectives. Delving into familiar core topics like brain localization, hemisphere specialization, neurochemical dynamics, and brain rhythms, she leaves readers feeling empowered to explore their own brain’s unique mix. But she adds some amazing flavor to the topic as is clear with her reference to the neurochemical makeup of the brain as “mixology.” In each section as you apply the concepts there is a necessary and important qualification of “it depends.” You walk away feeling like you are ready to start being your own mixologist realizing the importance of environment, developmental, and genetic variation involved in the process of designing you. You are set up for some fun life designing and biohacking. Along with this preparation, you are set to participate in understanding the developing field of neuroscience. She emphasizes that you are right in the middle of this scientific journey and prepares you to take your own journeys into the wide field of emerging studies.

Building on this foundation, the second part of the book delves deeply and personally into essential cognitive skills, offering robust theory and engaging narratives to help readers understand and utilize their brain’s inner workings. From focusing and adapting to navigating, predicting, and building curiosity, the book covers key aspects of cognitive function, concluding with a fascinating exploration of the brain’s social nature and its role in human interaction. This second part of the book is wonderfully up to date adding nuance and understanding of the science that is currently being evaluated. Hopefully, you walk away from these sections with new questions and ideas as you will better understand your interaction with the world but also be more curious about it.

One of the most important aspects of this book is that each individual is unique. Our unique mix of genes and environment has prepared each of us to interact with our world in our own way. But she also points out that it is this same mix that unites us.

This book deals artfully with the tension between freedom and determination, between scientific terminology and layperson accessibility, and between abstract theory and personal relevance. It is well-rounded so regardless of your expertise level you are bound to get something enjoyable from this text.

Above all, Prat’s passion for neuroscience shines through and is contagious, infusing the book with the excitement of a favorite theme park ride, promising endless returns for those eager to deepen their understanding. Additionally, the book serves as an excellent introduction to cutting-edge research and notable researchers in the field, making it an invaluable resource for anyone curious about the latest developments in neuroscience.

Erik Jahner, PhD

January 23, 2024

Get It Done by Ayelet Fishbach

Over the last few months, I have been working with a student who is retaking a class for a third time, not failing because the material was difficult for her but because she just could not get herself to progress. This is a pattern in college and life for her. She expresses a strong desire to succeed but struggles to muster the motivation needed to stay on track. Often, she begins a course or class projects with great intentions but finds her motivation waning over time. She even sets clear goals and then watches them sit on her desk. The recurring message she receives from others (and increasingly from herself) has been perhaps that she doesn’t want it badly enough, but when she self-reflects, this is a sentiment she vehemently disagrees with. She wants it with all her heart, and it brings her to tears but has been lost on how to move from “want” to “motivated.”

While engaging with her I began to read Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation by Ayelet Fishbach. And wow what a timely read! Unlike traditional productivity books, Fishbach delves into the science of motivation and offers insights on how to bridge the gap between wanting to do something and actually accomplishing it.

Engaging in discussions with my student about goal-setting and goal-sustaining advice from this book appears to have breathed new life into her journey. She has begun to see motivation as a skill that can be cultivated and is enthusiastic about doing so, especially within a social context of both our classroom interactions as well as working with her family. Importantly this enthusiasm is sustained. This experience has led me to view this book not only as a valuable self-help resource but also as a tool to assist others. Instead of dictating what individuals should do, it equips you with the scaffolding necessary to guide conversations with yourself and others that can support self-actualization.

The book’s first three parts primarily focus on three key ingredients for improving your drive to accomplish projects, not just mechanically getting lists of tasks done. Firstly, Fishbach provides guidance on articulating your goals effectively, ensuring that they serve as a driving force not just an artifact. Secondly, she addresses the challenge of maintaining motivation throughout the journey towards your goals. Lastly, she emphasizes the interconnectedness of our goals within the context of our busy lives and offers essential strategies to manage multiple goals.

She highlights the importance of recognizing that goal achievement is not solely an individual endeavor, but something influenced by our interactions with others. By harnessing these social connections, you can propel yourself forward and, in turn, help those around you. In the fourth section of the book Fishbach promotes the idea that goal-setting is a collaborative effort that can strengthen relationships. Through great stores and points of discussion, she equips readers with tools to become better mentors to their students or support systems for their families.

As a productivity book, this is also an easy read. While the insights are original and grounded in scientific research, these stories are informative, enjoyable, and brief. Any good productivity book should be a quick easy read from which you can extract useful tips and understand why you are about to embark on the suggestions offered, not a long drawn-out process that becomes another difficult goal to attain. While succeeding in this regard, this book is also hugely helpful to complement any other productivity methodology demonstrating that goals are not only things that need to get done but they add meaning to our lives, something often missed in other books.

In a world where people often feel disconnected, “Get It Done” serves as a valuable guide to socializing the practice of setting and achieving goals. It not only helps you enhance your self-control, patience, and mindset but also encourages a sense of community and shared purpose in pursuing meaningful goals.

Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less by Ellen Braaten

Erik Jahner, PhD

December 19, 2023

Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less by Ellen Braaten

In Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less: How to Rekindle Your Child’s Motivation, Ellen Braaten delivers a valuable resource for parents facing the challenges of raising a child who embodies what a creative parent aptly termed a “malaizy” child – a fusion of malaise and laziness. However, the book extends beyond this concept, offering a guide to connecting with oneself as a parent and with one’s child. It presents an easy-to-read and practical approach to parenting, skillfully integrating theory without overwhelming the reader. Through authentic examples, the author engages readers in understanding the dynamics of parent-child relationships, providing valuable insights into how to engage their child with the world around them and navigate the evolving landscape of parenting when their child lacks motivation as expected.

Crucially, while it may initially seem that the book caters solely to parents of young children, it offers a significant benefit by tailoring advice to various age brackets, ranging from five-year-olds to young adults in college. This inclusivity ensures that parents can find relevant insights and guidance not only for their current parenting challenges but also for those that may arise in the future.

The book weaves authentic stories of parents and their children into its narrative, exemplifying and fostering curiosity and creativity in the reader’s own experience. This approach not only captivates the reader but also compels them to apply the book’s contents to their own parenting journey.

The initial part of the book lays the foundation by exploring the concept of motivation and introducing key terms and basic theory. While the book does touch on theory, it does so lightly, ensuring that readers are not overwhelmed by technicalities. It sets the stage for a deeper dive into the factors that influence a child’s motivation – aptitude, pleasure, and practice. In recognizing that every child can experience a loss of motivation, the book emphasizes the importance of considering three essential factors: aptitude (natural talent), pleasure (the joy derived from their interests), and practice (repeated efforts to enhance skills). While these three elements interconnect, they each contribute a distinct aspect to the overall picture.

The subsequent part of the book delves further into these factors within the context of societal expectations and a child’s unique personality. It encourages parents to understand and adapt their parenting style to better align with their child’s motivation. The focus then shifts to goal-setting, with the book highlighting that happiness is a byproduct of pursuing meaningful objectives. It reinforces the idea that goals should not be seen as static endpoints, but rather as dynamic journeys filled with opportunities for growth and evolution. Additionally, the book offers guidance on addressing contemporary challenges such as managing sleep schedules, navigating social media, and accommodating learning differences.

However, there are moments when situations fall outside the realm of basic advice, requiring a more detailed exploration. In these instances, the author addresses concerns about a child’s motivation that extend beyond a simple “don’t care” attitude, providing valuable guidance for parents.

Throughout the book, the author consistently emphasizes the importance of seeking additional information and encouraging a shift in both the parent’s and their child’s perspectives on the world. Understanding one’s child and oneself is depicted as the cornerstone of effective parenting. The book seeks to empower parents, offering them ample reasons for optimism and embarking on an intriguing journey of nurturing and motivating their children. Indeed, this book reframes the notion of parenting an unmotivated child as an adventure rather than a burden.

Each chapter concludes with a practical plan of action, outlining what to think about, what to talk about, and what steps to take. This approach underscores the author’s recognition that parents not only desire theoretical knowledge but also seek practical tools to foster meaningful conversations with their children. It also addresses the often-overlooked aspect of parenting, which involves reframing one’s thinking about parenting. The author’s approach revolves around understanding both oneself and one’s child, working collaboratively with the child to help them make the most of their learning and life journey.

The book equips parents with practical tools, including diagrams and surveys, to facilitate a deeper understanding of both their child and themselves as parents. This self-awareness stands as a crucial component of the book’s message, emphasizing that it’s not solely about engaging with one’s child but also about comprehending one’s unique role as a parent. The author further highlights the need for parents to explore beyond the book’s pages, providing a valuable list of resources at the end. These resources guide readers toward additional insights and direction for their ongoing parenting journey.

In summary, Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less is a must-read for parents seeking a comprehensive and actionable guide to understanding, nurturing, and maximizing their children’s motivation. It caters not only to parents of disengaged children but is a valuable resource for any parent. The book seamlessly blends storytelling with practical advice, empowering parents to confidently navigate the intricate terrain of parenting with optimism. It serves as an excellent introduction, providing parents with a solid foundation as they navigate the often rocky and unpredictable path of supporting their disengaged child.

Why We Forget and How to Remember Better by Dr. Andrew E. Budson & Dr. Elizabeth A. Kensinger

Erik Jahner, PhD

September 19, 2023

Why We Forget and How to Remember Better by Dr. Andrew E. Budson & Dr. Elizabeth A. Kensinger

Why We Forget and How to Remember Better by Dr. Andrew E. Budson and Dr. Elizabeth A. Kensinger is a captivating research driven exploration of the intricate workings of human memory. In this comprehensive book, the authors delve into the latest scientific insights about memory, making this complex topic accessible and relevant to college students, teachers, and a valuable review and update for researchers.

The book begins by addressing the fundamental questions that haunt our understanding of memory. Why do we forget? How can we be certain about our memories? Why do we struggle to recall names and important information when we need them the most? Through their extensive experience, Budson and Kensinger provide insightful answers and guide readers on a journey to understand and enhance their memory.

The book challenges common beliefs by revealing that memory’s primary function goes beyond recalling details from the past; it’s a complex web of abilities waiting to be explored. Also, many of us have heard the terms working memory, procedural memory, short term memory, muscle memory etc.; this book and its awesome illustrations help you clarify and differentiate these and other concepts.

As readers delve into the pages, they gain valuable insights into how memories are formed, stored, and retrieved during daily life. What’s more, the book equips readers with the power to take ownership and control of their memory abilities, offering strategies to remember what matters most and forget what’s less relevant. It goes further, offering practical tips for effective study techniques, a boon for students gearing up for exams. But that’s not all. “Why We Forget and How to Remember Better” doesn’t just stop at enhancing memory for practical tasks. It teaches readers how to remember names, passwords, and even lengthy information like 50 digit numbers, unlocking a world of superhuman enhanced memory skills. It really shows you how to make the most of what you got.

The book discusses the controversial and fascinating area of memory by exploring the fine line between true and false memories, providing readers with tools to navigate the terrain of memory accuracy with confidence. The narrative also delves into the ever-evolving nature of memory, highlighting how it develops in normal aging and various conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, and the unique impact of COVID-related brain fog.

As the story unfolds, readers discover the intriguing interplay between external factors and memory. It explores how exercise, nutrition, psychedelics, alcohol, cannabis, sleep, mindfulness, and music can all influence the way we remember, emphasizing the vital connection between lifestyle choices and memory health. We get information helping us separate the myths and marketing hype from what has been supported by the science and where there are still questions and possibilities.

While to book uses technical language, the narrative and illustrations makes this language accessible. This is important because the oversimplification of many science-based books for the layperson can easily simplify to the point of generating new myths. But this book is very careful, and you will discover your own misconceptions or at least learn some useful support for dispelling myths of friends, students, and family.

Advice from the authors applies the concepts they teach throughout the book into the construction of the book as a learning resource. To assist readers in recalling the book’s key themes, the authors have applied principles from the science of learning. They’ve deliberately repeated important ideas at intervals and employed vivid metaphors to enhance retention. The information is offered in small meaningful chunks allowing you to read for 15 min learn something and take a break or explore the content in ways that make sense to you. It’s suggested that readers avoid reading the entire book in a single sitting for optimal memory retention. Instead, they should read a few chapters, reflect on the content, and return to it later, preferably after a night’s rest.

I really enjoyed the review and new insights this book offered me as a learning scientist and also learned some great metaphors and ways of presenting information to my students along the way. Most importantly, it’s easy to comprehend, enjoyable, and memorable. It challenges preconceptions, equips readers with practical tools, and offers a panoramic view of memory’s role in our lives. This narrative promises to be a captivating and valuable resource for those seeking to unlock the full potential of their memory and cognitive abilities.

The Good Life by Robert Waldinger & Marc Schulz

Erik Jahner, PhD

August 27, 2023

The Good Life by Robert Waldinger & Marc Schulz

The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness serves as a warm and guiding light, steering us towards a more meaningful and inspiring existence. Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, director and co-director, weave together narratives and insights from their extraordinary 84-year-long Harvard Study of Adult Development. This study, spanning three successive generations of participants, not only encompasses the lives of the initial 724 individuals but extends its reach to encompass the stories of 1,300 of their descendants. Rather than showcasing exceptional figures and role models, this book delves into the lives of relatable, everyday people, unveiling the specialness inherent in our interconnectedness. Bursting with relatable anecdotes and enlightening discoveries, the book offers a refreshing take on the true sources of happiness.

In an era where the pursuit of productivity, efficiency, focus, and optimization dominates, this book provides a gentle yet uplifting reminder of our genuine human essence. Amidst our efforts, it offers us a chance to recognize the invaluable treasure of building strong bonds with loved ones, friends, and our community.

The authors skillfully contextualize the Harvard Study, elevating it beyond a mere collection of anecdotes. Drawing from both the ancient wisdom of Plato and Seneca to contemporary fMRI studies that explore the neuroscience of holding hands, the authors blend philosophy with modern neuropsychology to illuminate the stories they share. Their synthesis spans the ages, offering scientifically substantiated pathways to enlivening and imbuing our lives with meaning.

Connections are not solely confined to finding romantic love or creating the quintessential family. Happiness is not exclusive to a singular type of relationship; rather, it is a rich tapestry of connections—friendships, family ties, fleeting conversations with colleagues, or shared smiles with strangers. It encourages us to value the everyday interactions that often go unnoticed amidst our pursuit of personal betterment. Through the lens of this book, we uncover diverse avenues to recognize and cultivate happiness in every facet of our lives.

While loaded with advice and heuristics, this is not a mere sprinkle of friendly advice. The book emphasizes that relationships require genuine care and effort, as well as self-awareness. While opportunities for connections abound, they necessitate deliberate action and appreciation. The reader is gently prompted to introspect, cherish, and invest in the relationships that light up their existence. Through the experiences of the study participants, the book underscores the rewards and fulfillment that blossom from nurturing these precious bonds.

Symbiotic relationship between the heart and health are also highlighted in the examinations of correlations between vibrant relationships and overall well-being. In a world grappling with isolation, the book delivers a heartfelt message: prioritize the connections that set your heart aglow. Beyond interpersonal bonds, the book delves into an array of ingredients that enhance the recipe for happiness. From uncovering our life’s purpose to sprinkling gratitude into our daily routines, and tending to our mental and physical health, it offers a delectable menu for a richer, more fulfilling existence.

While presenting novel insights, the book also holds up a mirror to our oversights—reminding us of our unmet needs and those of others. Reading this book invites moments of pause and self-reflection, prompting us to recognize the simple yet overlooked aspects of life that warrant our attention.

Sit down with Robert and Marc over a cup of coffee as they share the wisdom gleaned from delving into the ebbs and flows of hundreds of lives. “The Good Life” encapsulates that very conversation—brimming with laughter, sagacity, and shared experiences. It reiterates that happiness isn’t a distant career aspiration requiring years of toil and sacrifice; rather, it resides in the connections we nurture and the moments we cherish today.

Erik Jahner, PhD

July 19, 2023

Psych by Paul Bloom

I should have known better! I was expecting just another in a long line of basic reiterations of Psychology 101. But this is Paul Bloom! — a talented storyteller and Psychology Professor at University of Toronto engaging a variety of audiences across genres from scientific publications to the New York Times while delivering other top sellers for the curious casual reader such as the Sweet Spot, Against Empathy, and How Pleasure Works. Now he brings us Psych: The Story of the Human Mind — a refreshed and captivating journey into the continually developing field of modern psychology. It transcends the genre of introductory texts by delivering a dynamic and engaging experience akin to enjoying a TED talk, feeding you savory narrative bits to share with friends and reengage your interest in forgotten figures.

While this book was the result of the authors copious lecture notes from years of teaching, this is no dry retelling of psychology, he knows what engaged his students. He offers us deep understanding through human appeal and curiosity relegating your dry introductory psychology text to forgotten corners of dusty bookshelves.

This book serves as a compendium of psychological highlights reintroducing readers to the most influential figures in the field. From the groundbreaking insights of Anna Freud and B.F. Skinner to the revolutionary discoveries of Piaget, Kahneman, and Tversky. While hitting all the main branches and basics of the field, he also offers several often-neglected topics including a section on the controversial figure of Sigmund Freud, explaining why he is often omitted from Psychology courses and why it is important to notice him for his contributions to western culture and thought as well as his betrayals to science and humanity. Even very familiarly stories are filled with titillating narrative about famous individuals in the field. Including the social life and career of Phineas Gage: a famous case study who was impaled by a railroad spike, decimating parts of his frontal cortex. But he also brings an intriguing touch with his treatment of behaviorists such as John Watson, his marriage, and his impact on the American coffee break. This all topped off with discussions of fox-trotting pigs. And these are just some bits of juicy gossip from the first sections.

The book tackles a wide array of thought-provoking questions. From deciphering the intricate relationship between the brain and consciousness, to uncovering ethical controversies such as the Milgram experiments and the current replication crisis, the author leaves no stone unturned. The exploration extends to the origins of knowledge, the disparities between the minds of children and adults, the connection between language and thought, and the impact of biases on perception and memory. Moreover, the book thoughtfully delves into the rationality of human beings, the motivations that drive us, and the significance of emotions such as fear, disgust, and compassion. The author masterfully analyzes how we perceive others, including those from different social and ethnic backgrounds, while also addressing the complex interplay of personality, intelligence, and other traits. In addition, we are treated to his narrative rendition of both the causes and treatments for mental illnesses as well as the pursuit of happiness.

This book will feed your yearning to explore the depths of the human mind, leaving you with refreshed desire to unravel the mysteries of psychology.

I highly recommend this book to students of the mind as it contextualizes and updates much of what they are learning in the classroom and though our own exploration. It also becomes an essential companion for professors and instructors, reigniting their appreciation for the joy found in the history and storytelling of psychology. Even the most seasoned psychology instructor will discover new ways of presenting material and uncover juicy bits of social history that will captivate their students. This book unveils the identities of the remarkable individuals who shaped the field and the cultural movements they inspired, reminding us that psychology is not lists of facts about minds, its humans pushing the limits of our mind to make sense of ourselves.

Outsmart Your Brain by Daniel Willingham

Erik Jahner, PhD

May 18, 2023

Outsmart Your Brain by Daniel Willingham

Aligning with my work in this area, Daniel Willingham’s influential insights have greatly contributed to the field of neuroscience and education. His critique of learning styles and debunking of common learning myths and neuromyths have been pivotal. His critique of the premature application of neuroscience to the classroom advocates for translational relevance to teachers and ecological validity. Many of us in the field have been driven by his many talks, books, and insights.

Who of us has not invested extensive hours exploring new study methods and learning techniques, experimenting with trendy apps, organization routines, and innovative solutions to overcome our learning challenges. Often, we seek a quick fix or a supposed magic pills that line the self-help sections of bookstores. However, it’s easy to lose sight of the essence of learning amidst the pursuit of strategies, most of which are unsupported tradition. While this book doesn’t offer instant solutions, it effectively helps distinguish valuable approaches from ineffective ones. Its well-organized collection of learning hacks and tips assists in separating the wheat from the chaff. Daniel stresses that learning requires time and effort—inevitable aspects that can’t be bypassed. Nevertheless, Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy empowers readers to optimize their time and maximize their learning outcomes. As an educator and lifelong learner, I found this book brimming with invaluable insights to evaluate and enhance my own performance across educational domains.

The book’s origins reveal its essence. Daniel, a college instructor, witnessed his students struggling with learning difficulties. Over time, he honed his ability to identify their problems but lacked a clear solution. This prompted this cognitive scientist and ambitious educator to embark on a journey evaluating and verifying the real-life applicability of various memory and learning strategies derived from his cognition and memory research and investigating what made sense. The result of this ongoing exploration is the book at hand, which undoubtedly lives up to its promise.

This book serves as an indispensable and practical user manual for being a better student and teacher. Its value extends particularly to learning skills specialists, college students seeking lecture support, parents aiming to guide their children’s learning, or the college instructor that wants to do more than act as a sage on the stage simply reading off notes. The book’s well-structured chapters can be utilized as weekly lessons or applied individually.

Thematically organized, the book covers a wide array of essential topics to enhance learning and academic performance. It offers guidance on understanding lectures, effective note-taking strategies, making the most of labs, activities, and demonstrations, and techniques to enhance note organization for improved comprehension. Additionally, it provides valuable insights on tackling challenging readings, studying effectively for exams, assessing exam readiness, approaching different test formats. Nurturing social-emotional skills in education Daniel also covers efficient work planning, overcoming procrastination through highly effective tips, maintaining focus, building self-confidence, and coping with anxiety.

The strategies presented in the book strike a balance between empirical research, realism, and accessibility. It acknowledges the “education in the wild,” delving into what students truly encounter and guiding them in the right direction. Dr. Willingham expertly supports these concepts with personal anecdotes from his own experiences as an educator, effectively illustrating how to make learning enjoyable and, consequently, more successful. Furthermore, the book is enriched with citations that bolster the suggested strategies and challenge traditional approaches that have been proven to be ineffective – ones we still prolifically teach and practice. I hope you notice, as i did that each chapter can be a friendly audit of our practices and beliefs about learning, urging us to evaluate how students and teachers foster successful learning and prompting tangible improvements. As I reflect on my own study years, I genuinely regret not having had access to this book. However, with my students, this book gives us some tools to be better learners together.

Erik Jahner, PhD

March 21, 2023

A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley

A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) is an excellently constructed tour of the mind improving your approach to learning and problem-solving. While there are many learning strategy books out there, Barbara Oakley’s stands out due to its entertaining, educational, well-researched, and refreshed cognitive foundation. You are in for a real treat as each bite-sized chapter draws you in with engaging stories, enticing your curiosity with cognitive principles and historical tidbits asking you to constructively reflect on the machinery of your mind.

While this book says it is for Math and Science learning, the concepts addressed here can be applied to a wide array of subjects from language learning to time management, procrastination, and reading. Although it is filled with useful and updated information about how memory works, it is not simply a book about memory techniques. Throughout, there is a continual nod to social-emotional learning concepts and metacognitive awareness, including understanding how the ways you are learning may lead you to develop a false sense of confidence in your knowledge. Enabling you to understand your own learning profile, Oakley shares both what is effective and what is not effective, making it a great book for study skills classes or anyone who just wants to identify what learning practices are helpful and which ones are simply a waste of time.

Faithful to its inner teachings, the book is organized into very useful chunks of information that allow the reader to build their stores of knowledge in a systematic way. Each chapter is packed with great lessons followed by a “Pause and Recall” section and containing “Now you try” sections, encouraging us to pull away from the reading for a moment and relate the concepts to our lives and process them at more meaningful and deeper levels. We also get nice neat summaries pulling the chapters together integrating across chapters and allowing for a quick skim of some of the highlights. This structure naturally lends itself to classroom discussions. As an instructor, I have even used some of the “Now you try” sections with my college students who find them to be useful and revealing reflections.

Illuminating the intriguing history of psychology, we are treated to fascinating discussions of real people including arsenic eaters, a man who had an unnatural ability to remember details at some cost to other cognitive abilities, and an infamous neuroscientist who was put into jail for building a small cannon that destroyed a neighbor’s gate. These little bits of historical psychology are a gateway for the psychology novice to enter the field and engage students. These morsels from history led me to also jump on the internet and learn a bit more about these characters, demonstrating Oakley’s ability to open up new worlds.

I would be leaving out an important part of this book if I did not mention the memorable, fun, and useful visuals in this book. I’m particularly fond of the octopus representing attention mechanisms in the brain and pinball machines representing the semantic closeness of ideas. When discussing the removal of faint connections, we are offered illustrations of ‘metabolic vampires’ that suck the remaining life from neurons¬–images that really leave a lasting impression. The creative use of these and other metaphors throughout the book will help the novice student grasp the concept and act as useful teaching tools for the instructor to reframe the concept and make it accessible while staying true to the science. While the metaphors and illustrations are fun, they are not diminutive. The reader never feels talked down to, and the material is not oversimplified.

From mathematics to learning a new hobby and managing your life, Oakley enhances the learning experience and makes you the game-maker in your learning adventure. She makes learning fun and you will walk away with a growth mindset and new tools opening your mind to try or try again to learn concepts you thought were out of your reach–’even if you flunked algebra.’

The Power of Us by Dominic Packer and Jay Van Bavel

Erik Jahner, PhD

June 21, 2022

The Power of Us by Dominic Packer and Jay Van Bavel

The broad use of social media, internet search engines, personalized news feeds, and other emerging information technologies have influenced the ways we have been constructing our identities. This has only accelerated during the ongoing pandemic as many of our social connections are accessed only through likes, links, and subscriptions. Taking a moment to reflect, we all notice how our identities are channeled into group memberships and conceptual echo chambers which have served to increase socio-political polarization and reduce the number of people we interact with who might challenge our views. The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony by Dominic Packer and Jay Van Bavel is an important update on identity research with direct relevance to the current landscape. The title suggests a monumental task, and the authors meet their proposal head-on, methodically taking the reader on an exploration of multiple identities and group affiliations while offering direction toward progress on many seemingly intractable problems.

Watching the news can often lead to a sense of loss, hopelessness, and confusion, but this text acts as a conceptual scaffolding allowing us to perceive the world in a way that reduces the sense of overwhelm. Keeping up with current events and managing our emotional responses leaves little time to identify and integrate new research into our perspectives and make sense of this changing world. Packer and Van Bavel do an exemplary job of translating and integrating social, psychological, cognitive, neuroscientific, and even genetic research and heightening your curiosity. Many of us are familiar with the early work on bias, racism, and in- and out-group relations, but when was the last time you checked your understanding and updated those ideas? They unpack many of our socialized myths and misconceptions about previous research while offering new interpretations and tantalizing new avenues of thought. Integrating research in the lighter areas of food flavors, school spirit, and competitive sports outcomes with the weightier topics of race relations, violence, political divides, international politics, and fake news, the reader experiences the rigor without the exhaustion.

The rhetorical style feels like a coffee shop conversation with engaging intellectual appetizers keeping the text light and easy to digest, but still rich enough to drive a deeper intellectual challenge. This is no lecture from an ivory tower but instead an engaging debate. Unlike much of what we see every day, you will leave this text feeling integrated into the society around you, not a passive participant or confused onlooker. The multiple selves within you and those around you are connected and we can ignore or renew these connections; this initiates this process by making the unconscious conscious and adding to the conceptual foundation for personal and societal development.

Given that scientific thought is under constant attack, the book also addresses many of the challenges brought against science itself. But it does not attack the critics; instead, it offers up an important internal critique of the scientific process through a discussion of metascience and the search to discover if science is indeed uncovering truths or has created its own echo chambers. Overall, they find the scientific process successful but offer advice. For the researchers, it asks the important question of whether their labs have evolved to support their views or if researchers have actively sought intellectual debate and disagreement. While the authors rightly elevate scientific thinking as part of the solution, they increase awareness that science, like all other human endeavors, is not immune to bias. This same approach is important for educators, policymakers, and administrators to consider: how is the system you are part of addressing identity formation and what needs to change?

A common approach to social divide and fake news is to offer more information, but as the authors point out, more information does not remove the bias, and sometimes more information adds more interpretations. We need to build individual practices, systems, and opportunities to challenge and enrich our knowledge. After reading this book, you will be left with a sense of hope. While the book is critical and planned in its approach to the literature, it also is optimistic lighting potential paths out of the darkness and confusion.

Older posts

Newer posts

Newsletter & Event Emails