Make It Stuck: A Scientific Guide to Successful Learning It Stick Paperback 2025
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown
Make It Stick is a groundbreaking book that challenges common myths about how we learn and offers evidence-based strategies to learn more effectively and retain knowledge in the long term. It is co-authored by cognitive psychologists Henry Roediger III and Mark McDaniel, along with writer Peter C. Brown, and synthesizes decades of research on memory and learning. The core premise is that many traditional study methods—like rereading textbooks or cramming—are neither the most efficient nor the most durable ways to master information.
Instead, the authors present techniques that may sometimes feel less intuitive or more demanding but lead to stronger retention and deeper understanding. This book is valuable for students, teachers, lifelong learners, or anyone seeking to improve how they acquire and remember new skills and knowledge.
Key Principles and Techniques
Retrieval Practice Definition: Actively recalling information from memory (e.g., through quizzes, flashcards, or practice questions). Why It Works: The mental effort of trying to retrieve knowledge strengthens neural pathways, making future recall easier and more accurate. Tip for Implementation: Replace passive rereading with self-tests or explain concepts aloud without looking at your notes.
Spaced Repetition Definition: Spreading out study or practice sessions over time rather than cramming. Why It Works: Allowing a bit of forgetting between sessions requires more cognitive effort to retrieve the information later, ultimately reinforcing memory. Tip for Implementation: Plan a schedule that revisits material at increasing intervals, rather than covering everything in one or two prolonged sessions.
Interleaving Definition: Mixing different but related topics or problem types in a study or practice session (e.g., rotating between math problem sets on algebra, geometry, and statistics). Why It Works: Interleaving fosters the ability to differentiate between problem types, strategies, and solutions, thereby strengthening overall mastery. Tip for Implementation: Instead of completing one type of problem or skill entirely before moving on, alternate or shuffle tasks to keep your brain engaged.
Elaboration Definition: Making new information meaningful by explaining and describing it in your own words, and connecting it to what you already know. Why It Works: Deep, meaningful processing creates more pathways for retrieval and relates new knowledge to existing schemas. Tip for Implementation: When reading new material, pause often to ask “How does this relate to something I already know?” or “What is an example of this in real life?”
Generation Definition: Attempting to answer a question or solve a problem before being shown the correct answer or solution. Why It Works: The effort of trying to produce an answer—right or wrong—helps prime your brain for learning the correct solution. Tip for Implementation: Whenever you encounter a new topic, do your best to explain or solve it on your own first, then check the correct approach.
