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How We Learn: Benedict Carey

This book is an accessible summary of some of the interesting studies in the domain of Psychology and Education. Some foundations about the structure and modular components of brain are first explained and then some of the recent research (that are widely popular) in the domain of Psychology and Education, along with some counter intuitive advice is given by the end of the book. As an instructor teaching courses to undergraduate students, I think some of the "research" in Education are mere commonsense observations. I have seen the students fall into the same traps during the course of studying far too often. This book also provides some interesting solutions. I could summarize the book in 50 pages, but it would be very boring and dry and jam packed with information. This book was very easy to read and finding about the studies is somewhat entertaining. The knowledge about the studies helps us contextualize the observations made.

As usual, you can always nit-pick the studies and claim that these studies are all about WEIRD group (White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democracies), but I feel that the lessons can be applied somewhat generally to a varying degree of successes. I did not hate the book, but I would not consider being ignorant of the book to be a big loss. Read it for fun, if that is your cup of tea.

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