How to use scientific evidence about how
we learn to become a better debater
Maggie Berthiaume, Hoya-Spartan 2014
 Make
it Stick: The Science of Successful
Learning
 Henry L. Roediger III, Professor of Psychology
at Washington University in St. Louis.
 Mark A. McDaniel, Professor of Psychology
and Director of the Center for Integrative
Research on Cognition, Learning, and
Education at Washington University in St.
Louis.
 Peter C. Brown, writer and novelist.
 Henry
L. Roediger III, “How Tests Make Us
Smarter,” New York Times, 07/18/2014
 Short
Link: http://nyti.ms/1syMMKr
“Many teachers believe that if
they can make learning easier
and faster, the learning will be
better. Much research turns
this belief on its head: when
learning is harder, it’s stronger
and lasts longer.” (9)
“Rereading text and massed
practice of a skill or new
knowledge are by far the
preferred study strategies of
learners of all stripes, but
they’re also among the least
productive.” (3)
 “I
look over my textbook and really focus on
the material.”
 “I look over notes and attempt to jog my
memory by reviewing previous lessons.
Reading over the textbook also helps if I have
time.”
 “I generally re-read relevant chapters in the
books I use to study and review notes.”
 “Skim the book and notes.”
 “Review notes, read a textbook, read more
textbooks, play video games.”
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze49p8r/memory.html
“We are poor judges of when
we are learning well and
when we’re not. When the
going is harder and slower
and it doesn’t feel
productive, we are drawn to
strategies that feel more
fruitful, unaware that the
gains from these strategies
are often temporary.” (3)
“Students who don’t quiz
themselves (and most do
not) tend to overestimate
how well they have mastered
class material.” (17)
“Most of us believe that
learning is better when you
go at something with singleminded purpose: the
practice-practice-practice
that’s supposed to burn a
skill into memory…
Researchers call this kind of
practice ‘massed,’ and our
faith rests in large part on
the simple fact that when
we do it, we can see it
making a difference.
Nevertheless, despite what
our eyes tell us, this faith is
misplaced.” (47)
Leitnerportal.com — very, very useful online system
Flashcards Deluxe — iOS and Android, integrates with Quizlet
 “Remember
Everything,”
http://remembereverything.org/memorypalace-the-method-of-loci/