Make It Stick Book Analysis

Madison Brosky, Class Green

Make it Stick: Book Analysis

For the book analysis project, I chose to read the book ‘Make it Stick’: The Science of Successful Learning’ written by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel. The book begins by explaining that most people choose to learn the hard way by putting tons of time and effort into something that is later a complete waste. The point isn’t that we are taught poorly, but that we are taught in the wrong way because each individual learns differently. This book challenges teachers and students to try different types of learning that will benefit them in a more productive way. In each chapter, the authors talk about common study habits and practices that people find have

Cooperative learning can benefit students with processing information not only for themselves but also with each other while the teacher can judge how well the groups operate together. Completing the lesson with a group allows the students to work together and use different ideas to complete what is unknown. This not only helps with holding individuals accountable, but it also allows the teacher to interfere and assist when a student needs closure and assistance when the lesson is not being done correctly. In the book, the idea of active learning can be applied when using “summary sheets” (Pg.210). This idea explains how each week a group assignment is distributed and at the end of the week a summary from each student is given to separate the information they took away from the lesson, both as a group and as an individual. In the book, I related this idea too, “Putting new knowledge into a larger context helps to learn. For example, the more of the unfolding story of history you know, the more of you can learn. And the more ways you give that story meaning, say by connecting it to your understanding of human ambition and the untidiness of fate, the better the story stays with you” (Pg. 211). Since the main focus of cooperative learning is using group work to help a student finish a task that is too hard to do on their own it is similar to what we were taught in TE 150 because it incorporates the idea of group work and individual work at the same time. Although the whole idea of cooperative learning is to complete a task as a group so they can gain information from peers, it still allows the teacher to intervene and have an understanding of what each individual is taking away from the group work.