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:

“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.”

“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 single- minded 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,” palace-the-method-of-loci/Remember Everything