I found the “First Little Readers Parent Pack” to be a decent collection for my child, but I wouldn’t suggest it for a reader who is truly just starting out. I also think calling them “Irresistible” is a bit of an overstatement; they’re very simple books, which is fine, but they weren’t something my child was constantly begging to read.Before diving into these, I think it’s really helpful to have a solid foundation in sight words and basic phonics. We had a lot of success with the Bob Books series, which I feel prepared my child for this next step.Once my child was comfortable with the fundamentals, this set was a great way to introduce more common words in the context of a story. Each book is its own little story, which is nice because it keeps things interesting. They introduce a few new words in each book, which felt like a manageable challenge.Overall, I think these books are a useful tool in the learn-to-read process, but I’d recommend them for a child who has already grasped the initial concepts of reading.Pros:Each book tells a unique story.The stories introduce a few new words at a time.Good for practicing common words in sentences.Cons:Not ideal for a child’s very first reading experience.Assumes some prior knowledge of basic words.The “irresistible” claim on the packaging is a stretch.

I was very impressed with these books! We have a down syndrome grandchild that is beginning to read & he sounds words…these books are great! He was so pleased he could read it all by himself. They are short enough that he did not get overwhelmed with how many pages there were. The approach is great and love the sounding out words!

I ordered all 3 sets of these books for my Kindergartner. He already recognizes a bunch of sight words and I wanted to get a great collection of books that would give him lots of practice and lots of success! I taught reading enrichment classes to early readers for ~9 years, so I knew what I was looking for; these are perfect for getting a youngster started!Another reviewer complained that the sets did not differ in difficulty from A to B to C, but I have to disagree. In my picture, a book from set A is at the top, set B in the middle, and set C at the bottom. All three are alike in their simple sentence structure, but there are key differences. Set A books use a very short sentence, usually with only one word changing per page. This lets the child read independently, recognizing the pattern and using visual clues to figure out unknown words, thereby experiencing a lot of success and feeling pride in their reading skills. Set B uses slightly longer sentences or even two sentences per page, and the words that change frequently have more syllables. The pictures still help with figuring it out, though, so your child can move through the text comfortably, learning to not be intimidated by long words (very important!). Set C books seem to focus on words that have challenging phonics elements (like “grew” — not an easy word to sound out until you’ve learned that digraph, which usually happens sometime in mid 1st grade) or longer and more diverse sentences with multi-syllabic words. Don’t get me wrong; these books are little half steps in the reading process and are all early-mid Kindergarten level, but in setting up your child for success — giving them confidence and the willingness to try — these early experiences are crucial! I am very pleased with the purchase and am excited for my kid to try them.UPDATE 10/1/21 — I will modify my above statement for at least one of the books. In the A set, there is a book called “Almost Spring” that I feel belongs in set B or possibly even set C. It uses the present participle (-ing) on almost every page, and while a child at this level may know or be able to figure out the root word (for instance, “melt” or “peep”), they are very likely to be thrown by “melting” and “peeping.” Just remember to give your child lots of support and encouragement when they read, and if they seem to be struggling, just tell them the word and let them move on. :)P.S. Other people reported getting some duplicates in their boxes; I did not. Seems to be random. Perhaps if you get a duplicate the seller could send you the right one.Customer image

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These books are great for kids learning to read or new readers. Short, colorful stories. A great quantity of stories to choose from. Fun and educational. The perfect size for little hands.

This set consists of 25 tiny, very short books. Each book has 7 pages, plus a title page. The books have pictures on each page which help illustrate what the child is reading (although sometimes they are a little too helpful, as there are instances that my daughter will look to the pictures rather than sounding out tougher words). The books are on the flimsy side, made of paper with a single string binding each one. For beginning readers, they are really helpful for practicing sight words and sounding out simple vocabulary. They don’t keep my daughter’s attention as well as larger books for beginners that have more vibrant illustrations and more of an actual story behind them, but they do hold her interest better than simple flash cards for practicing sight words. Having a variety of books to choose from is also nice. In some books, the first two or three words of a sentence will repeat for several pages, which can make it easier for the reader. This also seems to build some confidence, so I didn’t mind it too much. Overall, we have found them to be quite helpful as she learns to read.

Awesome books there are 25 and great for teaching child to learn to read. Grandson loves them

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Easy learning, tiny short books for kindergartners. I bought these to help my pre-K to learn how to read. I like it comes with so many books and they’re really short and easy for him to read.

Great books for teaching a beginning and emerging child how to read. Interest level is high.

Great book, with great advice. I read it already, and bought this as a gift for someone else. Actually, this is the third time I have bought it as a gift for someone. This is simple, common sense information to get out of debt, and to stay out of debt, so you can enjoy your money. If you are struggling, or if you are just trying to save some money, this is a good book to read. It’s also a good book for a young couple just starting out, or for someone just graduating high school. This book is good for anyone. Wholesome with a plan to help you! Who wants to be in debt?!! No one! I highly recommend the book!

I’ve always been interested in my finances and my husband and I jointly manage our family’s finances so we both know what’s going on. A friend at church was talking about Dave Ramsey and I had never heard of him before so I decided to look him up and see what kinds of books he wrote. I found this book to be a popular choice of his and I didn’t know how much of it would interest me so I ended up borrowing it from the library initially. I enjoyed his writing and found the information to be helpful so I decided to purchase my own copy to reference at home.The Total Money Makeover is a personal finance book written by Dave Ramsey. Ramsey is a financial expert as well as a Christian who has had his own money troubles in the past. He’s overcome them and learned from his mistakes so he’s passed along his wisdom in these pages. There are also many stories of people who have been in a tough spot financially who used this book to get themselves out of debt. This book is 237 pages long, contains 13 chapters, worksheets and a full index.I found this book to be helpful and I really enjoyed reading it! Dave Ramsey writes in a no-nonsense fashion and if he says something is stupid or a bad idea, he will say exactly that. He doesn’t beat around the bush. He provides step-by-step information on getting yourself out of debt and what to do if you have a crisis while you are working on getting yourself out of debt (he also refers to Murphy’s Law quite a bit so something will always happen). I like how he tells us what types of companies, funds, etc to avoid and what ones are good ones. Even though he knows a lot about investments, he doesn’t provide extensive investment information in this book but he does give some information on what types of funds he thinks are best based on trends.I enjoyed this book so much that I told my sister about it and she said she wanted to read it too so I bought one for her and one for myself. I’ve told others about the book and I think it is helpful, no matter what your financial situation is. Some parts of the book didn’t apply to us but I found the second half of it to be especially informative which is why I decided to buy a copy. Unless you already have millions of dollars in the bank and have all of your finances under control (retirement, investments, kids’ college education, etc.), I think you’ll find the information in this book to be useful.If you have a lot of credit card debt and loans and want to get your finances under control, I highly recommend this book. Even if you don’t have a lot of debt but you want to find a smarter way prepare for your kids’ college education, this is a great book to read. It’s very informative and you can also borrow a copy from a friend or the library first before you buy your own. I’m glad I bought it because the small investment in this book has caused us to take a closer look at our finances and see what we can do better. Overall, I feel it’s worth the money and time to buy and read this book so you have a financially-fit future!

Dave Ramsey’s ‘The Total Money Makeover’ is a financial game-changer. This book doesn’t just provide advice; it offers a step-by-step guide to transforming your financial life.Clear Action Steps:Ramsey’s approach is practical and actionable. The book lays out specific steps to tackle debt, build an emergency fund, and invest wisely, providing a roadmap to financial success.Motivational Tone:The author’s motivational and straightforward style keeps you engaged. It’s not just about financial advice; it’s about changing your mindset and taking control of your financial destiny.Proven Strategies:The strategies outlined in the book are tried and true. Many readers, including myself, have seen tangible results by implementing Ramsey’s principles into their financial lives.Accessible for All:Whether you’re a financial novice or someone with some knowledge, the book caters to all levels. The language is clear, and concepts are explained in a way that makes financial management accessible for everyone.’The Total Money Makeover’ is a must-read for anyone looking to gain control of their finances. Ramsey’s approach is not just about managing money; it’s about transforming your financial future.

Good book very informative.

Great book! Great program to follow! After reading a library copy, I bought multiple copies to give away, and lend out to those I love. If you struggle with money, are in debt, or are living paycheck to paycheck despite making a decent wage, this book is for you! It will tell you a step by step process to get out of debt, and stay out of debt, and how to build your financial future, and how to find financial peace. I wasn’t in debt when I read it a year ago, but found so many helpful tips and ideas and inspiration within these pages, that I am now in a much better financial position than I was, and it only gets better! The book isn’t a cure all, read it and you’ll never have another financial problem…it’s not enough to just read it, you actually have to COMMIT to follow the steps as outlined and retrain your behavior. (As Dave Ramsey says “finance is 80% behavior, and only 20% head knowledge”!)I was resistant to reading the book because I didn’t think I needed it, “I’m fine” (but boy did I learn a lot, and so happy I did!) My daughter was even more resistant to reading the book because she thought it was a get rich quick scheme. I finally convinced her to read it, and now her family is on a budget and quickly paying off debt! They’re excited to know they will be able to retire comfortably and send their daughter to college debt free by following the baby steps. Give it a try! It’s well worth the price!

Good read

Delightful fantasy, rich characters made this one a pleasure. Love the idea of daemons. Peter Pan comes to mind. Surprising but wonderful ending that makes me excited for the next book without the let down of a cliff hanger.

This book starts a bit slowly at first, but then kicks up into high-adventure and keeps this pace to the end. Pullman’s writing is very good and he manages to capture a perfect voice for the main character of Lyra as she negotiates this strange world populated by anthropomorphic soul-animals, witches, ghasts, and armored bears.In reading this book, I felt reminiscent of the that sweet, nostalgic tone achieved by C.S. Lewis in “The Narnia Chronicles.” Perhaps this is simply due to the omniscient point of view in which the narrators guide one along in these comparable fantasy works. There is something comforting when you feel as if a story is being told you by a dear old friend while at the same time you’re being truly immersed in the narrative. That is a subtle art in which the author must carefully balance the use of the narrative voice so as not to feel intrusive or too expositional. I think there is something in the human psyche that responds to this mode of storytelling that harkens back to our ancient oral traditions.The work is not particularly a “Christian” one, even though I am mentioning The Narnia Chronicles which are more overtly Christian in their telling. Pullman does draw on the dogma, practices, history and teachings of the Christian Religion to create his fantasy world and also to better illustrate what is happening and drive the plot along. However, unlike The Narnia Chronicles, the institutional nature of religion plays a much bigger and more nefarious role in The Golden Compass. That being said, this particular tale is not overly caught up with this theme. During some portions the religious aspect is missing altogether—though I admit that it does make up an important part of the book. So in essence, I am saying that however critical this book might be toward the institutional aspect of religion—it is not solely concerned with that point.The world created by Pullman feels rather unique, even though it is a secondary world not unlike our own (in many ways). He devises a magical system utilizing a special dust-like substance; and souls that live outside the body in animal forms called daemons. This feels very authentic and manages to be quite delightful. Probably the strongest and most developed part of the book is the relationship Lyra has with her own daemon.Other elements of the story come flying in as Lyra (the protagonist), takes up her quest to deliver a magical item to a far off and dangerous land. She meets interesting, fun and compelling characters all along the way. My only gripe is that at times, these non-player-character-types seem to drop on and off screen as needed. So too, does the adventure seem to proceed along one step at a time. The feel of this story is that as the protagonist progresses, the author foreshadows the next event, a challenge is overcome and the protagonist advances to the next level. A bit mechanical—not exactly contrived, but somewhat stilted. The writing is really great and the plot has a lot of fun and interesting elements that leave you anxious to see things through. There is just something a bit….in the background…missing… Perhaps it was the dropping away of secondary characters without a lot of follow through on their individual subplots? But, maybe that would have just slowed things down? I’m not sure.All in all, I have no real problems with this book. It’s very well written, a great read and I’d definitely recommend it and am curious to read more. Mainly though, the author has a great voice for his story telling and that is what really pulls you in.Podcast: If you enjoy my review (or this topic) this book and the movie based on it were further discussed/debated in a lively discussion on my podcast: “No Deodorant In Outer Space”. The podcast is available on iTunes, Tune-In Radio, Stitcher, Google Play Music, YouTube or our website.

This book and this series is exceptional in so many ways. I give it five stars, and my 9-year-old son is reading the series as I re-read it with him.Here are three things I love about this book:1- The main character is a strong girl (Lyra) with incredible willpower as well as a pre-ordained important role to play in the world. She is funny, scrappy, and a very likable and relatable main character. The fate of the world is literally in her hands, but she doesn’t realize that.2- The world building here is so creative and so different from other fantasy novels. After reading a lot of fantasy novels with my son, at some point I get bored of the traditional storyline of wizard fights some sort of evil and prevails. In this world, every person is born joined to a Daemon, which is an animal who talks and basically always stays within ten feet of the person. They are bonded forever, and part of being a whole human is being bonded from birth to death with this talking animal. There’s also a huge theme here about physics, which they call “Dark Matter” or “Dust” – that creates mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the book. There are also such creative creatures, including armored polar bears who talk and are mercenaries for hire. There are witches, who live for thousands of years and exist within clans. And the Daemons are fascinating. They can change shape at will into any animal basically until their human hits puberty, at which point they pick one animal shape to maintain for the rest of their lives.3- The settings are interesting, and also related to parts of the earth. For instance, the story starts in Oxford in England where Lyra grows up as a part of a college. She is a little girl among scholars, who mainly runs around and does what she wants throughout the town. She’s proud of her mastery of the spaces around her, and becomes the center of most groups of kids, who follow her – from her best friend who is the son of a kitchen worker at the college to her friends the Gyptians who live on boats. Then the story moves to the Arctic, where there are detailed descriptions of auroras and vivid explanations of the cold. My son got more interested in the Arctic here, and found himself exploring the science in the science fiction. That’s an exciting advantage of a book like this!Notes for parents raising kids in a religious tradition:The church is evil in this book and in this series. And the church uses names and terms like many real religious traditions- clergy, magisterium, priests, etc. The church is funding an evil plot to try to harness energy by physically harming children in the Arctic. Phillip Pullman is unapologetic about the church being evil in this series, and even extrapolates later in the second book to make statements about churches always being on the wrong side of things.The book is just so, so good, so I didn’t want that to be a reason not to share it with my son who loves fantasy and science fiction. But I did want to read it with him and talk about it throughout the book. We talked about how worlds are different from each other in fantasy and real life. We’ve also spent time talking about how church is an institution, and institutions make mistakes and have done things that are wrong or even evil- and how to square that with being confirmed in a church literally this year.If you are a parent of a child being raised in a religious tradition, I strongly recommend reading this series together with your child.

Fine, but kindle says Chapter two is pg.479, AND the total page is over4000. Is it only me?

Mr. Sachar wove this plot with a design, a pattern, that illuminates and elevates. Probably the best book I have ever read, and I come at it for the first time at 71 years old. I speculate on all the middle school children who learned noble values from “Holes.” The story and Mr. Sachar’s exquisite telling must have birthed a faith in many youth— faith that life and others recognize and reward true goodness. The young readers must have learned about friendship, responsibility, and loyalty. The tale spinning gifted many rewards along with laughter, suspense, and tears. I devoured the story almost nonstop since I downloaded it this afternoon from Amazon.

Holes is an incredible read that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The story is a perfect blend of mystery, adventure, and emotional depth. I loved how the different storylines interweave and come together in unexpected ways. The characters are memorable, especially Stanley Yelnats, whose journey is both inspiring and poignant. Louis Sachar does a brilliant job of addressing themes like fate, friendship, and justice in a way that resonates with both kids and adults. It’s a book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it. Highly recommended!

The price was what I expected after researching other options. The book arrived on time, in great shape, and was a great read.

I have just read the book Holes and it is pretty good. The main character is Stanley Yelnats. He was sent to Camp Green Lake but he was innocent. He was blamed for stealing Clyde Livington shoes. Clyde Livington is a famous baseball player. Camp Green Lake is a place where you dig 5 foot holes in very hot weather. The holes had to be 5 feet wide and 5 feet high. There used to be a lake there but now there is not. There are rarely yellow spotted lizards but if there is and if you get bitten you will surely die. Not only that, you only get a little bit of water in Camp Green Lake. The food they serve is not very good either. There are also some other important characters like Zero and the Warden. Zero is not actually his name. His real name is Hector Zeroni. There are other people that are with Stanley in Camp Green Lake. Some people are Zero, Armpit, Magnet and X-Ray. Stanley knew the first hole would be the hardest because it had to be very deep and very wide. Later in the book a new person named Twitch comes to Camp Green Lake. He went there for breaking into peoples cars. He would twitch whenever he was about to steal a car. The people that are watching over them are Mr. Sir, Mr.Pendanski, and the Warden. Later in the book, Stanley makes a deal with Zero that if Zero helped him dig part of his hole then Stanley would help how to read and write. The deal was working. Zero would help Stanley dig part of his hole and Stanley would teach Zero how to read and write. Until The Warden asked Zero to spell hat but he hasn’t learned the h sound yet so he says it wrong and they tell him that he not very smart so he hits Mr. Pendanski in the head with his shovel. So they put Zero in a truck and took him away and told him he has to come back for water sometime. At this point Stanley was Zero’s friend so he had to save him. His plan was to steal the water truck that Mr. Pendanski used to give them water and bring it to Zero to give him water. So when he saw Mr. Pendanski looked away, he got in the truck and drove away. He didn’t know how to drive a car but he thought it was simple enough. But when he got to a turn he drove the truck into a big hole and it wouldn’t come out. Then, he went to go look for Zero. He kept walking and walking until he found Zero. Stanley found some mud and dug a deep hole so there was muddy water. For the food source there were onions in the ground. For a very long time they were eating onions and drinking muddy water. They ate about 180 onions each and drank a bunch of muddy water. Until finally they decided to go back to Camp Green Lake. After a bunch of walking they finally made it back to the truck that Stanly had crashed into; they both drank a bunch of water then went where the holes are and found a lawyer. Then they were waiting for the Warden to come out and release them. So the Warden came out but then yellow spotted lizards came on him and Zero. For a while they were stuck but they eventually got out and were free because the lawyer said that it was child abuse. Then I learned how Stanley got caught for stealing shoes. The truth is Stanley was walking home from school after having a really bad day because they put his notebook in the toilet. When he saw a bike in the garbage he went to grab it. But then shoes fell from the sky that zero had stolen and then thrown away. Then Stanley started running and got caught with the shoes. Zero went to jail for stealing other pairs of shoes he thought was just borrowing. At the time he was little and didn’t know it was stealing so then he got caught. The theme of the book is the power of friendship and the consequences of choices. There were parts of the book that were exciting, and there were parts of the book that were kind of boring. Some exciting parts are when Stanley stole the car to give Zero water and it got me excited for Stanley and Zero to get out of Camp Green Lake. Then there were some boring parts where they were just walking around. I think the characters were well made. I think the plot was very good. There are a lot of questions that will not be answered in the book holes like what happened to all the other people in Camp Green Lake.There are so many things I did not mention in this paper that are in the book, So I highly recommend it, And think it would be a great book to read. Overall, it is a good book that I will probably read again.

Love it! Love the scene where Stanley and zero became friends! Even loved the part where Stanley had found zero living on sploosh in a hole! Another kid should read this book because it’s amazing!Loved reading this aloud to my kiddo. We were so invested in what was going to happen to Stanley and Zero.

Holes is an incredible read that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The story of Stanley Yelnats, a young boy sent to a mysterious camp where boys dig holes, is both quirky and meaningful. The way the plot weaves together past and present events is masterful. The themes of friendship, justice, and destiny are really well explored, and the twists and turns make it a memorable experience. It’s a great book for both kids and adults alike, with a perfect balance of humor, suspense, and heart.

Got it for my daughter’s language class

This is an easy read and science based. They give you the cognitive research behind what they are saying. It is a must read for anyone who teaches or mentors.

Summary of the key concepts in the book:Conventional Wisdom: Make learning easyBest practice: Design learning with desirable difficultiesDiscussion: “Learning is deeper and more durable when it is effortful.” “Difficulties that elicit more effort and that slow down learning… will more than compensate for their inconvenience by making the learning stronger, more precise, and more enduring. Short-term impediments that make for stronger learning have come to be called desirable difficulties.” “Don’t assume you are doing something wrong if the learning feels hard.” “Not all difficulties in learning are desirable ones. Anxiety while taking a test seems to represent an undesirable difficulty.” Slow down to find meaning. Always read prior to the lecture. “Training has to be engaging in order to hold employees’ attention.”Conventional Wisdom: Concentrate on one topic at a time (aka. massed practice)Best practice: Interleave different but related topicsDiscussion: “Learning from interleaved practice feels slower than learning from massed practice.” While interleaving can impede performance during initial learning (tests taken immediately after exposure), interleaving has been show to boost “final test performance by a remarkable 215 percent.” In addition, “commonalities… learned through massed practice proved less useful than the differences … learned through interleaving.” “In interleaving, you don’t move from a complete practice set of one topic to go to another. You switch before each practice is complete… You need to shuffle your flashcards.”Conventional Wisdom: Reread material multiple times and in close successionBest practice: Space repetitionDiscussion: “Repetition by itself does not lead to good long-term memory… It makes sense to reread a text once if there’s been a meaningful lapse [at least a day in between] since the first reading.” “The increased effort required to retrieve the learning after a little forgetting has the effect of retriggering consolidation, further strengthening memory.” “Design quizzing and exercises to reach back to concepts and learning covered earlier in the term, so that retrieval practices continues and the learning is cumulative.” Spiral upward at increasing levels of difficulty with each re-exposure.Conventional Wisdom: Reread to lock-in knowledgeBest practice: Focus on effortful recall of facts or concepts or events from memory (aka. Retrieval practice)Discussion: “Retrieving knowledge and skill from memory should become your primary study strategy in place of rereading.” There are many methods of retrieval practice. Elaboration, expressing new material in your own words and connecting it with what you already know to find new layers of meaning, for instance by writing daily summaries, is the most effective. Moreover, “cultivating the habit of reflecting on ones’ experiences, of making them into a story, strengthens learning.” Essays and short answer tests are the next most effective durable learning strategies because they involve “Generation… an attempt to answer a question… before being shown the answer”, followed by practice with flash cards, reflection, and, least effective though still useful, multiple choice or true/false questions. To foster this, convert main points into questions to answer during subsequent studying rather than (or in addition to) highlighting and underling,Conventional Wisdom: Conduct pop-quizzes and high-stakes post-testing with a goal toward errorless resultsBest practice: Conduct frequent, predictable, low-stakes testing (including pre-testing)Discussion: “Trying to solve a problem before being taught the solution leads to better learning, even when errors are made in the attempt.” In fact, “making mistakes and correcting them builds the bridges to advanced learning.” In addition, frequent quizzing – especially when quizzes are announced in advance – actually reduces learner anxiety. With respect to anxiety, the peak-end rule applies; people judge experiences based on how they were at the peak and at the end. Appreciate that “errors are a natural part of learning.” “Make quizzing and practice exercises count toward the course grade, even if for very low stakes.” Set “clear learning objectives prior to each class.”Conventional Wisdom: Match instructional style to each learner’s preferenceBest practice: Match instructional style to the nature of the contentDiscussion: While people do have preferred learning styles (ex: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile), empirical research does not support the notion that learning in your preferred style leads to superior outcomes. “When instructional style matches the nature of the content, all learners learn better, regardless of their differing preferences for how the material is taught.”Conventional Wisdom: MemorizeBest practice: Extract underlying principles (aka “rule learning” and “structure building”)Discussion: “It is better to solve a problem than to memorize a solution.” “Mnemonic devise are sometimes discounted as tricks of memory, not tools that fundamentally add to learning, and in a sense this is correct. The value of mnemonics to raise intellectual abilities comes after mastery of new material.”Conventional Wisdom: Learn abstract conceptsBest practice: Learn using methods and examples that are concrete and personalDiscussion: “The kind of retrieval practice that proves most effective is one that reflects what you’ll be doing with the knowledge later. It’s not just what you know, but how you practice what you know that determines how well the learning serves you later.” Simulations and role-playing are excellent techniques. “Difficulties that don’t strengthen the skills you will need, or the kinds of challenges you are likely to encounter in the real-world application of your learning, are not desirable.” “Practice like you play, because you will play like you practice.” “Sustained deliberate practice… [is] goal-directed, often solitary, and consists of repeated striving to reach beyond your current level of performance.”Conventional Wisdom: Read without pausingBest practice: Spend 40% of time reading and 60% of time “looking up from the material and silently reciting” what it contains.Conventional Wisdom: Provide immediate feedbackBest practice: Delay feedbackDiscussion: “Delaying the feedback briefly produces better long-term learning than immediate feedback.” That said, receiving immediate corrective feedback is better than receiving no feedback at all.Conventional Wisdom: Review all concepts equallyBest practice: Disproportionately focus on the least familiar material (aka dynamic testing)Discussion: To increase frequency of practice on less familiar material without completely ignoring the most familiar material, use the Leitner box method. “Think of it as a series of four file-card boxes. In the first are the study materials… that must be practices frequently because you often make mistakes in them. In the second box are the cards you’re pretty good at, and that box gets practiced less often than the first, perhaps by half. The cards in the third box are practiced less often than those in the second box, and so on.”Conventional Wisdom: Accept that IQ is fixedBest practice: Focus on mindsetDiscussion: “Average IQs have risen over the past century with changes in living conditions… IQ is a product of genes and environment” including increased stimulation, nurturing, nutrition “One difference that matters a lot is how you see yourself and your abilities. As the maxim goes, ‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.’” Adopt a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset; “consider your expertise to be in a continuing state of development.” “Success is less dependent on IQ than on grit, curiosity, and persistence.” Knowledge is a foundational element of creativity, critical thinking, and application. “The upper limits of your performance on any cognitive or manual skill may be set by factors beyond your control, such as you intelligence and the natural limits of your ability, but most of us can learn to perform nearer to our full potential in most areas by discovering our weaknesses and working to bring them up.” “Achieving expertise in any field if particular to that field… The central idea here is that expert performance is a product of the quantity of and the quality of practice, not of genetic predisposition, and that becoming expert is not beyond the reach of normally gifted people who have the motivation, time, and discipline to pursue it.”Conventional Wisdom: Trust your own sense of masteryBest practice: Calibrate your judgmentDiscussion: “Calibration is the act of aligning your judgments of what you know and don’t know with objective feedback so as to avoid being carried off by the illusions of mastery that catch many learning by surprise at test time.”Note: This book practices what it preaches with lots and lots of repetition. The authors are up-front about that but it does get well… repetitive.

Okay, well maybe I am overstating that a little. But the main “thesis” of Peter Brown’s book – aside from being a summary of what cognitive science data shows about how we learn – is basically that many of the things we often assume about learning are wrong. Here are some of them: we learn best by reading and rereading a passage until we really understand it. WRONG! We learn best when we isolate a skill and practice it over and over again. WRONG! We all have learning styles that are the way we learn best. WRONG! IQ (or something like it) imposes relatively firm limits on how much information we can absorb. WRONG!In this pretty easy-reading book, Peter Brown summarizes some of the latest findings in cognitive science, and many of these findings contradict what is often assumed about learning. First, many k-12 and college students are taught to (and do) use the ‘reread and highlight’ method to try and absorb content. Well, while this works to an extent, it leads more to an illusion of mastery than mastery. What works better? Read the content and quiz yourself; information retrieval is the key. Retrieving helps to build stronger connections in the brain that will lock information into memory. What’s more – and this is another chapter – the harder the retrieval, the stronger your retention of what is retrieved. (So, writing a short essay recalling the concepts works better than true/false and multiple choice recall.)Another myth? While we all certainly have learning preferences (I like to receive my information in written form), that doesn’t mean we learn best when receiving information in that form (I can do as well when I receive information audibly as when it is written, even though I prefer the latter). Brown reviews literature that shows that, at least as of now, there is no evidence that shows that how one receives information substantially affects how well we learn the material (after all, hearing or reading a phone number is immaterial to what i am remembering: not the sound or sight of the number, but the number itself). But what they do find is that whether one is an “example learner” or a “rule learner” does have an impact in how well one learns. That is, those who see and practice a math problem and are able to see what the rules are behind the example and commit the rule, rather than the example, to memory will tend to learn better. Also, another factor that affects how well we learn is our mindset, whether we learn for mastery or learn for performance. Those who learn for performance – so that they can show how good they are – tend to tackle learning new things (things that might make them look bad) with trepidation, but those who learn for mastery aspire to acquire new skills openly, without regard to whether they will fail before mastering.These are just some of the lessons from this book. Whether you are a student, teacher, professor, coach, trainer, or any other professional whose job entails teaching others, this is a good book to have. (I’m a professor in a College of Education, and I definitely plan on allowing what I’ve gleaned from this book to inform my practice.) It is quite informative not only by way of learning theory, but backs up the theory with both empirics and suggestions for practice. Good one.