Make it Stick: A review

Over the last few blog posts, we’ve been looking at some misconceptions about learning as well as some evidence-based strategies that support learning. Much of what we’ve discussed has come from a book called Make it Stick. One of the interesting things about this book, is that the authors attempted to use the strategies they were discussing in how they laid out information for the reader. This is a harder task than you might think because it requires incorporating techniques in the early parts of the book that have not yet been explained. Overall, I believe the authors did a good job of this, especially for their key themes. There are smaller details about learning that were not woven throughout though. Let’s take a look at how the structure of Make it Stick reflected the learning techniques…

What they did well

• Almost every new idea was introduced by a real world story. However, rather than state the idea and use the story as an example, the authors started with each story on its own. In so doing, the reader has an opportunity to imagine for themselves what the key lessons might be. This is a form of generation. This approach also allows the reader to connect the story to everything they have already learned before introducing a new concept.
• One of the key techniques in the book is the idea of interleaving, or mixing up what you’re learning. This is something I believe the authors did very well as they would introduce a new technique and then revisit a previous one. For example, in chapter five, after a section on the illusions that can trip us up when learning something, the authors give an example of football players avoiding intuition by using mixed practice led by a coach. The very next page then goes back to talking about testing, a strategy that was introduced much earlier. In this case though, the authors elaborate on the value of testing, not just as a learning strategy, but also as a way to calibrate your own judgement of your learning progress.

Opportunities for more

• While the key ideas of spaced recall, interleaving, elaboration and generation were reinforced well, there were other ideas that took a backseat. In chapter six, for example, the idea of dynamic testing is introduced. With half the book left, it was not mentioned again. (Or if it was, it didn’t stand out enough for me to register!) While testing as a whole was referenced many times throughout, this particular type of testing fell by the wayside. The authors could have actually given the reader a test at the beginning of the book, again when dynamic testing was discussed and again at the end
• While I believe most of the other techniques recommended in the book were well utilized throughout, I would also have preferred to see more details about the neuroscience behind why they work. To be fair to the authors, some of the why still requires more research and some of it was referenced in the very large suggested additional reading. That said, as a change professional, understanding the details of neuroplasticity is a subject where I always want to see more and newer information.

Overall, I give Make it Stick a big thumbs up. It was an easy and engaging read that left me feeling inspired and more confident in my own training designs. It also gave me some beautiful nuggets to share with my niece who is still working her way through school. I recommend it for teachers, parents, students and anyone who considers themselves a lifetime learner.

Brown, P. C., Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.