Successful Learning Simplified

Being smart helps. Working hard helps more. But working effectively helps most of all.

There's a great deal that research can now tell us about how to study effectively. For 20 years, I've been reporting on research into memory and learning, and explaining how these findings can be translated into practical advice. In earlier books, I have presented a lot of detail on strategies in specific areas: note-taking, mnemonics, practice and revision. In this guide, I attempt to provide an overview of how to approach your learning, and the strategies you should consider using.

The book covers:

• preparing for learning


• approaching a text


• reading


• taking notes


• building understanding


• navigating non-linear environments


• dealing with lectures


• memorizing


• revising


• building expertise in skills


• how specific subjects differ in their needs & demands.

The book can be used as an adjunct and quick reference for those who have the more in-depth workbooks, or as a simplified guide for those who want the bottom-line without the detail.

This is not a book for students who want a magic bullet, who want a five-minute 'answer' to effortless study! But for students who want to know that their time and effort are being used wisely, that their diligence will be rewarded with better marks and more long-lasting learning, this guide may be the answer they've long been looking for.