What an awesome read! As a teacher, I found this book to be informative, inspiring and helpful during a time when it seems impossible to motivate students and help them learn. The students I work with would not read this on their own - not at fault of the book or the author - but simply because they just don't read. If it was a book I'd assign as a required read, I'd be concerned with the lack of true concrete "steps" students can take to advance their learning. The evidence is solid, ideas are great but younger students would require a lot more specific guidance in order to implement some of these suggestions.

However, I would love to implement some of these things in my own classroom and look forward to be able to access this book in print so that I can really dive into and come up with curricular ideas. I appreciate the evidence-based content, as in education, in order to implement new ideas or new ways of doing things, we must be able to "defend" our actions. Thanks so much for this wonderful, helpful text!

I recommend this book to everyone. Most self-help books feel scattered and often repetitive. But this book is well lined out with useful information.

This book is really fantastic!! I really wish it was around when I was in school! Willingham is a professor and an excellent writer. His insights from that perspective are so informative and very helpful to read from a student's perspective. He also provides guidance for his fellow instructors. The advice he gives throughout the book is both engaging and very helpful. While much of it isn't necessarily new, the additional insights and his unique framing make them resonate more. He tries to help all kinds of students and is also up to date on relevant research of the tips he provides. As organization and planning is a large emphasis in the book, I unsurprisingly found that the book was also organized very well and intuitively, in a manner that actually makes it easier to remember the information learned throughout. While I do enjoy reading this genre immensely,I found Willingham's book to be hard to put down as it maintains interesting content in a manner that keeps the reader constantly engaged. Fantastic book and especially great for students!

If you think this is just another “how-to” book, you would be wrong. Too bad this book wasn’t around when I was a struggling student of any age. I could have benefited from Tip 50--If you can’t remember a fact, such as listing the names of animals, try using themes, such as animals on a farm, in Australia, circus animals. Or Tip 23--Consider note taking to be a team sport. Working with a group of students or even just one other person can keep you on track, expand on ideas, pick up things you left out. I found Chapter 8, How to Take Tests, a chapter I could have used in my day and Chapter 9, How to Learn from Past Exams, a definite help. There may be some tips and discussions you may have heard before but it only helps to hear them again and again and in new ways. The author expands on all his topics and tips which adds a great deal to understanding his suggestions. Wonderful book to use in any learning situation.

Five stars for this well-written, easy-to-understand book with clear, concise, comprehensive instructions on how to be an effective learner. I found the sections on preparing for and taking notes during lectures the most helpful. As a result, I became a better listener and took fewer (but better) notes that were more useful when it came to preparing for the exam. I also followed the study suggestions that became less onerous as they became more habitual. I was less interested in why these techniques worked, so I was glad the author gave just enough information about the brain to convince me the techniques would work. As an adult learner returning to school for graduate level science classes, I needed all the help I could get, so I used many of the techniques set out in this book. As a result, I not only answered all of the midterm questions correctly, I also got all of the bonus questions right.

This book is very user friendly! I learned a few things about my own habits that might not be the most productive in terms of getting results. The sections on highlighting and reading difficult books was very interesting! This would be a valuable tool for students to assess their own study habits/skills and try to develop stronger strategies. It would also be interesting to have educators review this work with students to help support learning. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A quick, student-friendly review of many evidence-based strategies and tactics for creating lasting memories and succeeding in college. For the most part, the recommendations are grounded strongly in relevant cognitive and motivational science, but at times advice is vague and not supported by concrete examples, but Outsmart Your Brain is an excellent first read for students interested in learning more about how to learn, stay motivated, and be productive in higher education settings.

As a high school counselor and someone who sees kids struggling regularly, this is an excellent book that all students should read prior to pursuing higher education. There are real world problems and strategies, often broken into bite-sized solutions, to help students find their groove.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All of the opinions given are my own and have been given nothing for my review.