Study Smart Index

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Ready, set, study! 

Learn faster, study smarter, and build durable, long-term learning based on the fundamentals of learning science. These are proven techniques that can make a real difference in class, in study hall, and on your college entrance exam.

 

For Instructors

When Practice Does Not Make Perfect

We’ve all heard the old adage, “practice makes perfect.”...

By Saskia Giebl, Ph.D.(c)

• Spacing & Mixing

From Students to Students: How To Master College…

ZEYNEP GUNGOR was born in Turkey and studied at a German...

By Lasting Learning

Nate Kornell, Ph.D.

The Lesson a Kid Taught Her Dad about Doing Homework

Tweak the way you do math homework. You’ll learn more and be...

By Nate Kornell, Ph.D.

• Spacing & Mixing

A Better Way to Practice Piano (or Any Instrument)

One of the most common ways to practice music hurts...

By Nate Kornell, Ph.D.

• Spacing & Mixing

Itzhak Pearlman on Practicing

Why we love this – the video highlights the misconception...

By Lasting Learning

Ineffective Techniques

Handwriting vs. Typing

Can Handwriting Make You Smarter? Watch this video produced...

By Lasting Learning

• Spacing & Mixing

Interleaved Practice

Suppose you want to improve your golf game—say, driving...

By Doug Rohrer

• Spacing & Mixing

Get More Bang for Your Buck

Many of the study techniques that people use might feel...

By Katherine Rawson, Ph.D.

For Instructors

Tricks To Retain Studied Information, Part I

Dr. Jennifer McCabe (Goucher College) shares a very useful...

By Jennifer McCabe, Ph.D.

For Instructors

Tricks To Retain Studied Information, Part II

In this second installment of Tricks to Retain Studied...

By Jennifer McCabe, Ph.D.

• Spacing & Mixing

Spacing Study Sessions

In this video, Dr. Sean Kang (Dartmouth College) talks...

By Sean Kang, Ph.D.

For Instructors

The Problem with Highlighting

Highlighting is a prevalent study technique among...

By Katherine Rawson, Ph.D.

For Instructors

The Power of Testing

Dr. Robert Bjork (UCLA) discusses how testing does much...

By Robert Bjork, Ph.D.

For Instructors

A Guide to “tests that are worth taking”

What are “tests that are worth...

By Lasting Learning

For Instructors

Overcoming Illusions of Competence

Students often report re-reading as their primary study...

By Elizabeth Bjork, Ph.D.

For Instructors

The Myth of Individual Learning Styles

We have all heard people claim to be “visual...

By Robert Bjork, Ph.D.

Nate Kornell, Ph.D.

Why Does Retrieval Practice Enhance Learning? It’s All About Trying

This article was originally published in Psychology...

By Nate Kornell, Ph.D.

Mastery

Take the Path of MORE Resistance

Desirable Difficulties: Taking the Path of MORE Resistance...

By Nicholas Soderstrom, Ph.D.

About the Author

Lasting Learning was created to bring together the world’s foremost learning scientists with a focus on providing information about the best ways to enhance long-term retention of knowledge and skills across the lifespan. Our goal is to be a valuable and trusted resource for students, teachers, parents, athletes, coaches and anyone else who wants to learn the best ways to learn.

Our Story

In 2015, Cameron Broumand, an entrepreneur and father of three living in Los Angeles, stumbled upon a media article on the science of learning. After reading the piece, he realized that the valuable research findings in cognitive psychology and the learning sciences were almost entirely unknown to the public and, more surprisingly, to teachers. How could this be?! Broumand decided to find out, so he called Dr. Robert Bjork, a distinguished research professor at UCLA and one of the world’s leading experts in human learning and memory. After an insightful conversation with Dr. Bjork about the disconnect between research and practice, Broumand recognized an opportunity to improve our educational system. Shortly thereafter, he—along with Clement Mok, an award-winning designer and digital pioneer—founded the company, Lasting Learning. The goal of the company? To provide information to the public about how the science of learning can help transform and improve the way people teach and learn. Broumand asked learning scientists, Dr. Nick Soderstrom and Saskia Giebl, M.Sc. (both of whom were in Bjork’s lab at the time), to join the team. They happily agreed and, with the help of Carri O’Neill, have been giving talks, workshops, and webinars around the country ever since. The UCLA-Lasting Learning team has had the privilege to talk with thousands of teachers, coaches, parents, students, and athletes about how they can leverage the science of learning to enhance their educational practices. We look forward to talking with many more!