Learn Better: The New Science of Learning to Learn
A science-based course on learning better, whatever your life stage.
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GET THE SKILL OF LEARNING TO LEARN
In this engrossing class, best-selling author and researcher Ulrich Boser maps out the new science of learning, showing how simple techniques like self-questioning can help you gain expertise in dramatically better ways.
You will learn:
- the process of learning, from finding motivation to reviewing key ideas
- how to become an expert in any field using faster and more effective strategies
- research-backed ways to improve your skills and knowledge
The class is based on Boser's book, Learn Better, which Amazon called “the best science book of the year.” NPR created an online quiz based on his work, while Business Insider called Learn Better one of “the best books for getting a job.”
Included in the course
Many practical tools and tips including:
- dozens of downloadable videos
- worksheets that improve your learning
- quizzes, how-to guides, and other extras
Expert interviews with leading researchers and experts including:
- Ken Koedinger, Carnegie Mellon
- Paul Rivas, Rivas Study Skills and Coaching
- Pooja Agarwal, Berklee College of Music
- Winsome Waite, The Alliance for Excellent Education
The Learning Agency Lab, an education nonprofit, is hosting the course.
REVIEWS AND EXCERPTS
Slate ran a lengthy excerpt from Learn Better, featuring Ulrich and his science-based approach to getting better at basketball.
Learn Better book was featured in this piece in the Atlantic, which outlines many of the course's main ideas.
For a quick summary of the online class, read this piece in Fast Company where Ulrich Boser shares his insights on the popular myths about learning.
In this Vox report, Ulrich Boser's details on the importance of testing in class. The text is adapted from the book and associated online course.
Find out the benefits of forgetting in this New York Times piece by Ulrich Boser. This article builds one of the messages of Learn Better: forgetting can be good for you.
"Learning makes us human, yet few of us truly understand how the brain, the heart, and the body work together to create new knowledge. Learn Better pulls back the curtain on the hidden ways we are wired for learning, in ways that are alternately humorous, surprising, and profound."
- Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
"Brimming with helpful insights and interesting stories, this surprising and engaging new book provides an important, much-needed introduction to the science of learning. It belongs on the bookshelf of every learner.”
- Linda Darling-Hammond, President of the Learning Policy Institute and Charles E. Ducommon Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University
Ratings: ★★★★★
"Ulrich Boser creates a framework for learning that promises to provided effective, meaningful learning experiences for kids. He mixes story[ing] telling with research to construct a clear path for educators and administrators to emulate."
- Erin M., Director at Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC
Ratings: ★★★★★
"This book discussed not only academic research into learning, but offered practical advice to improve one's learning process. I can highly recommend this book for anyone who is a teacher, a parent, or who just wants to learn things better and faster."
- K. C. Scarpinatto, Research Programmer at Carnegie Mellon University
Ratings: ★★★★★
"I'm often wondering about the best ways to teach myself things and to help my kids learn. This book, "Learn Better," draws on the latest science to debunk myths and shine a light on smarter approaches. It reads like a long-form magazine story, or something you'd find on Slate or Vox - it pulls facts and insights out of a mountain of research, but it's written in an easygoing style. The author meets up with social scientists who explain the work they're doing, and they relate it to people's everyday lives. I came away with some good ideas, and it's also just gotten me thinking more about how I think. (Incidentally, I learned from the book that this is called "metacognition"... I feel smarter already... Ha!)"
- D. McDowell, Nashville, Tennessee
Your Instructor
Ulrich Boser is a best-selling author and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He is also the founder of the Learning Agency. His research and writing have been featured everywhere from “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” to the front page of USA Today. Before that, he worked as a contributing reporter at U.S. News & World Report.