The Power of Constructive Feedback in Learning

What do schools do well and not so well? In what contexts is memorization most effective? What's the value in teaching something that will probably be forgotten by most students after graduation? How should educators balance time spent on building skills versus acquiring knowledge? Why do students so often fail to apply the skills learned in school (e.g., fractions, solving for unknown quantities, etc.) to problems encountered in everyday life? What is "transfer of learning"? What is educational "directness"? How can we learn languages more efficiently? How does review compare to other forms of study or exam prep? How can we forget less of what we read? Is it really true that "practice makes perfect"? How can we best set ourselves up emotionally for optimal learning? What should people do when they hit plateaus in their learning?

Scott H. Young is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Ultralearning, a podcast host, computer programmer, and an avid reader. Since 2006, he has published weekly essays to help people learn and think better. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Pocket, and Business Insider, on the BBC, and at TEDx among other outlets. He doesn't promise to have all the answers, just a place to start. He lives in Vancouver, Canada. Follow him on Twitter at @scotthyoung, email him at personal@scotthyoung.com, or read his blog posts on his website, scotthyoung.com/blog.

Further reading

• Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career, by Scott Young

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