The best books on the science of learning

Stephen M. Kosslyn Author Of Active Learning Online: Five Principles that Make Online Courses Come Alive
By Stephen M. Kosslyn

Who am I?

Stephen M. Kosslyn has been immersed in the world of learning for decades. He is the founder of Active Learning Sciences, Inc., and is Chief Academic Officer of Foundry College. Kosslyn's research has focused on the nature of visual cognition, visual communication, and the science of learning; he has published 14 books and over 350 papers on these topics. He has received numerous honors, including the National Academy of Sciences Initiatives in Research Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three honorary Doctorates, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.


I wrote...

Active Learning Online: Five Principles that Make Online Courses Come Alive

By Stephen M. Kosslyn,

Book cover of Active Learning Online: Five Principles that Make Online Courses Come Alive

What is my book about?

Inspired by the surge of online courses during the COVID 19 pandemic, researcher and educational innovator Stephen M. Kosslyn offers a treasure trove of active learning principles and activities to bring online courses alive. Whether your course is synchronous (e.g., live with Zoom) or asynchronous (e.g., using video content on Canvas), Active Learning Online will inject your new or existing course with all the benefits of active learning: your course will be more interesting and effective, student engagement will increase, learning outcomes will be reached, and general teaching and learning experiences will be enriched.

At the heart of this book are five key principles from the science of learning that will help to ensure that the taught materials stick in students’ minds: (1) deep processing, (2) chunking, (3) building associations, (4) dual coding, and (5) deliberate practice. Based on these learning principles,
Active Learning Online provides a wealth of specific active learning exercises that you can implement in your classes immediately. 

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career

Why did I love this book?

This book is a creative and accurate description of how to use scientifically developed principles to help yourself learn effectively. The author vividly shows that he "eats his own dogfood" and reports his compelling personal experiences that buttress the science. Moreover, the book is well written and tightly organized. If you want to help yourself to learn more effectively, this is the first book I would consult.

By Scott Young,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ultralearning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

En un mundo en constante evolución, es imprescindible adquirir sin cesar nuevos conocimientos y habilidades en el trabajo y en cualquier aspecto de nuestra vida.

Ultralearning te descubrirá cómo aprender de una forma rápida y efectiva.

¿Quieres cambiar de trabajo o impulsar tu carrera? Ultralearning te ofrece la estrategia para dominar las habilidades que te permitirán ampliar tus horizontes profesionales.

¿Qué cosas siempre has querido hacer pero el miedo te lo ha impedido? ¿Te imaginas que finalmente pudieras hablar inglés, tocar la guitarra, dibujar, hablar en público o programar?

Con la estrategia correcta, puedes aprender rápidamente cualquier cosa y adquirir…


Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

By Peter Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel

Book cover of Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

Why did I love this book?

If you want a review of the most fundamental scientific discoveries on how people learn, this is a great place to start. It not only provides clear summaries of the science, but also provides a host of detailed real-world illustrations of how the science can be rooted in a wide-range of applications.

By Peter Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Make It Stick as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

To most of us, learning something "the hard way" implies wasted time and effort. Good teaching, we believe, should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines, the authors offer concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners.

Memory plays a central role in our ability to carry out complex cognitive tasks, such as applying knowledge to problems never before encountered and drawing inferences from facts already known. New insights…


Book cover of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Why did I love this book?

The author immersed himself in the world of memory experts and describes how he went from (metaphorical) memory rags to memory riches – eventually winning a prestigious memory contest. This book takes the mystery out of how to learn vast bodies of information; Foer describes learning devices that anyone can use to put their memory on steroids.

By Joshua Foer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Moonwalking with Einstein as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, Joshua Foer's part-memoir, part-guide on mastering your memory. Read by Mike Chamberlain.

On average, people squander forty days annually trying to remember things they've forgotten. Joshua Foer used to be one of those people. But after a year of training, he found himself in the finals of the U.S. Memory Championship. He also discovered a truth we too often forget: In every way, we are the sum of our memories.

In Moonwalking with Einstein Foer draws on cutting-edge research, the cultural history of memory…


Thinking, Fast and Slow

By Daniel Kahneman,

Book cover of Thinking, Fast and Slow

Why did I love this book?

Technically speaking, this book doesn’t really belong on this list because it doesn’t focus on learning per se. Rather, it mostly addresses fundamental principles that underlie how people reason and make decisions. However, many of these principles draw on the results of learning (for example, of representative or easily recalled events), and the book nicely lays out ways that learning is important in a wide range of mental functions. Plus it is flat-out brilliant and very well written.

By Daniel Kahneman,

Why should I read it?

37 authors picked Thinking, Fast and Slow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The phenomenal international bestseller - 2 million copies sold - that will change the way you make decisions

'A lifetime's worth of wisdom' Steven D. Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics
'There have been many good books on human rationality and irrationality, but only one masterpiece. That masterpiece is Thinking, Fast and Slow' Financial Times

Why is there more chance we'll believe something if it's in a bold type face? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent? The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast,…


Book cover of Stikky Night Skies: Learn 6 Constellations, 4 Stars, A Planet, A Galaxy, And How To Navigate At Night

Why did I love this book?

I've bought this book at least a half-dozen times, giving it as a gift to friends who have kids in middle school or who are interested in how principles of learning can be applied in clever ways. This book is elegant in concept and design, and is one of a series of books Holt wrote that use similar applications of the science of learning to teach readers a set of interesting facts in a way that is almost effortless and a lot of fun.

By Laurence Holt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stikky Night Skies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Read this book if you want to.... surprise your friends . charm a date . delight your children . become an astronomy enthusiast . navigate in a survival situation . take your first steps to discovering our place in the universe. Stikky Night Skies uses a unique learning method to bring a fascinating topic to anyone with an hour to spare. We spent hundreds of hours with dozens of readers testing and refining it to be sure it will work for you.Includes a comprehensive Next Steps section with guides to the top 12 night sky objects, stargazing equipment, observatories, clubs,…


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