Book Review: Teach Yourself How to Learn

Teach Yourself How to Learn. By Saundra Yancy McGuire with Stephanie McGuire. 2018. Stylus Publishing ISBN-13: 978–1620367568

It wasn't until I encountered this book, Teach Yourself How to Learn, that I realized I was never taught how to learn. As a student who just entered college, I was overwhelmed by the heavy coursework load. The learning objectives listed on the syllabus showed a high expectation from the instructor. With so much I need to memorize, learn, and master, I felt like a man knowing a destination to go to, but having no map for guidance. I am fortunate that the professor of my introductory food science and human nutrition course shared this book during class when I was a struggling first semester freshman – for it changed my academic experience in college entirely. After reading the book and practicing many of the suggested strategies for a month, I scored a 100% on my chemistry test, while my best score prior to that was a B-!

Teach Yourself How to Learn was written by Saundra Yancy McGuire with Stephanie McGuire. Dr. McGuire is the Director Emerita of the Louisiana State University Center for Academic Success and a retired Professor of Chemistry at LSU. As an educator, the workshops Dr. McGuire conducted were acclaimed for improving student's learning dramatically over the past three decades. Aggregating her empirical experiences from helping students, as well as her evidence-based learning knowledge, Dr. McGuire shares with her readers strategies to enhance academic performance and even how to learn deeply and effectively for a lifetime.

The book contains two major parts - practical learning strategies and psychological motivation of learning. I love how Dr. McGuire starts with a scenario that vividly depicted me after my first midterm exam: a student receiving a much lower grade than expected, who then starts to sit further back in the classroom. Dr. McGuire points out that the student is not able to use metacognition, a term coined by John H. Flavell (1976), the foundation of her learning strategies. Defined as the ability to think about one's own thinking process, metacognition empowers a passive student to become a proactive problem solver. An active learner seeks solutions to the problems they encounter, instead of relying on other people's answers. For example, a metacognitive student focuses on the process of applying concepts and solving problems on practice exams, instead of memorizing procedures required for each problem. In other words, thinking and learning are processes that a student can monitor, plan, and control.

Dr. McGuire proposes that the journey to metacognition is paved by Bloom's Taxonomy. Ascending from shallow learning to deep learning, Bloom's Taxonomy is marked by six cognitive steps – remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Take the example of me studying High Temperature Short Time (HTST) Pasteurization. If I'm at the level of remembering, I would memorize the definition of HTST. When I am understanding, I can paraphrase the definition in my own words and explain the concepts underlying HTST to other people. The ability to apply, using knowledge to solve problems, means that I can apply the HTST concepts I have learned to the pasteurization of milk. To analyze, I will break the concept into its constituent parts, such as analyzing the functions of each section of the HTST equipment and how each section contributes to the overall goals of producing a pasteurized product. Evaluating is to judge whether HTST is an effective and efficient method for processing different type of food materials. At the final level, creating, I will come up with my own ideas about how to solve different kinds of food pasteurization problems.

The discussion on Bloom's Taxonomy enlightened me, showing me that I was constantly at the level of remembering and understanding, while many instructors expected me to be able to apply and analyze. To employ the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, Dr. McGuire introduces the study cycle, which is comprised of five sequential steps involved in real studying and learning – preview, attend, review, study, and assess. The study cycle is the core of the learning strategies and has greatly enhanced my academic performance since I started to practice it two years ago. Preview, the first step, is to skim the chapter, review the chapter summary, and note the questions to be answered during lectures. It gives me a big picture view of the important concepts I will encounter in class and facilitates my understanding of those concepts. The second step is to attend class, during which a student should take meaningful notes and ask questions. The next step is to review. Dr. McGuire recommends a simple, but highly effective way of reviewing: as soon as possible after class ends, a student should review the notes and try to explain the material to himself or herself. In doing so, the student enhances their memory of what happened during class. Studying is the fourth step in the study cycle. Dr. McGuire suggests using the intense study session, which allows students to divide their work into smaller chunks. An intense study session lasts 50 to 60 min and is comprised of four parts: set specific goals, do active learning tasks, take a break, and review. This learning method has been effective for me and helps me concentrate when studying. Assessing, the last step of the studying cycle, is to evaluate whether the student is using effective methods and whether the student has learned well enough to teach the material to others. In addition, Dr. McGuire introduces a number of metacognitive learning strategies, including reading actively, using the textbook, taking notes by hand, doing homework effectively, teaching material to an audience, working in groups, and creating practice exams.

In addition to the practical strategies, Dr. McGuire also discusses the psychological factors that empower learning. She points out that mindset determines the level of effort and expectations we have for ourselves, thereby playing an important role in learning. A person with a fixed mindset, for example, avoids challenges, finds others’ success threatening, and believes in innate ability for intelligence. A person with a growth mindset embraces challenges, is inspired by the success of others, and learns through hard work and feedback from others. This chapter of the book helped me to see that I have always been a person with a fixed mindset. I am thankful that the strategies it provides converted me to embrace a growth mindset, which has motivated me to pursue higher-level achievements.

One additional factor I enjoyed about the book is Dr. McGuire's writing style. Though the author discusses some theoretical concepts, the book is written without jargon. Those concepts are easy to understand and the strategies she provides are highly practical. Dr. McGuire also employs many real-life examples throughout the book from the experience of her students, which I find very relatable and inspiring.

Overall, Teach Yourself How to Learn is a must-read for all students at any levels. It encouraged me to be an active, enthusiastic learner, who enjoys learning and overcoming challenges. It is also beneficial for instructors1 who will gain a better understanding of the obstacles students face in their learning experiences and can advise students accordingly.