Medical Education Resources
We recommend that OMS-I learners read one of the first three books listed below. Additional recommended reading is also listed.
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
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To most of us, learning something “the hard way” means wasted time and effort. Good teaching, many believe, should be 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 a 10-year collaboration among some of the world’s leading experts on human learning and memory, the authors explain what really drives successful learning. With clear, real-world examples, they show how we can confidently hone our skills and learn and retain new knowledge more effectively.
Many common study habits simply don’t work. Underlining, highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. Science shows that more durable learning comes from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has occurred, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Make It Stick breaks down these proven approaches in compelling ways and offers concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners.
Full of eye-opening and inspiring stories for students, educators, and parents, Make It Stick is an indispensable guide to all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement.
Ace That Test: A Student's Guide to Learning Better
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We know students have more to learn than ever before and there is a lot of pressure to perform well on tests, demonstrating superior learning. However, common study strategies such as cramming, highlighting text, and repeated reading have little impact in the longer term. This exciting new book reveals the effective study strategies that will help you to use your time more efficiently, ace your tests, and retain information over time. In full color and accompanied by beautifully illustrated graphics, Ace That Test offers evidence-based learning strategies that students can use during their study sessions, including dual coding and the power of retrieving what they know. Including concrete examples of the ways students can use each strategy, illustrations to leverage dual coding principles of learning, and questions and activities for retrieval practice, the book covers: How to prepare your mind for learning, Making better decisions about what you study, Planning study sessions, Using visuals and words to aid understanding, Understanding concepts, Improving learning in the long run, Reading and note-taking strategies, With QR codes linking to answers to embedded questions and supplemental material, this is essential reading for college, university, and school students as well as educators teaching study skills or learning to learn courses.
Study Like a Champ: The Psychology-Based Guide to "Grade A" Study Habits
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This engaging, student-friendly book debunks major myths about studying and provides practical tips for how students can learn to study smarter, not harder. Cognitive science has revealed the hidden secrets of what really works for studying. Written by psychologists who are experts in the science of study habits, Study Like a Champ outlines clear steps students can use throughout their high school and college careers to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning. Numerous examples and self-assessments will help students of all ages apply these strategies to their own unique situations to help them create and maintain habits that foster life-long learning. Psychologists Regan A. R. Gurung and John Dunlosky are award-winning teachers and researchers who have spent years conducting studies on how students learn. Not only have they published a significant number of scientific peer-reviewed papers on the topic, but they have received national recognition as teachers.
Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide
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Educational practice does not, for the most part, rely on research findings. Instead, there's a preference for relying on our intuitions about what's best for learning. But relying on intuition may be a bad idea for teachers and learners alike. This accessible guide helps teachers to integrate effective, research-backed strategies for learning into their classroom practice. The book explores exactly what constitutes good evidence for effective learning and teaching strategies, how to make evidence-based judgments instead of relying on intuition, and how to apply findings from cognitive psychology directly to the classroom. Including real-life examples and case studies, FAQs, and a wealth of engaging illustrations to explain complex concepts and emphasize key points, the book is divided into four parts: Evidence-based education and the science of learning Basics of human cognitive processes Strategies for effective learning Tips for students, teachers, and parents. Written by "The Learning Scientists" and fully illustrated by Oliver Caviglioli, Understanding How We Learn is a rejuvenating and fresh examination of cognitive psychology's application to education. This is an essential read for all teachers and educational practitioners, designed to convey the concepts of research to the reality of a teacher's classroom.
How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
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How to Read a Book, originally published in 1940, has become a rare phenomenon, a living classic. It is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. And now it has been completely rewritten and updated. You are told about the various levels of reading and how to achieve them -- from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading, you learn how to pigeonhole a book, X-ray it, extract the author's message, criticize. You are taught the different reading techniques for reading practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science. Finally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests whereby you can measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension and speed.
Email somas@uiwtx.edu
Or contact:
Ms. Venesa G. Matthews, Learning Specialist
Dr. Sarah A. Lang, Director of Academic Support
Ep. 19 of The Learning Scientists Podcast:
Effective Studying in Medical School
Ep. 30 of The Learning Scientists Podcast:
Learning and Applying Medical Knowledge
Ep. 70 of the Learning Scientists Podcast: