Grasp, Sanjay Sarma
Grasp, Sanjay Sarma
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Grasp
The Science Transforming How We Learn

Author: Sanjay Sarma, Luke Yoquinto

Narrator: Neil Shah

Unabridged: 12 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/18/2020


Synopsis

A groundbreaking look at the science of learning: how it works both in the mind and in the classroom, which teaching techniques are most effective, and how schools should (and absolutely should not) use instructional technology. This is an essential resource for teachers, anyone interested in cutting-edge research into learning, and parents considering the educational alternatives available to their children.

As the head of Open Learning at MIT, renowned professor Sanjay Sarma has a daunting job description: to fling open the doors of the MIT experience for the benefit of the wider world. But if you're going to undertake such an ambitious project, you first have to ask: How do we learn?  What are the most effective ways of educating? And how can the science of learning transform education to unlock our potential, as individuals and across society?

Grasp takes readers across multiple frontiers, from fundamental neuroscience to cognitive psychology and beyond, as it explores the future of learning. Some of its findings:

• For educators teaching remotely, online instructional tools have been proven to be a powerful ally when used appropriately—and a dangerous impediment when misapplied.
• By structuring its curriculum to better incorporate cutting-edge learning strategies, one law school in Florida has rocketed to the top of its state in bar exam passage rates.
• Scientists are studying the role of forgetting, exposing it not as a simple failure of memory but a critical weapon in our learning arsenal.
• New developments in neuroimaging are helping us understand how reading works in the brain. It's become possible to identify children who might benefit from specialized dyslexia interventions—before they learn to read.

Along the way, Sarma debunks long-held fallacies (such as the noxious idea of "learning styles"), while equipping readers with a set of practical tools for absorbing and retaining information across a lifetime. He presents a vision for learning that's more inclusive and democratic—revealing a world bursting with powerful learners, just waiting for the chance they deserve.

Drawing from the author's experience as an educator and the work of researchers and educational innovators at MIT and beyond, Grasp offers scientific and practical insight, promising not just to inform and entertain readers but to open their minds.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Amanda on September 12, 2020

I didn't like this one and pushed to finish it because it's on hold for another patron at the library. I think I was hoping for a different book. I was hoping to learn more about learning and didn't really get what I wanted out of it. I read this book for fun. The book focuses more on a bunch of educ......more

Goodreads review by Alien on January 14, 2024

This book was not what I was expecting. The ambiguous title is slightly misleading. This book is not about the science of learning, but about the history of modern education and how technology can improve it. If you want to learn about the science of learning - I recommend you skip this book and g......more

Goodreads review by Cristie on August 17, 2020

This book was fascinating, especially how students can be identified as needing assistance with reading without ever having read before due to neuroimaging. I also thought the idea of flip classrooms was interesting. This book should be required reading for all educators and I will be recommending i......more

Goodreads review by Zack on November 07, 2020

Everyone has some experience with the central concepts of Grasp, though almost certainly in a piecemeal fashion. We've had some school, read some articles, heard about Pavlov, and tried to learn Spanish that one time. What this book does is fill in the gaps with questions you didn't realize you had,......more

Goodreads review by Seyed Ehsan on December 27, 2024

Summary of Grasp by Sanjay Sarma: A Comprehensive Look at Learning and Thinking Better The book Grasp by Sanjay Sarma and Luke Yoquinto is a fascinating and enlightening work on learning, how the mind works, and how to optimize the processes of thinking. In the summary of Grasp by Sanjay Sarma, the a......more


Quotes

Grasp is an absolute pleasure to read...An important contribution to the literature on learning science and higher education change...Grasp can provide the foundations of what learning-science-informed teaching might look like, with some fantastic real-world examples.”
Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

“Compelling...Delightful as well as convincing in its plea that educators place learning over winnowing and access over exclusivity.”
Kirkus (starred review)

“A remarkable book, both lively and scholarly. I strongly recommend it for anyone interested in the history of ideas about learning and who is interested in improving teaching and learning.”
Henry L. Roediger, III, coauthor of Make it Stick

“An amazing book...The authors provide an overview of the neural and cognitive processes that support learning…They make a convincing case that students have an amazing capacity to learn.”
Robert A. Bjork, Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology, UCLA

“Sarma's book may be the most important work on education written this century.”
—Chris Edwards, The Skeptic