About This Episode

Season 8. Episode 9.

Podcasts, audiobooks, online courses, newsletters, and social media have made it possible to learn almost anywhere. But how much of what we consume actually sticks?

Cognitive psychologist Dr. Daniel Willingham joins Education Insight to examine the difference between feeling informed and actually learning. From listening while multitasking to the booming industry built around self-improvement, we explore what happens when learning becomes as easy as pressing play, and what it really takes to understand, remember, and use what we learn.

Featured Guests

Dr. Daniel Willingham

 Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia

Biography

Daniel Willingham is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, where he has taught since 1992. Until about 2000, his research focused solely on the brain basis of learning and memory. Today, all of his research concerns the application of cognitive psychology to K-16 education.

He is the author of several books, including the best-selling Why Don’t Students Like School?, and most recently, Outsmart Your Brain. His writing on education has appeared in twenty-three languages.

In 2017 he was appointed by President Obama to serve as a Member of the National Board for Education Sciences.