Gurung shares secrets of learning

Psychology Prof. Regan A.R. Gurung of Human Development contributed a guest column to the Green Bay Press-Gazette this week. It offers hints on learning (as opposed to “cramming”) for students returning to school. He shares the latest thinking from cognitive science research, including three key suggestions: Start early and return to the material on multiple occasions; test yourself regularly (think of it as “practice retrieval” and not testing); and use “deep processing” to translate the material into your own words and custom create examples applicable to your own life. It also helps to have the mindset you can make yourself “smarter” by exercising your brain. Because you can.