Education

Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn

Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn

  • Downloads：9512
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-05 09:54:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sanjay Sarma
  • ISBN：0385541821
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

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。

Download

Reviews

Cooper Goodman ，

After browsing the reviews of this book there are a couple of things I would like to address。 Firstly， there seems to be an abundance of animosity towards the author's usage of self-referential or institutionally affiliated case studies。 In my opinion， while the content of the book could benefit from a more comprehensive review of modern pedagogical case studies， it should not dissuade you from engaging with the undergirding arguments， historical analysis， and illuminating content made digestibl After browsing the reviews of this book there are a couple of things I would like to address。 Firstly， there seems to be an abundance of animosity towards the author's usage of self-referential or institutionally affiliated case studies。 In my opinion， while the content of the book could benefit from a more comprehensive review of modern pedagogical case studies， it should not dissuade you from engaging with the undergirding arguments， historical analysis， and illuminating content made digestible through the personalized narrative of the author。 To expound the point， in perhaps an overly exuberant comparison， would the works of Fredrick Douglass be more influential if they did not center on personal experiences and observations？ I think not。 In summary， do not let the reactionary nay-saying prevent you from engaging with the worthwhile content that this book makes available to a broad audience。 Although， perhaps I'm just more adept than most at navigating institutional cool-aid and grasping the important concepts that hide beneath。 Secondly， there appear to be accusations that perplexingly call for the simultaneous addition of academic rigor and the reduction of cognitive complexity。 In my account， there are a plethora of keywords and references made available throughout the book which an interested reader could utilize to further explore the pedagogical literature。 Additionally， it seems the book was written in light of the "Desirable Difficulty" concept that is explained in one of the chapters。 Specifically， I believe the book's goal was to serve as a warm introduction to the key concepts， historical contingencies， and technological advancements of contemporary pedagogical practice， which is surely not an easy task to undertake。 In my opinion， for those reportedly left wanting more depth， the operation of searching for a serviceable replacement would be made easier by the aforementioned broad coverage of the pedagogical history and literature。Overall， this book introduced me to questions I didn't know I wanted the answers to and brought me incrementally "up to speed" with the history， contemporary application， and possible directions of future pedagogical practice。 Admittedly， I have much more distance to go and am in no sense an expert， but my curiosity about curiosity has been inevitably piqued。 P。S。 The negative example of early 20th century Urban Planning is entirely deserved， however， the author failed to make the distinction between the ontological differences of post-rational planning paradigms （advocacy and radical planning） when using the profession as an example。 As such， the analogies Sarma makes using "city planning or planners" as examples of top-down administrators does not quite match the qualitative and equity-focused lense that contemporary planners utilize。 。。。more

Leah Guesman ，

This was extremely interesting because I could relate my own learning experiences to things he talked about， I learned specific techniques to improve my learning， and I discovered so much about education and child development。 It made me even more curious about education systems and inspired me to be more deliberate in my own learning。 He also references a lot of good books for further reading。 This was great because he touches on a lot of different topics that it would be interesting to go deep This was extremely interesting because I could relate my own learning experiences to things he talked about， I learned specific techniques to improve my learning， and I discovered so much about education and child development。 It made me even more curious about education systems and inspired me to be more deliberate in my own learning。 He also references a lot of good books for further reading。 This was great because he touches on a lot of different topics that it would be interesting to go deeper with。 I definitely worked smarter after reading this book and had a far more productive and far less stressed semester。 。。。more

KayLee Morissette ，

Make sure to take your time when reading his book because it … actively requires you to think and pay attention and use recall - at least for me， where almost all of the concepts were brand new to me。

Kate ，

This could be better subtitled， "A Summary of All MIT's Research。" This could be better subtitled， "A Summary of All MIT's Research。" 。。。more

Steve Wilhite ，

This is a sprawling book， covering the history of modern education， the neuroscience of learning， and advancements and innovations in learning and education over the last couple of decades。 Professor Sarma's commentary and exhaustive research makes it well worth the investment of time and deep contemplation。 Anyone who is interested in learning science， history of education， psychology， educational technology， the future of learning， or inclusiveness in learning should absolutely read this book。 This is a sprawling book， covering the history of modern education， the neuroscience of learning， and advancements and innovations in learning and education over the last couple of decades。 Professor Sarma's commentary and exhaustive research makes it well worth the investment of time and deep contemplation。 Anyone who is interested in learning science， history of education， psychology， educational technology， the future of learning， or inclusiveness in learning should absolutely read this book。 As a side note， I read the majority of the book on my Kindle， but listened to a sizable portion of the audiobook which is narrated by Sarma。 While the ability to reread and really digest the content is obviously better in the text-based book， I have to say that I truly enjoyed listening to Sarma read the book。 。。。more

Aquila Michiryu ，

I picked this book up thinking that it would give me strategies on how to learn more effectively。 Seems like I was misled。Written by Sanjay Sarma， the Head of Open Learning at MIT， Grasp is nonetheless a highly insightful book that discusses how the education landscape has evolved throughout the decades。It points out how many people have been winnowed out of the global education system due to unsatisfactory test scores， college applications never sent， examinations never sat for and books never I picked this book up thinking that it would give me strategies on how to learn more effectively。 Seems like I was misled。Written by Sanjay Sarma， the Head of Open Learning at MIT， Grasp is nonetheless a highly insightful book that discusses how the education landscape has evolved throughout the decades。It points out how many people have been winnowed out of the global education system due to unsatisfactory test scores， college applications never sent， examinations never sat for and books never read。 Because of this， great human potential remains latent and undiscovered。The book then provides examples of how the education landscape has changed （or is changing） to redeem those who have been winnowed out and make knowledge more accessible to all。This is a well-researched book that contains many specific pieces of information about learning。 It can sometimes be quite daunting to read （especially after a long and tiring day）， but I highly recommend it to educators as there are still some important messages in the book。My rating: 4/5 。。。more

Ann ，

Pandemic fatigue is causing me to not finish ANY non fiction I've started in the last 6 months。 I still want to read this when I can concentrate better。 Maybe if I actually finished it I would concentrate better。 :） Pandemic fatigue is causing me to not finish ANY non fiction I've started in the last 6 months。 I still want to read this when I can concentrate better。 Maybe if I actually finished it I would concentrate better。 :） 。。。more

Axel ，

inspired me to enroll in a few courses on edx。org

Jamie D。 ，

Pretty dense and heavily focused on education practices。 A must read for any teacher。

Anita Boeira ，

I found the history in this fascinating， the science a bit over my head， and the classroom experiments absolutely incredible。 This books also reads like an admissions brochure to MIT—and I’d known， I’ve worked in lots of admissions brochures in my career 😂

Ope Bukola ，

Explores the history of developments in learning science， and how that is （or mostly isn't） being applied to improve schools today。 His central point is that education system is designed to sort and weed out those supposedly can't hack it。 Instead， educators should be trying to design systems that are more "cognitively user friendly" and enable more people to achieve。 He explores the differences between two approaches to learning （inside-out vs。 outside-in）， and how both have steered the educati Explores the history of developments in learning science， and how that is （or mostly isn't） being applied to improve schools today。 His central point is that education system is designed to sort and weed out those supposedly can't hack it。 Instead， educators should be trying to design systems that are more "cognitively user friendly" and enable more people to achieve。 He explores the differences between two approaches to learning （inside-out vs。 outside-in）， and how both have steered the education systems wrong in the past。 The first half of the book， where he explores learning models， is the most interesting。 The second half is a hodgepodge of commentary on MOOCs， specific edu startups， etc。 and I didn't get much from it。 。。。more

David Tyoember ，

Insightful read。

Dave Ghidiu ，

Great read！ The most entertaining read on the history of education， a heavy dose on the science of learning， a brief exploration into radical change in higher ed， and a splash of creative educational optimism。 I'd love to spend a week with Sanjay and hammer out some radical ideas for how the reach of education can be furthered and how to do it in a novel way。Must read for anyone who wants to improve education - P-16。 Great read！ The most entertaining read on the history of education， a heavy dose on the science of learning， a brief exploration into radical change in higher ed， and a splash of creative educational optimism。 I'd love to spend a week with Sanjay and hammer out some radical ideas for how the reach of education can be furthered and how to do it in a novel way。Must read for anyone who wants to improve education - P-16。 。。。more

Dylan ，

If you have ever looked at our education system and asked yourself “How in the heck did we get here？” or more importantly “Why do we do things this way？？” or even more importantly still “How do we fix this？？？” then you’ve come to the right place。Although the authors don’t offer a miracle cure for the ailments of our education system， I found this book to be an incredibly enjoyable guided journey through the history of how we arrived at our current system juxtaposed with accessible scientific exp If you have ever looked at our education system and asked yourself “How in the heck did we get here？” or more importantly “Why do we do things this way？？” or even more importantly still “How do we fix this？？？” then you’ve come to the right place。Although the authors don’t offer a miracle cure for the ailments of our education system， I found this book to be an incredibly enjoyable guided journey through the history of how we arrived at our current system juxtaposed with accessible scientific explanations of how our brains actually learn。 Alongside this intriguing historical and neurological backstory， the authors sprinkle in engaging anecdotes that exemplify how things can be done differently。 Spoiler alert。。。 our system was designed around outdated science that fails to tickle our brains the way they really deserve。 Even worse， these flaws present cracks that could-be Einsteins may unnecessarily fall through。 In the authors’ words， there “。。。still remains a system at work， hell-bent on designating students wheat or chaff based on factors that still have little to do with their potential as learners， let alone as human beings。”Despite pointing out so many issues， the authors offer a message of hope that “。。。we can learn， and teach， differently。 No longer beholden to a nineteenth-century idea of the learning mind， we can keep pace with science’s multiple， ever-advancing cutting edges。”This book is a must-read for curious educators and learners alike。 And I hope you are curious because when “you’re in a state of curiosity， it seems， the potential for long-term memory formation gets boosted universally。。。” This book is packed with more science-backed insights such as this for learners to better retain knowledge as well as a framework for educators to inspire more robust learning in their students。 Your future， more pedagogically enlightened self will thank you for taking the time to enjoy this book！ 。。。more

Kerry ，

While I love learning about the science of brains， I’m I’m fairly new to understanding how learning influences global educational systems。 Part theory， party history lesson， part identifying how remaining the same will negatively affect our globe。 That is， if we don’t consciously weigh the goal of learning vs the goal of degrees against each other。 Good book that has piqued my interest in learning more about non traditional education and online learning。

Scott DeBusk ，

Good read if you like psychology， bits of neuroscience， and education。

Iman Shabani ，

This gives us a new perspective on the topic， good one。

Jonathan Briggs ，

Important exploration of outside in and inside out teaching I liked this book despite its populist title。 It’s an excellent telling of the two schools of thought and research around teaching and learning: bottom up or inside out （start with the basics and the theory） versus top down/outside in （start with problems and challenges）。 I’ve been strictly in the latter （constructionist） camp and the book does not make me want to jump to the other。 I was slightly disappointed that there was not a bit m Important exploration of outside in and inside out teaching I liked this book despite its populist title。 It’s an excellent telling of the two schools of thought and research around teaching and learning: bottom up or inside out （start with the basics and the theory） versus top down/outside in （start with problems and challenges）。 I’ve been strictly in the latter （constructionist） camp and the book does not make me want to jump to the other。 I was slightly disappointed that there was not a bit more on learning in groups and on approaches to scaling online challenge based learning （such as Kaggle） but it’s a great read with lots of depth and wonderful storytelling。 Recommended。 。。。more

Chintushig Tumenbayar ，

MITгаас хэрэгжүүлж эхэлж буй TIL хөтөлбөрийн шиг олон хөтөлбөрүүдийг ачаар хэрхэн боловсорлын массд үр өгөөжтэйгээр ашиглах тал дээр олон судалгаа хийсний үр дүнд бидний мэдэх мэдэхгүй BIAS-ийг нээн илрүүлж суралцах чадварыг дээшлүүлж байгаа нь гайхалтай санагдлаа。

Zhivko Kabaivanov ，

Grasp （2020） covers the development of modern education systems and the ways in which their current forms conflict with recent scientific insights into how the brain works。 It describes a variety of experimental techniques being applied to improve education and discusses how they might become more broadly generalized。

Pramodh ，

Interesting to read the history of education

Peggy McCoy ，

I wanted to like this and found much of it very interesting。 I particularly enjoyed the neurology explanations for long time learning and retrieval time。 I have participated and taught using project based science and have seen its power。 MIT's MicroMasters courses sound better than any on-line courses I have seen。 Especially now， watching kids trying to learn remotely， the problems there are glaring！ I wanted more from this book。。。concrete recommendations for all good learning， how to implement I wanted to like this and found much of it very interesting。 I particularly enjoyed the neurology explanations for long time learning and retrieval time。 I have participated and taught using project based science and have seen its power。 MIT's MicroMasters courses sound better than any on-line courses I have seen。 Especially now， watching kids trying to learn remotely， the problems there are glaring！ I wanted more from this book。。。concrete recommendations for all good learning， how to implement spacing， kinds of problem based learning that work and more！ 。。。more

Roxann ，

I really wanted more neuroscience， but the history of MOOCs was cool too。 Not so interested in the play-by-play of the battle bots competition。

Ivan Beeckmans ，

The aptly named title speaks to how we learn from the inside-out （neurons and synapses） to the outside-in （the approaches to learning and teaching on the learner）。 Ultimately， it boils down to understanding a hybrid of the best of both approaches to learning。 We need some basic knowledge， skills and literacy but that must come with fundamental application that is relevant and engaging to the learner; fostering curiosity。 Finally， an apprenticeship model appears to complete the cycle。 Sanjay Sarm The aptly named title speaks to how we learn from the inside-out （neurons and synapses） to the outside-in （the approaches to learning and teaching on the learner）。 Ultimately， it boils down to understanding a hybrid of the best of both approaches to learning。 We need some basic knowledge， skills and literacy but that must come with fundamental application that is relevant and engaging to the learner; fostering curiosity。 Finally， an apprenticeship model appears to complete the cycle。 Sanjay Sarma does a wonderful job of describing how learning works with in depth research along with some interesting， personal observations。 The balance helps to make his insights both credible and accessible。Education has been ripe for change for a long， long time。 Hopefully， this time， it will be within our 'grasp'。 （Sorry， I couldn't help myself）。 。。。more

Deborah Quazzo ，

Sanjay Sarma’s Grasp about the history and importantly the future of learning and the role of digital education in that future is a must read for those who care about all people having equal access to the future。 He reviews the historical roles and wins and losses of everyone from john Dewey to EL Thorndike， Piaget， Maria Montessori， Mitch Resnick and on and on。 It is a rich history of mistakes related to the implementation of mass education。 We know that spaced repetition works best in learning Sanjay Sarma’s Grasp about the history and importantly the future of learning and the role of digital education in that future is a must read for those who care about all people having equal access to the future。 He reviews the historical roles and wins and losses of everyone from john Dewey to EL Thorndike， Piaget， Maria Montessori， Mitch Resnick and on and on。 It is a rich history of mistakes related to the implementation of mass education。 We know that spaced repetition works best in learning and memory repetition。 We know project based learning done right enhances knowledge。 We know Socratic learning is optimal。 And we know that this is all about staying CURIOUS and engaged。 We know so much about learning science。 We now have to implement it at scale and leverage “inside-out” and “outside-in” strategies with a smart application of edtech。 Elite has to mean exceptionalism at scale。 。。。more

Zack Jordan ，

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， plus their answers。 Why do some approaches work and some don't？ How does biology （or demographic， or any number of other factors） affect learning？ Why are certain philosophies considered failed or re 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， plus their answers。 Why do some approaches work and some don't？ How does biology （or demographic， or any number of other factors） affect learning？ Why are certain philosophies considered failed or revolutionary？ And finally， the question promised by the book's subtitle: what are we doing here in the present that builds on what we've learned in the past？For me， filling in gaps is always revolutionary。 You don't realize how little use you were getting from out-of-context knowledge until you learn the stuff around it （which， interestingly， is a learning phenomenon explained in Grasp）。 So， sure: you could read independent articles about Ad Astra， MOOC， or ML-guided digital courseware， but without context there would be no way to understand their significance。 If you read Grasp， you'll get to the technology， but not until you've covered neurons， curiosity， IQ， Skinner， Pavlov， Bell， Lancaster， Mann， the author's own experience on an oil rig， and far more。 At first it may feel like these things are beside the point， but at the end you'll have a much better understanding of what the point is in the first place。 。。。more

Nicole Marie ，

As a former teacher， I found Grasp to be an intriguing and inspiring look into the failings of our current education system and the promise of the future of learning。Grasp takes readers on a journey through the scientific history that has led， intentionally and unintentionally， to a system of education that fails to serve far too many students。 In the introduction， the author says， “One way or another， learning is going to be an adventure。 It can be a story of Herculean perseverance or it can be As a former teacher， I found Grasp to be an intriguing and inspiring look into the failings of our current education system and the promise of the future of learning。Grasp takes readers on a journey through the scientific history that has led， intentionally and unintentionally， to a system of education that fails to serve far too many students。 In the introduction， the author says， “One way or another， learning is going to be an adventure。 It can be a story of Herculean perseverance or it can be a voyage of joyous discovery。”While teachers across the country are doing tremendous work to make learning a joyous process， conflicting theories of learning and disagreements over the purpose of education have required teachers to tackle much more than a Herculean task。 Teaching and learning， however， do not have to be this way。 With captivating historical narratives and amusing personal anecdotes， the author shows how many elements of our current educational system are rooted in traditions that were established to prioritize the efficiency of the system rather than the success of all learners。Through multiple innovative examples， including an MIT course that combines acquisition of knowledge with practical experience， the author lays out a promising vision。 The sections on the famous MIT robotics competitions are as exciting as they are enlightening and clearly exemplify a method of learning that aligns with our evolving understanding of cognitive science and that inspires learners to use their knowledge in creative ways。Within the discussions of edtech and other structural improvements， I especially appreciated the author’s emphasis on the human elements of learning。 No matter what the future brings， committed educators will continue to be integral to students’ success。I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand the history behind our current system of education and the possibilities for creating a better way for all students to learn。 。。。more

Amanda Z ，

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 education researchers and their work/biographies， than what they found out in the course of that work and the impact on their students。 It was a lot of names and people I didn't really care about and I'll 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 education researchers and their work/biographies， than what they found out in the course of that work and the impact on their students。 It was a lot of names and people I didn't really care about and I'll blame the pandemic/recent head injury， but none of them stuck in my head or out stuck out to me and I didn't care to "study" this book。 The neurology parts were a slog as well。Here's what I "learned" about learning:--Have students who just learned things explain them to other students because they better appreciate what someone might not get because of recent understanding。--Read material/watch a lecture before class （flipped learning）。 If you are a problem solving class， use class time to help students with problems。--Spaced repetition （i。e。 NOT CRAMMING） like Duolingo （not mentioned in the book） tries to prove works。--Classes that use the material directly for students to build and make stuff using what they learned are good， like “2。007”， a hands-on class profiled in the books。 --Montessori schools should be as faithful as possible to the original Maria Montessori methods and a lot of schools just call themselves Montessori schools。If you know anything about education， none of these things should be surprising at all。The author works on MIT's open learning and I thought the book was hagiographic about MIT to the point of barfiness。 Like there were parts where I rolled my eyes and I read passages aloud to my partner for him to laugh at too。 For the record I WENT to MIT （more on that later） about a decade ago （grad school） and I work there。 Like how many times do you have to remind people that Harvard is “down the river”？ Yeesh。 Or who cares that a preschool is somewhere between MIT and the Cambridge Public Library。 Like which one？ The run down urban one in Central Square， the new one over in East Cambridge， or the big main branch that’s very close to Harvard？ Like why mention that？ Does a library 0。4 miles away and a university 1。2 miles away send psychic vibes to preschoolers？ Does anyone who lives out of town care？ Spending more time describing what the different types of Montessori schools are and why some might go either way would have been more interesting to me than profiling this one school’s founder and extolling the virtues of the fact that the school is in an old store。I did find it interesting that Cambridge spends ~$29k per pupil when the state average is half that。 If you are bored， got to Zillow find a property for sale in Cambridge and one of equivalent cost in nearby Somerville and/or Arlington。 You’ll see that the property taxes are about double than in Cambridge。 This is because MIT is the city’s largest taxpayer （MIT owns a large portion of properties in the city） and Somerville and Arlington are mostly bedroom communities and don’t have commercial taxpayers to that degree to offset the residents。 Fun！As a former grad student at MIT I had insight into some of the courses and other things2。007。 While not familiar with that particular course， I helped TA for a different， also very expensive course at MIT that also combined learning and doing in the same semester。 Ours was possibly less well honed but I felt that the students who managed to produce something good came in with a background in our subject to begin with。 Like everyone learned something， but it was too much information and our students were lost a lot of the time unless they already knew what they were doing。 The ones who didn’t， well， their final papers showed that they didn’t really understand stuff and I felt like we failed them at some level。 To back that up with an example from the book， one student who was profiled as doing well in 2。007 had spent his youth fixing stuff on the family farm。 Anyway， there's a reason that Bloom's taxonomy has creating and synthesis at the top and knowledge at the bottom and it's hard to teach both of them at the same time。TEAL and comprehension checks。 TEAL is MIT’s reinvention of first year physics classes where they make students actually show up to class and do hands on lectures and have participating instead of a lecture format which involves students not going to said lecture， starting psets at 2 am before they are due， wondering why they are stuck， being too late to ask for help， getting a D and then blaming it MIT on being hard。 To give the author credit here， he accurately describes the reasons the students hate TEAL before saying that everyone loves it now。 I believe that the retention of physics information is way higher， but I’m curious if the students have stopped resenting the hell out of TEAL。 I doubt it。 Personally， as long as you can still test out of the TEAL format， you will never stop having students resent the TEAL concepts because having a test means that TEAL is for people who need more help and not for the smartest kids。 Also， in my experience， intro physics teaching has been studied to death， and those methods and hands on activities don’t continue beyond that making the rest of the major pretty brutal。 MIT’s online classes。 A couple years back， I completed the MITx Microeconomics class for fun and so I was very curious to glimpse behind the curtain， but again there was less information here than I would have liked beyond profiles of the student from Mongolia who go a perfect score and later MIT admissions and another woman who was really worried because she missed this one question that she might not get admitted to the micromasters program but did （no details to why she or why others may not）。 Learning about MIT’s online teaching was one of my primary reasons for picking up this book and I was sorely disappointed。 For example， I would have LOVED to see statistics on what changes made to the format improved the number of individuals who complete a course and how the MITx and to a larger degree EdX has evolved over time。The author points out in the beginning that a lot of education is “winnowing”， that is to say， seeing who survives the experience and having those who do survive be the “educated” ones， instead of making sure your crop of students masters what their teachers would like to。 He the goes to describe the first MITx online course — where 155000 registered and 7000 completed the class — as a way for higher education not to winnow people because anyone can register。 Is what you just described two paragraphs ago not winnowing？ 148000 people just quit。Equally frustrating was the example of two guys who wanted to go to this school with no admissions application except doing the intro work （whatever that involved） for 30 days and having do well on that。 They didn’t meet the school’s criteria and were given a second chance that involved them having lousy sleeping arrangements。 Was this a rare opportunity？ Did the poor housing help？ What did they do differently？ What had they applied from the first admissions opportunity？ It wasn’t really clear。Ultimately， I found this book to be frustrating。 It was weak on educational insights and data， heavy on bragging about MIT and dropping names。 。。。more

Cristie Underwood ，

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 it to my principal。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0