How to make book work for you

To understand something, you must actively engage with it. This is what happens when books work:

• Read something, then pause and reflect. Usually the internal monologue may sound like “This idea reminds me of…,” “This point conflicts with…,” “I don’t really understand how…,” etc.
• Take notes, but don't simply transcribe the author’s words: summarise & synthesise.

These skills fall into a bucket which learning science calls “metacognition.” They are challenging to learn & that many adults lack them.