Learning Habits: How to Develop Independent and Successful Learners

What makes some students thrive while others struggle? This exciting book reveals how teachers can help young people become expert learners―curious, resilient, and capable of thinking for themselves.

Drawing on educational and psychological research, this book explores three key themes―how we learn, the challenges of thinking, and habit formation―providing a clear practical framework to help students develop more effective, lasting learning habits. It explains how students absorb and forget information, the limits of working memory, the importance of self-control, and how cognitive biases affect decision-making alongside strategies to foster critical thinking. Providing actionable guidance for supporting learning in school and at home, this book includes:

• Memorable stories of real experiences and case studies designed to create an emotional impact and help ideas about learning habits "stick" with readers
• Student-friendly demonstrations of scientific experiments which can be downloaded from www.routledge.com/9781041096382, showing surprising and counterintuitive aspects of how we learn, think, and form habits
• Chapter summaries, images, and a dedicated scenarios chapter to make the key messages easy to follow, revisit, and apply

With additional guidance on the role of AI in education and using technology effectively, this is essential reading for teachers and parents wanting to help children and young people develop effective, sustainable learning habits.

Richard Wheadon has nearly 20 years of teaching experience. He previously oversaw teaching and learning in a large comprehensive school and was recently awarded a Fellowship by the Chartered College of Teaching. He has presented at education conferences in the United Kingdom and abroad.