Our Little Course, One Big Deal
9th April 2025
Cheery Friday Greetings from Barb Oakley!
And I’m a little early with this week’s Cheery Friday–flights will be catching me with dicey internet connections, so better to send early!
Our Little Course, One Big Deal
Who would’ve guessed? That quirky little course Learning How to Learn—the one you’re in right now—has just been named one of the top three online courses of all time by ClassCentral. Of. All. Time. (Take that, algorithms and cat videos!) This is a huge shout-out not just to the science behind the course, but to you—yes, you—the learner putting it into action. So pat yourself on the back, do a victory lap around your desk, and remember: you’re part of something big, brainy, and wonderfully weird.
Artem’s Mind-Blowing Videos
If you haven’t seen a YouTube video by Artem Kirsanov yet, drop everything (okay, finish your coffee first) and go watch one. Artem has this uncanny superpower: he takes wildly complex topics—like neural manifolds, memory encoding, and how AI and the brain overlap—and makes them not just understandable, but thrilling. His visuals don’t just decorate the science—they are the science, communicating deep ideas with such clarity and style you almost forget you’re learning something that could melt your brain in a textbook. Professors use his videos in university classrooms. Fellow science communicators use them to level up their own explanations. Artem isn’t just explaining science—he’s building the bridges that help others teach, learn, and leap forward. Bravo, Artem!
Reminder, Barb in Suzhou, China on April 12
Just a quick reminder–I’ll be speaking on April 12th in Suzhou, China at the East Asia Schools Conference. (Here’s the English registration, and here is the Chinese registration.)
Feel free to read more about my work from a Chinese perspective by the ever-brilliant Ling Huang, here! 从学渣逆袭成工程学教授——美国的良知芭芭拉·欧科丽与你分享学渣逆袭为学霸的奥秘.(Sorry for the previous bad link!)
What a UNESCO Report on EdTech Can Teach Us
This week, a remarkable piece from Jon Haidt and Zach Rausch caught my attention. It’s about a new UNESCO book, An EdTech Tragedy, that quietly but devastatingly tells the story of how well-meaning efforts to digitize education during the pandemic went deeply wrong. The book is structured like a Greek tragedy—and rightly so. It begins with high hopes, moves through a slow unraveling, and ends in something close to despair.
What makes this account different is its tone. There’s no breathless outrage, no rhetorical overreach. Just careful attention to what actually happened—how we sidelined teachers, ignored what we knew about learning, and over-relied on devices that disconnected more than they helped. It’s a hard story, but one that offers space for reflection and, hopefully, better choices ahead. Worth your time.
Unlocking the Brain’s Secrets: A Deep Dive into Effective Learning
In a recent episode of the GOTO podcast, I had the pleasure of discussing the intricacies of how we learn with Charles Humble. We explored the brain’s dual modes of thinking—focused and diffuse—and how balancing these can enhance our ability to grasp new concepts. We also touched on the vital roles of deliberate practice, retrieval techniques, and the surprising benefits of integrating AI into educational practices. If you’re curious about optimizing your learning strategies and reinforcing your understanding the neuroscience behind them, this conversation offers valuable insights.
That’s all for now. Have a happy week in learning!
Barb Oakley
- Uncommon Sense Teaching—the book and Coursera Specialization!
- Mindshift—the book and MOOC
- Learn Like a Pro—the book and MOOC
- The LHTL recommended text, A Mind for Numbers
- For kids and parents: Learning How to Learn—the book and MOOC. Pro tip—watch the videos and read the book together with your child. Learning how to learn at an early age will change their life!
