Does a good grade always mean a student has learned the material? And does a bad grade mean a student just needs to study more? Benedict Carey’s argument is against the traditional concept that, a student’s scores in exams define the level of their learning, and suggests better ways of learning. Tara Parker-Pope introduces the arguments of Carey by saying that “the science correspondent validates its points by providing facts of brain science, studies on learning, and memory exams.” “Better Ways to Learn” in a short article, uses specific events to generalise the facts in Carey’s arguments, and it is filled with surprising and interesting concepts. According to the website nakedscience.org, this process of taking events to make generalisation is called Inductive reasoning. Carey also uses deductive reasoning, which is the use of generalised statements to arrive at specific conclusions. Carey’s arguments teach the readers about effective and better ways of studying and retaining ample amount of information in a long term.
A most explicit instance where Carey has made use of inductive reasoning is where he uses the result of a study to generalise facts. He states that, “In a 2008 study of 1,300 people, University of California, San Diego, researchers tested their subjects on obscure facts. (What’s the name of the dog on the Cracker Jack box? Answer: Bingo). The study subjects reviewed the material twice at different intervals: some just a few minutes apart, others a day or a week apart. From the data, the scientists determined the optimal intervals for learning information.” He goes on to suggest that, “If your test is a week away, you should plan two study periods at least one to two days apart. For a Friday test, study on Monday and review on Thursday. If your test is a month away, begin studying in one-week intervals.” In this, result of the study is a specific event. But Carey takes the event and uses it to generalise the fact about intervals of learning. He has also suggested tips based on this generalisation. This is essentially the characteristic of Inductive reasoning.
Another instance where Carey makes use of inductive logic is regarding Spaced Study. He states the specific fact that “Studies have shown that for a student to learn and retain information like historical events, vocabulary words or science definitions, it’s best to review the information one to two days after first studying it.” He then uses the theory that “the brain actually pays less attention during short learning intervals” to arrive at the generalisation that “repeating the information over a longer interval — say a few days or a week later, rather than in rapid succession — sends a stronger signal to the brain that it needs to retain the information.”
As a conclusion, Carey’s arguments discuss the importance of spaced and distributed learning based on decades of scientific research. He also emphasises the importance of enough sleep by saying that “Sleep is the finisher on learning”. Although he uses deductive logic to take some generalised facts and convert them into solutions to specific problems like, “foreign language students should go to bed early and math students should review before going to bed”, the most frequently and efficiently used tool in the essay is inductive reasoning. He has clearly generalised many facts using the principle of induction.
Works Cited
Carey, Benedict. How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens. New York: Random House, 2014. Print.
Pope, Tara Parker. “Better Ways to Learn.” New York Times. New York Times, October 2014. Web. 14 December 2014.
