A practical guide to learning anything: how value drives encoding

Your brain won’t memorize because you asked nicely. It will when you quietly raise the cost of not knowing. Here’s how to do exactly that, so you can…

Sep 5 • 

Javier Santana

August 2025

Better than Study Mode: 3 science-backed strategies to learn with AI

ChatGPT’s Study Mode falls short pedagogically. Discover three research-backed strategies (knowledge transfer, retrieval practice, generation effect) to…

Aug 27 • 

Javier Santana

3

Generation effect in learning: you are a generative engine

Guessing answers, even incorrectly, strengthens memory of the correct information, science shows. This is why the claim "embrace your mistakes" actually…

Aug 18 • 

Javier Santana

1

AI and the calculator analogy

The rise of AI is often compared to calculators. People feared we’d stop thinking then too. But calculators don’t hallucinate and they don't need prompt…

Aug 7 • 

Javier Santana

3

4

July 2025

Don't trust your brain: the importance of metacognition

Learning is a deeply deceptive experience: your brain will try to trick you into believing you know more than you do. Metacognition is how you undo the…

Jul 30 • 

Javier Santana

4

3

Ranking the best AI for education: a new study

Which AI is the best one to learn? A new benchmark tested 97 AI models on real pedagogy and there are some surprises among the results.

Jul 21 • 

Javier Santana

4

2

Three paradoxes of AI in education and how to handle them

AI is an education revolution. But are we using it in the best way to boost learning? Let's break down three paradoxes of the current way AI is used in…

Jul 10 • 

Javier Santana

8

New research says you should make mistakes on purpose

A new study has confirmed the "derring effect": making mistakes on purpose (and fixing them) can supercharge learning. It’s messy, uncomfortable but…

Jul 2 • 

Javier Santana

3

3

June 2025

Knowledge transfer: why can't we copy and paste knowledge?

Knowledge is only meaningful if we can use it in real life. But applying what we learned in a different context isn't that easy. Let's unpack the…

Jun 25 • 

Javier Santana

6

Optimal challenge point: how hard should learning be?

We often wonder about the best learning methods, but what about the intensity? Not too easy, not too hard... so how hard is hard enough? Let’s explore…

Jun 16 • 

Javier Santana

3

1

No pain, no brain: the learning science of desirable difficulties

Effortless learning isn't learning. Real expertise needs the right kind of struggle: what cognitive scientists call “desirable difficulties.” Learn how…

Jun 6 • 

Javier Santana

7

2

May 2025

You're not a visual learner, Susan: the myth of learning styles

Are you a visual learner? Or an auditory one? The idea of learning styles is popular, but there's no science behind it.

May 28 • 

Javier Santana

7

2