Science · Book club
Make It Stick book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger and Mark A. McDaniel, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
Make It Stick is a book about how memory actually works, and why the study techniques most people rely on — re-reading, highlighting, massed practice — are among the least effective ways to learn.
Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger and Mark A. McDaniel · 2014 · 4h 45m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
The book argues that how learning feels and how much it sticks are often inversely related. Where in your own experience have you found this to be true?
- 2.
Which of your current study or learning habits most closely resemble re-reading — comfortable but ineffective? What would a retrieval-practice version look like?
- 3.
Interleaving feels disorganizing. Have you ever experienced a domain where mixing problem types actually helped you perform better?
- 4.
The authors argue that most teachers and trainers design instruction to feel smooth and comfortable rather than to produce retention. What would a classroom designed around desirable difficulty look like?
- 5.
When was the last time you tested yourself on something you thought you understood, and discovered you had less of it than you believed?
- 6.
How do you distinguish genuine mastery from the feeling of fluency that comes from repeated exposure to the same material?
- 7.
If you had to design a spaced repetition schedule for the most important thing you need to learn right now, what would it look like?
- 8.
The book mentions that students who interleave and self-test often feel like they are learning more slowly. How would you counsel a student who reports this experience?
- 9.
Elaborative interrogation asks you to explain why something is true, not just what it is. Pick a topic you think you know well. Can you explain the why?
- 10.
Does knowing that your preferred study method is ineffective actually change how you study? What makes it hard to switch even with the evidence?
- 11.
The research described involves mostly academic settings. Where does it apply cleanly to professional skill development, and where does it break down?
- 12.
What would it mean to redesign a corporate training program — onboarding, compliance, skills — around the principles in this book?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for Make It Stick?
Here are 12 book club questions for Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger and Mark A. McDaniel, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on learning, memory, cognitive science.
How long should a book club discussion of Make It Stick last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in Make It Stick?
Learning, Memory, Cognitive science, Education, Skill acquisition. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like Make It Stick or questions for other book club picks.
