Tock's Super Learners Book
Plan it. Practise it. Check it. Rest. Repeat.
What is learning how to learn?
Learning is a skill, and you can get better at it. Some ways of studying and practising work much better than others, and most people are never told which.
Super learners aren't born clever. They use good methods: they set a goal, focus on one thing, test themselves, practise little and often, and treat mistakes as clues.
The world keeps changing, and new tools such as AI arrive all the time. Nobody can know everything. People who know how to learn can pick up whatever comes next.
How this book works
Every chapter has the same four parts.
- Read it. One big idea, with pictures.
- Try it. An activity you play right here on the screen.
- Away from the screen. A game for paper, pencils and friends.
- Quick check. Three questions. Get them all right to earn a star.
There are 9 stars to collect. Got a question wrong? No problem. Read the hint and have another go. That's how thinkers learn.
Choose a chapter
Chapter 1 · Learning skill one
Your brain can grow
Your brain isn't fixed. Every time you practise something, your brain changes a little to make it easier next time.
Your brain has billions of tiny cells called neurons. When you learn, neurons connect to each other. When you practise, those connections get stronger and faster.
It's like walking across long grass. The first time, it's hard going. Walk the same way every day and you wear a clear path. That's why something that felt impossible in Term 1 can feel easy by Term 4.
Is each thought a stuck thought or a growing thought?
Away from the screen: the wrong-hand challenge
You need: paper, a pencil and five days
Write your name with the hand you don't normally use. Wobbly, isn't it? Do it five times a day for five days. Keep the first try and the last try, and compare them. That's your brain building a new path.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 2 · Learning skill two
Aim for a goal
It's hard to hit a target you can't see. A clear goal tells your brain what to work on.
"Get better at maths" is too fuzzy to act on. "Know my 7 times table by Friday" is a goal you can practise today and check on Friday.
Big goals feel scary until you cut them into small steps. You don't learn to swim a lap in one go. You learn to float, then kick, then breathe, then put them together.
Which goal is clear, small enough and checkable?
Away from the screen: the goal ladder
You need: paper and a pencil
Draw a ladder with five rungs. Write a goal at the top, such as "ride my bike without stabilisers". On each rung, write one small step that gets you closer, with the easiest at the bottom. Tick each rung as you climb it.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 3 · Learning skill three
Focus on one thing
Your attention is like a torch. It lights up one thing at a time.
When you try to do two thinking jobs at once, your brain doesn't do both. It flicks back and forth between them, and each flick costs time and causes mistakes. Homework in front of a screen takes longer and sticks less.
So make focus easy. Put away what distracts you, choose one job and set a timer. Short bursts work well: focus for ten minutes, then take a two-minute break.
In maths: focus blocks
Three focus blocks of 10 minutes with a 2-minute break after each of the first two takes 10 + 2 + 10 + 2 + 10 = 34 minutes. That's 30 minutes of real work in about half an hour.
Does each thing help you focus, or steal your focus?
Away from the screen: the ten-minute test
You need: a timer, a book or some homework
Do ten minutes of reading or homework with a screen on nearby. Then do ten minutes with everything else put away. Count how much you got done each time. Which felt easier?
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 4 · Learning skill four
Test yourself
Here's a surprise. Reading your notes again and again feels like learning, but it doesn't work very well. Testing yourself works much better.
When you close the book and try to remember, your brain has to pull the answer out of your memory. That's called recall. Each time you do it, the memory gets stronger and easier to find.
It feels harder than rereading, and that's the point. If your brain has to work to remember, the practice is doing its job.
Does each way of studying make you recall, or are you just looking?
Away from the screen: look, cover, write, check
You need: ten spelling words or number facts, paper and a pencil
Look at the first word for ten seconds. Cover it. Write it from memory. Check it. If it's wrong, look again and have another go. Do all ten, then do the hard ones again tomorrow.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 5 · Learning skill five
Little and often
One long practice the night before doesn't stick. Short practices spread over several days do.
Each time you come back to something after a break, your brain has to work a bit to find it again. That effort makes the memory stronger. Come back to it five times and it's there to stay.
So ten minutes a day for five days beats fifty minutes on one day, even though the total is the same. It's how musicians and athletes train.
Work out the totals for each practice plan.
Away from the screen: the practice calendar
You need: a calendar or a sheet of paper with seven boxes
Choose one thing to learn this week, such as a times table or a song. Plan ten minutes a day for five days and put a star on the calendar each time you do it. On day seven, test yourself. How much did you keep?
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 6 · Learning skill six
Learn from mistakes
A mistake isn't a full stop. It's a signpost that shows you exactly what to practise next.
If you get everything right, you already knew it and you haven't learned anything new. Mistakes happen at the edge of what you can do, and that edge is where learning happens.
The trick is to look at a mistake instead of hiding it. What kind of mistake was it? Is there a pattern?
Read each mistake. What does it tell you to do next?
Away from the screen: my favourite mistake
You need: a piece of marked work
Find one mistake in your work. Don't rub it out. Write next to it: what kind of mistake it was (slip, gap or mix-up), why it happened and what you'll do next time. Share it with someone. Good mistakes are worth showing off.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 7 · Learning skill seven
Rest and recharge
Learning doesn't stop when you stop. While you rest and sleep, your brain sorts through the day and stores what matters.
Sleep is when a lot of memory-building happens. Children your age need about nine to eleven hours a night. Staying up late to study usually makes things worse, because a tired brain can't focus or remember well.
Breaks matter too. After a burst of focus, your brain needs a few minutes off. Moving your body, drinking water and going outside all help you learn better when you come back.
Does each thing charge your brain for learning, or drain it?
Away from the screen: the break menu
You need: paper and coloured pencils
Make a menu of five two-minute brain breaks, such as star jumps, a glass of water, looking out of the window, stretching and deep breaths. Stick it near where you do your homework. Choose one after each burst of focus.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 8 · Learning skill eight
Think about thinking
The best learners do something extra. They watch their own learning, like a coach watching a player.
It has a long name, metacognition, and a simple meaning: thinking about your thinking. You do it by asking yourself questions before, during and after you learn.
If a method isn't working, a super learner doesn't just try harder with the same method. They change the method.
When would a learner ask each question?
Away from the screen: the learning diary
You need: a small notebook
For one week, finish each day by writing three lines: one thing I learned, one thing that was hard and one thing I'll try tomorrow. At the end of the week, read it back. What do you notice about how you learn best?
Quick checkEarn your star
The last chapter · Put it all together
The big learn
You now have all eight learning skills. Here they are, with the question each one asks.
| Skill | Ask yourself |
|---|---|
| Your brain can grow | What can't I do yet? |
| Aim for a goal | What is my next small step? |
| Focus on one thing | What is my one job right now? |
| Test yourself | Can I say it without looking? |
| Little and often | When will I practise it again? |
| Learn from mistakes | What is this mistake telling me? |
| Rest and recharge | Does my brain need a break? |
| Think about thinking | Is my plan working? |
Before you go, show what you know. Answer all ten questions to earn your last star and your certificate.
Final testTen questions, every skill
Certificate of Super Learning
This certificate is proudly given to
for learning how to focus, practise, learn from mistakes and keep improving.
Look it up
Word bank
Every big word in this book, in plain language.
- Feedback
- Information about how you did, and how you could improve.
- Focus
- Keeping your attention on one thing.
- Goal
- Something you are aiming to learn or do.
- Memory
- Your brain's store of what you have learned and done.
- Metacognition
- Thinking about your own thinking and learning.
- Neuron
- A brain cell that sends messages to other brain cells.
- Practise
- To do something again and again to get better at it.
- Recall
- To pull something back out of your memory.
- Spaced practice
- Practising in short sessions spread over several days.
Parents, carers and teachers
Notes for grown-ups
This book draws on well-established findings about learning: testing yourself (retrieval practice) beats rereading, short spaced sessions beat one long one, and attention can't be split between two thinking tasks.
It deliberately avoids popular myths such as "learning styles". The most useful thing an adult can do is praise the method ("you tested yourself, and it worked") instead of the result or the child's cleverness. Chapter 8 is the most abstract and suits ages 9 and up.
How to use the book
- One chapter per sitting. Each takes about 15 to 25 minutes, plus the off-screen activity.
- Ages 7 to 8 will get more from it with someone reading alongside. Ages 9 to 12 can usually work alone.
- Chapters build on each other, so going in order works best.
- Wrong answers are part of it. Every quiz question explains itself and can be tried again.
- Stars are saved in this browser on this device. Clearing browser data may reset them.
What each chapter covers
| Chapter | Idea | Where it helps at school |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Your brain can grow | How practice changes the brain, "yet" | Every subject, wellbeing |
| 2. Aim for a goal | Clear goals, small steps | Goal setting, project planning |
| 3. Focus on one thing | Attention, managing distraction | Homework, independent work, time |
| 4. Test yourself | Recall (retrieval practice) | Spelling, number facts, revision |
| 5. Little and often | Spaced practice | Times tables, music, sport, multiplication |
| 6. Learn from mistakes | Using feedback, kinds of error | Maths working, editing writing |
| 7. Rest and recharge | Sleep, breaks, movement | Health and physical education |
| 8. Think about thinking | Metacognition: plan, check, look back | Self-assessment, problem solving |