Masterful Learning: Principled Strategies for Mastering Physics, Math, and Programming
A system for turning hard courses into deep, durable understanding — so you stop guessing, remember what you learn, and perform under pressure.
Over time, you don’t just improve your grades or exam performance. You become the kind of student who can take on demanding subjects, finish tough degrees, and keep learning for research, work, or entrepreneurship.
- Replace vague “study more” with clear routines for what to do next.
- Build knowledge you can recall months later, not just recognize the night before an exam.
- Train problem solving so your thinking holds up under time pressure.
Available in paperback and Kindle. Not in the US? UK (opens in new tab) · DE (opens in new tab) · SE (opens in new tab)
See all marketplaces
Why This Book Exists
Many students get stuck in physics, math, or programming — staring at a derivation, a proof, or a bug, without knowing what to do next. Most learning books stay at the surface, offering general advice but little guidance in those moments. Masterful Learning exists to close that gap: it shows you step by step how to move forward, with strategies that work when you’re blocked. It combines:
- Cognitive science — retrieval practice, elaborative encoding, spaced repetition.
- Domain expertise — strategies for physics, math, and programming bottlenecks.
- Practical study design — structuring your week, tracking progress, preparing for exams, building durable skills.
The goal is simple: to help you build knowledge you can recall under pressure and skills you can apply without hesitation.
Who It's For
- University students in physics, mathematics, and computer science who want to study more effectively.
- Students who feel stuck with traditional methods like rereading and highlighting.
- Educators looking for research-grounded strategies to support their teaching.
- Lifelong learners who want to master difficult technical subjects.
What You'll Learn
- How to apply the four primary learning strategies: retrieval practice, elaborative encoding, self-explanation, and problem solving.
- Why strategies like rereading and highlighting fail—and how to replace them.
- How to combine study techniques with time management and motivation frameworks.
- How to prepare for different exam formats (written, oral, conceptual).
- How to use digital tools like Anki and AI productively.
- How to build habits, mindsets, and motivation that sustain deep learning.
When You Feel the Difference
- Within a week: You start using retrieval practice and self-explanation on your real course material, which gives rapid feedback on what you know and what you do not.
- Within a month: Your study time is organized around a small set of repeatable routines instead of vague intentions to “study more.”
- By your next exam period: You have worked through a structured set of problems and questions, and you go into the exam with a realistic sense of your strengths and gaps.
This is not a promise of effortless progress. You will still need to work. The point is that your effort stops being random.
Why This Approach Works
The strategies in this book come from decades of research in cognitive psychology and physics education, plus years of teaching and iterating in large university courses. The differentiator is not a new idea — it’s a system that turns scattered findings into a concrete weekly plan for physics, math, and programming.
- Retrieval practice, elaborative encoding, self-explanation, and spaced repetition are supported by a large research literature on long-term retention and transfer.
- In university courses where this system has been used, former students have later said they still remember the material and that the approach helped them a lot, even beyond the original exam.
- The approach contributed to a student-voted teaching award at the University of Bergen.
If you want the underlying studies, start with Learning Literature.
Inside the Book
Table of Contents (abridged)
- Part I: Knowledge and Skill – What it means to understand
- Part II: Learning Strategies – From ineffective strategies to retrieval, elaboration, self-explanation, problem solving, and digital tools
- Part III: Time Strategies – Structuring your week and making the most of lectures, workshops, and peers
- Part IV: Mental Strategies – Motivation, flow, mindsets, and habits
- Part V: Exam and Beyond – Strategies for written, oral, and conceptual exams, and looking ahead to real-world impact
Connection to Research and Unisium
This book grew out of years of research in physics education and cognitive psychology. Every recommendation is grounded in peer-reviewed studies on learning and problem solving.
The same principles also power Unisium, our adaptive, game-inspired learning platform. If you want to go beyond the book and practice strategies interactively, explore Unisium.
About the Author
Vegard Gjerde is a PhD in physics education from the University of Bergen, Norway. He has taught the largest mechanics course at UiB for several years and published widely on learning strategies, retrieval practice, and problem solving. He also created the online course Primal Learning, followed by over 20,000 students worldwide.