[{"_1":2,"_69":-5,"_70":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_39":40,"_67":-5,"_68":-5},"root",{"_5":-5,"_6":-5,"_7":8,"_22":-5,"_23":24,"_25":26,"_27":28,"_31":32,"_37":38},"user","shoppingCartId","shoppingCart",{"_9":10,"_11":12,"_13":14,"_15":16,"_17":18,"_19":20,"_21":14},"id","no-cart","count",0,"free",true,"updatedAt","2026-02-06T12:04:04.058Z","paymentGateway","STRIPE","cartItems",[],"loading","toast","locale","en","readerTheme","system","constants",{"_29":30},"paypalClientId","AX53Cwz8jR6rVVzzZiZNWWXl0dGagi-GZrjG-S3Ua14E5nrKMn7DxDQ730O4R8LusLPp49ALn6aRVaEy","publishers",{"_33":34,"_35":36},"companies",[],"universities",[],"needsLocaleCookieSync",false,"routes/_store+/_readers+/email_author.$slug/route",{"_41":42,"_66":-5},"book",{"_9":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53},"Z2lkOi8vbGVhbnB1Yi9TdG9yZTo6Qm9va1Byb2R1Y3QvNzUxNzk","title","How We Actually Learn","state","published","contactAuthorMethod","email","aboutText","

What if the way you learn isn't broken?

For decades, we've been sold a myth: that learning happens in neat, linear steps—through classrooms, textbooks, and elephant stamps. That the \"ideal learner\" is disciplined, fast, and compliant. But what if the truth is far messier, far more human?

In *How We Actually Learn*, retired teacher and technologist Kim Parker dismantles the factory model of education and replaces it with something recognisably human. Drawing on his 40+ years as a maths teacher, IT professional, and mentor, Kim explores how learning really happens—not in standardised tests or timed drills, but in living minds shaped by experience, fatigue, curiosity, and fear.

This isn't a how-to guide for becoming a \"better\" learner. It's a love letter to the way we learn when we're not trying to be someone we're not. Through personal stories, science-backed insights, and practical tools, Kim shows how:

- The body knows first: Why your hands, your gut, and even your fatigue are your best teachers

- Curiosity is a survival skill: How questions—not answers—drive the deepest learning

- The messy middle matters: Why forgetting, struggling, and revisiting are not failures—they're the heart of durable knowledge

- Shame and speed are the real barriers: How institutional habits quietly obstruct learning, especially for neurodivergent and introverted minds

- Learning is a social, embodied practice: How mentorship, environment, and rhythm make knowledge stick

Written for the dreamers, the distractible, and the quietly rebellious, this book is a celebration of the late bloomers, the slow starters, and the neurodivergent thinkers who learn in spirals, not straight lines. Whether you're a teacher, a parent, a lifelong learner, or someone who's ever felt \"not enough\" in a system built for conformity, How We Actually Learn is your permission slip to trust your own way of knowing.

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