A Skill We all Need — Learning How to Learn
If someone told me earlier that there is a course on Coursera called Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects. And it can really fundamentally change how we look at learning. I would have said
Learning how to learn is one of the best course I ever did online or offline. I keep recommending it to everyone I bump into. I think I might come across as a pesky salesman to lot of my friends. In fact I event went ahead and made a summary video of it. Also contains references from Deep Work book.
Chunking
Making small changes can go a long way. Be it habit formation or learning. Chunking is breaking large concepts, data etc into small bite sized information . Which may be logically related and can be easily consumed.
Check this sequence
67839900423
Can you remember this by heart. Probably yes with some effort.
How about this?
6783-9900-423
You see what we did here. We just formed a chunk “6783” and suddenly it becomes easier to consume, easier to remember. Let’s take this concept and apply to what we are learning. Identify and build possible chunks. Master the chunks and you master the concept? They are like little puzzle pieces which come together to form the Bigger Picture
Interleaving
Chunking also unlocks a lot of other possibilities. Slowly we build a library of chunks. Imagine it as a Swiss army knife instead of a single butcher knife. It leads to interleaving where you can take the small concept and apply it whole different domain. Which enhances retentions also.
There are lot of interesting stories of how major breakthroughs happens when concepts from one domain is taken to another.
Colt became fascinated with the ship’s wheel, particularly the way it could alternately spin or be locked in a fixed position through the use of a clutch. He translated this controlled rotation to firearms and a means whereby a single-shot pistol could be adapted to fire multiple rounds in quick succession. — History.com
Understanding Over Rote Learning
No one implies or encourages rote learning but it seeps in. Small hints. Small inferences. You need x marks to qualify to next semester. Suddenly the motivation changes from understanding and learning to scoring marks. I am no educator or an expert at this but you get the drift. Slowly, it becomes more about just moving to next level over actual learning.
When you encounter something new and important, first reaction of our mind can be to memorise it. We need to consciously move from rote learning to understanding the concept. If you understand something it stays with you.
How to differentiate between understanding and memorising?
A very simple technique is to try to explain it to other people. If you can really make it simple enough to be consumed by others, you have good understanding of the subject/topic. If you are not able to explain it or finding it hard to simplify, may be there is more to your learning. Find the knowledge gaps, fill it and Try again.
Illusion of competency, thy enemy
Revisiting the book or notes will give you a false sense of knowledge. When you scan over the text/data you get the false sense of security where you know the general structure but miss out on nooks and crannies. Instead, test what you have learnt. Attempt questions and take questions and find out what you know. Recall is better than revisiting. Another small habit to accommodate is to reduce highlighting and increase writing understanding by writing summary notes.
Shake it up
Everybody does not learn the same way. Some are visual learners, some like to read, some like it to be taught, some wants to get them hands dirty first. Try different mediums and perspectives on the concept you are trying to learn. Get a book , get a course, do a small project, follow people who are experts in the domain, youtube or maybe group study.
Memorising
We need to keep the understanding and facts in memory also.
Try metaphors or mnemonics
“My very excited mother just served us nine pies.” — Order of planets
Drawing co-relations with what you already know is also a great tool. Working knowledge of one programming knowledge makes it relatively easier to pick next.
Mind mapping is another really helpful in deriving relations and helps in forming a bird’s eye view of the whole structure
Spaced Repetition
It is not just a buzzword. We start forgetting as we learn. Brain keeps flushing out the information which it seems not fit. So don’t beat yourself for forgetting stuff you really wanted to remember.
According to spaced repetition we need to revisit the content in 1 day, 7 days,16 days and 35 days. Anki is one of the tools based on spaced repetition. No wonder they say
Practice Makes Permanent
Sleep
Slogging all nighters might be hampering you more than you know. Sleep is a greatly under-appreciated superpower we all have. Benefits ranges from mental health, physical health and also learning. When we sleep thoughts get consolidated. Brain does the clean up and keeps what it needs. Spaced repetition any one? Sleep is essential for forming long term memories.
Exercise
No exercise is not a burden on your time pressed routine. Making time for exercise is something which boosts your efforts towards learning. Physical benefits apart it helps in growth of new brain cells
It increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It aids the release of hormones which provide an excellent environment for the growth of brain cells. Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain. — Scientific American
Procrastination is another love hate relationship we have to live with, dig here to get around it.
At end of my sales pitch I will say do the course and let me know — Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects.
