Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 92 posts

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#81

Post by zwischenzug »

dmacjam wrote: post #77
Asdfbla wrote: post #14

Maybe just throwing it out there as an additional resource: Coursera has a "learning how to learn" course, which includes lots of references about the theory of learning but many hands-on tips too. It's not too time consuming and doesn't cost anything, so probably can't hurt to look at it. I liked it and try to apply some of the ideas when learning. https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn/

If somebody prefer a book instead, one of the recommended books for this course is book [1] Make it stick: The science of successful learning. The book is written by several cognitive scientist and it contains many useful tricks about learning. Here you can find a short summary containing main ideas of the book [2]. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Make-Stick-Science-Successful-Learnin... [2] http://dmacjam.github.io/books…

I read this (similar) book recently and using the techniques in it I passed the AWS exams in a short space of time: https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Learn-Surprising-Happens/dp/08...

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#82

Post by welanes »

kahrkunne wrote: post #46
welanes wrote: post #21

So, I've spent the last 7 days working on a new feature to help people set and work towards goals. The concept goal: Learning Japanese! (I've been 'learning' for 3 years now). Here's a screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/afAW49V.png . Basically it's a moodboard that combines a timer, todos, insights, notes, images and links. 'How does that help me learn new things better' you ask? The challenge with goals - as I see it -…

I'll be sure to lurk HN tomorrow for it! Also pleasantly surprised to see Kashiwa Daisuke mentioned in that screenshot

You're a fan? April #02 is beyond perfect.

PS: slightly behind on dev. Be sure to lurk tomorrow too, just in case ;)

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#83

Post by Mark222 »

whyileft wrote: post #26

I don't have much on learning in general but drawing has been a big chunk of my life so I figured I'd just chime in on that. Drawing is a giant world that means many different things. Being good at drawing is also very subjective. A fantastic example of that is the book "Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain" which I see mentioned already. That book is an interesting read and I did enjoy it myself, but I should ca…

You seem to be knowledgeable in this topic, maybe you know any good books about the other aspects of drawing you are talking about? "Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain" is mentioned often, but other books less so.

Thank you

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#84

Post by adpoe »

infinityplus1 wrote: post #65
adpoe wrote: post #55

I've decided to learn many, many things over the years: programming languages, human languages, musical instruments, drawing/painting/art, sports, math, chess, etc... What it comes down to is spending time getting your hands dirty making things (or getting real practice), even if your output sucks for a long time. (And it will.) Favorite personal example: One day, when I was around 19, I decided that I wanted to be a…

So,are you working as an artist now?

I write software as career, but I still do art as a hobby. I actually tried making a career out of art when I was younger, but it's very very hard to make ends meet, when that's your main source of income.

It's an industry with only a handful of big winners and stars who can make it a fulltime job (at least during their lifetime). And I wasn't quite good enough to be one of them =)

It is really fun and satisfying to make art though, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to explore that aspect of their creativity. I feel like I gained a lot in life, qualitatively, from my time focusing on art. 'Hackers and Painters', right? '

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#85

Post by Clubber »

I don't have a reference but when I was learning iPhone development back in 2009, I read somewhere that it's best to learn things in the morning (when you wake up) because your mind is best at absorbing new things. I tried it out and it seemed to improve the pace I was retaining things.

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#86

Post by aerique »

sp3n wrote: post #30

I have been learning to draw for the past 2 months or so. I want to get into digital painting but I am still learning the fundamentals with a pencil + paper. A few things that have helped me so far: - Setting aside at least 1 hour a day to draw. This one is the most important. - Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards - Fun with a pencil by Andrew Loomis - Ctrl+Paint: http://www.ctrlpaint.com/ espec…

For the OP if she happens to have a Wii U I want add Art Academy: Atelier to that list. I'm working through that now and it's keeping me engaged.

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#88

Post by peelle »

amelius wrote: post #63
Asdfbla wrote: post #14

Maybe just throwing it out there as an additional resource: Coursera has a "learning how to learn" course, which includes lots of references about the theory of learning but many hands-on tips too. It's not too time consuming and doesn't cost anything, so probably can't hurt to look at it. I liked it and try to apply some of the ideas when learning. https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn/

Can somebody who has finished academic education still learn from this course?

Yes! I did it around the beginning of 2016. Anyone can use the techniques, and habits they talk about.

One thing they imparted was that frequent testing is better for learning than repeated reviewing. This caused me to put more emphasis on testing tools and spend less time on reviewing.

For example with vocabulary in language learning rather than review my textbook, I use an SRS like Memrise to test me, incrementally every day.

It also helped me realize how much structure, or behind the scenes help we loose when we leave an environment like university. I would say at the very least it will help you shore up some gaps in your personal learning style.

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#89

Post by Graziano_M »

aaron987 wrote: post #48
gargarplex wrote: post #40

I enjoyed duolingo ( https://www.duolingo.com ) for learning Swedish. I liked the game mechanics, honestly. Here's why: * Positive reinforcement: cheerful noises and visual progress once I completed a section. * Negative reinforcement: if I didn't practice at all that day, I would get a notification at 11pm. If I ignored for a while, they were super passive aggressive, saying things like "These don't seem to be worki…

I've been using Duolingo to learn Italian. It was awesome up until about 40% fluency, then it lost its effectiveness. It was a great way to learn basic vocabulary and sentence structure, but after that I learned more by just reading my news in Italian.

The italian lessons in particular are, unfortunately, utter garbage. Peek at the French for an example of good lessons.

Re: Ask HN: How to learn new things better?

#90

Post by sebg »

vogt wrote: post #32
welanes wrote: post #21

So, I've spent the last 7 days working on a new feature to help people set and work towards goals. The concept goal: Learning Japanese! (I've been 'learning' for 3 years now). Here's a screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/afAW49V.png . Basically it's a moodboard that combines a timer, todos, insights, notes, images and links. 'How does that help me learn new things better' you ask? The challenge with goals - as I see it -…

I've been leaning towards learning Japanese as a 2017 goal, so this or any other tips would be very much appreciated!

http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/
Post reply on HN