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How to Learn Efficiently

lemire.me

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Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#31

Post by dhawalhs »

uulbiy wrote: post #28

There is a coursera course called "Learning How to Learn"[1] by Barbara Oakley that is starting soon. I took the previous session and it was very interesting. I liked the science[2] behind each part of the course (procrastination, memory, modes of thinking etc). The weekly interviews were certainly a big plus (however they were usually long at ~40 minutes). It's a fun four week course with very little work and I reco…

I did this course in August and found it extremely valuable. We recently published an extended review [1] of of the course.

https://www.class-central.com/report/review-learning-how-to-...

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#32

Post by cabinpark »

I was very lucky, from an early age, to be told that I should focus on learning how I learnt. I figured out how I learnt best in high school and never looked back. Now I have no problems learning any skill becase I know how my brain learns things and thus can cater specifically to it.

Unfortunately there is no catch-all method to learning and it is something you have to discover for yourself through exploration and good old trial-and-error.

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#33

Post by bluusteel »

plg wrote: post #27

> Interleaved practice feels much harder (e.g., “you feel confused”), and it feels discouraging because progress appears to be slow. However, this confusion you feel… that is your brain learning. I'm sorry to be a grouch, but is this based on any scientific evidence or just the OP's opinion?

"Desirable difficulties" were originally suggested by Robert Bjork, a psychology professor at UCLA. For a short overview, see his website: http://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/research.html#idd

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#34

Post by relaytheurgency »

jfarmer wrote: post #24
relaytheurgency wrote: post #15

The Learning Style theory is junk with the flimsiest evidence, but tell that to any teaching institute in this arena so obsessed with constructivist ideals. The reason I did not continue on to teach physics was partially due to an insistence that it was teachers who needed to expend more effort to make classes "fit" a student's preferences so that their learning would be a gradual climb. You learn material by flailin…

Beep beep. Back the truck up. I am a dyed-in-the-wool constructivist and I think the theory of "Learning Styles" as it's used today is rubbish. It's a mistake to think they're attached at the hip. By "the theory of Learning Styles", I specifically mean the idea that some people are "auditory learners", "visual learners", "kinesthetic learners", etc. and that part of a teacher's job is to figure out which "learning st…

Perhaps I should clarify. I am not claiming that there is a superior educational philosophy. I am only claiming that in most modern educational institutions, constructivism is the practiced philosophy of education and is taught to all teachers. These institutes often also hold a belief in the idea of learning modalities and, contrary to the foundations of constructivism, preach these ideas quite blindly without regard to their flimsy evidence or poor performance when put into practice.

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#35

Post by gnuvince »

For people still in school, I have found that nothing beats flash cards for learning. It takes a bit of time, effort and discipline to write and use them, but in the long run, it's going to be easier and faster to study for exams.

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#36

Post by emptytheory »

emptytheory wrote: post #10

I'm one of those people who failed as an undergraduate. You know what's not pleasant? Being under constant stress to perform and "progress". Maybe, just maybe, that has something to do with learning in school. By the way, that's entirely a product of the academic system. "The opposite is true: a good course is one where you always feel that you will barely make it." Because making people stress necessarily means they…

I guess the author agrees with me in another one of his articles (so maybe I just misinterpreted):

"There is no trace of evidence that you can get the best out of people at high-level tasks through pressure and competition. The opposite is true. Worried people get dumber. They may be faster at carrying rocks… but they do not get smarter.

Stressing out academics, students, engineers or any modern-day worker… makes them less effective. If we had any sense, we would minimize competition to optimize our performance."

http://lemire.me/blog/archives/2014/12/05/academia-as-an-anx...

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#37

Post by emptytheory »

relaytheurgency wrote: post #15

The Learning Style theory is junk with the flimsiest evidence, but tell that to any teaching institute in this arena so obsessed with constructivist ideals. The reason I did not continue on to teach physics was partially due to an insistence that it was teachers who needed to expend more effort to make classes "fit" a student's preferences so that their learning would be a gradual climb. You learn material by flailin…

"The reason I did not continue on to teach physics was partially due to an insistence that it was teachers who needed to expend more effort to make classes "fit" a student's preferences so that their learning would be a gradual climb."

What's wrong with that?

"You learn material by flailing, not by floating."

Why do you believe that?

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#38

Post by warbaker »

I like this article in large, but sometimes it really is appropriate to blame the instructor/textbook if you feel confused.

Everyone wants to believe that the harder and more painful an experience is, the more you got out of it, but that's not the case.

Imagine if you took a math textbook and then removed every fifth sentence. It'd be way more confusing, way harder, and require much more struggle, and that struggle would be a waste of time.

Struggle matters, but you need to struggle on the right things.

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#39

Post by sghodas »

roflmyeggo wrote: post #8
SebKba wrote: post #7

I would absolutely recommend the book that's mentioned at the end of the article: "Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown et al." It's a great read for anybody who wants to continue learning new material. I'm one of the people who had very poor studying practices beforehand...

Marked to read, thanks for the recommendation! Moonwalking With Einstein is also a good read, albeit more for pleasure and insight into our brains than any practical applications.

Joshua Foer (author of Moonwalking with Einstein) has a great TED talk too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6PoUg7jXsA

Re: How to Learn Efficiently

#40

Post by ctoscano »

uulbiy wrote: post #28

There is a coursera course called "Learning How to Learn"[1] by Barbara Oakley that is starting soon. I took the previous session and it was very interesting. I liked the science[2] behind each part of the course (procrastination, memory, modes of thinking etc). The weekly interviews were certainly a big plus (however they were usually long at ~40 minutes). It's a fun four week course with very little work and I reco…

If I were to pick one part of that course to share it would be the explanation of how long term memories are formed through practice (1-6 Introduction to Memory).

Knowing how something actually works, and knowing precisely how my actions achieve the desired result is important to me. I'm very skeptical of study techniques, and more interested in the underlying physiology that I am trying to manipulate.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) "is widely considered one of the major cellular mechanisms that underlies learning and memory."[1]

Spaced Repetition[2] and Spaced Learning[3] at techniques directly designed around LTP.

The course content is locked, but there is a fantastic paper that gives a thorough overview of what we know about the behavior of memory[4], as well as a video series by the principle author[5] linked below.

This is kind of my thing. Please let me know if you are interested in learning more, or if you know of additional sources you'd recommend I check out.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_potentiation

[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition

[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_learning

[4]http://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/pubs/RBjork_EBjork_1992.pdf

[5]http://www.gocognitive.net/interviews/spacing-improves-long-...

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