Learning How to Learn

Created by

Dr Barbara Oakley
Dr Terrence Sejnowski

Book

Coursera Class

Objective 🧠

Giving a better understanding of how the human brain learns, so we can become better learners

Can derive insights from:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human Evolution

Personal Experience: Linear Algebra

Modes of Thinking:

Focused

Focused on a singular task, such as studying

  • Solving a math problem
  • Working through flashcards
  • Having a conversion

Diffused

Letting your mind wander, making random connections that are essential for creativity.

Connecting information outside of the focused method

  • While taking a shower
  • Going for a walk or run
  • Taking a break or sleeping on it

Which is more important for learning?

Both Focused and Diffused modes are necessary for learning, alternating back and forth is the best way to master a subject or solve a difficult problem

Focused brings new information into our brains

Diffuse ties and contextualizes new information with older, already processed information

💡 Converting from Raw to Processed Data?

Learning Math and Science

A cow in a field can represent the concept of a cow

Math and Science concepts are often more abstract

💡 Practicing something many times gradually strengthens neural connections
💡 The more abstract something is, the more practice you will need
💡 Taking a break after a certain time (Pomodoro Technique) allows diffuse learning to reinforce concepts, even though it may seem like simple relaxation

Long Term vs Working Memory

Long Term Memory

  • Like a Storage Warehouse
  • Distributed across different regions in the brain
  • To store an item into long term memory you need to revisit it at least several times

Working Memory

  • What you are immediately and consciously processing in your mind
  • Widely believed that we can hold four "chunks" of working memory
  • Humans tend to group items into chunks so it seems our working memory is bigger than it actually is
  • Need to constantly repeat items to keep in working memory

💡 Shutting your eyes reduces other items that allows you to keep Working Memory items in place

RAM vs Disk storage?

Spaced Repetition Technique

Spaced Repetition

Space out your repetition of learning something, like a problem solving technique over a number of days

  • Researchers have found that trying to repeatedly remember the same thing in one day is less effective than repeating it once over several days

💡 Sliding Window?

Sleep 💤

When you are awake, your brain creates toxins

Sleeping allows your brain cells to shrink, allowing the toxins to be washed out

While you are sleeping, your brain tidies up ideas and concepts you're thinking about and learning, and strengthens ideas you need or want to remember

If you stop right after sleeping for the night, or taking a nap, you have an increased chance of dreaming about it

You can also attempt to set it in mind that you want to dream about this it will improve your chances of dreaming about it even further

Dreaming helps use diffuse learning to reinforce concepts you are learning about

Chunking

The mental leap that helps you unite bits of information together through meaning

The new logical whole makes the chunk easier to remember, and also makes it easier to fit the chunk into the larger picture of what you're learning

Just memorizing a fact without understanding or context doesn't help you understand what's really going on or how the concept fits together with other concepts you're learning

More Chunking

Example: Chunks are combined individual letters with each other to create words: C, O, W versus the word cow

Chunking helps your brain run more efficiently (actively encouraging your brain to chunk can be useful)

When you are under stress, you lose the ability to make some of these connections

Example: Letters to Sentences to Paragraph, etc

How to Form a Chunk

Goal: finding connections between the chunks into a bigger whole, to understand a subject more holistically

You may need to begin with several mini chunks

  • Catching on to the patterns of parts of a song, instead of the whole song when trying to play it on an instrument

When learning, your brain is trying to connect a new concept with concepts you already have familiarity with

Steps to Chunk Formation

  1. Focus your undivided attention on the information you want to Chunk
  2. Understand the basic idea of what you are trying to chunk
  3. Begin gaining context, so you can see not just how but also when to use this chunk.
  • This allows you to be able to understand when to use the new information you gained, and also when not to use it

Illusions of Competence

Recalling: After first absorbing the material, look away and try to recall what you just absorbed.

Just absorbing the material passively, or seeing the solution to a problem without trying to do it for yourself gives an illusion of learning, without being able to master it

Testing yourself is a form of recall, making sure you understand the concepts you are trying to learn.

Building a Library of Chunks

People enhance their knowledge and expertise by gradually building chunks in their mind

The more Chunks in your mental library, whatever subject your learning, the more easily you'll be able to solve problems in other fields

💡 More tools in the toolbox

Transfer:

The ability to relate one Chunk to another, not necessarily in the same field, but also in other fields. This allows a shortcut to understanding new ideas.

💡 Math function vs Program function

Overlearning:

Repetition has its place, but overlearning can be a waste of time, especially for something that makes you anxious/nervous.

However, once you understand the basic idea, it is advantageous from a learning standpoint to move on.

Constantly focusing on what you have already learned may force you to only see one solution to an issue.

You may also cause the Illusion of Competence.

Einstellung:

A strongly developed neural pattern that is already developed may overshadow new ideas that may lead to better outcomes.

Focused modes may prevent you from reaching the more effective or only real solution.

You sometimes need to unlearn a misconception that is already strongly formed in your mind.

How do you realize you have misconceptions, or establish a baseline to unlearning something?

Interleaving:

Mastering a new subject means learning not only the basic chunks, but also learning how to select and use different chunks.

The best way to learn that is by practicing jumping back and forth between problems or situations that require different techniques or strategies.

Interleaving Example:

In science and math in particular it can help to look ahead at the more varied problem sets that are sometimes found at the end of chapters.

You can deliberately try to make yourself occasionally pick out why some problems call for one technique as opposed to another.

Reinforce the concept that just knowing how to use a techinque is not enough, you also need to use it for the right context.

How to Become a Better Learner

Molecule

Metaphors and Analogies

Metaphors/Analogies are very good to use for understanding concepts tying something unfamiliar with something familiar

The more visual you make metaphors/analogies, the better in terms of understanding

As you gain better understanding and the original metaphor becomes too simple or misleading, you can toss them away or create better, more accurate ones

It can be helpful if you pretend that you are the concept you are trying to understand

Stories, even silly ones that are memory tricks without any context to the concept you are trying to learn, can help with your learning

Questions?

Link to Github for Presentation

What was not covered:

Procrastination

Memorization Methods

Value of Physical Exercise for brain health