Learning how to learn
1.
Learning to learn How your life in college can be easier
2.
Read, underline, make summaries, prepare mind maps If you read your
textbook at least 7 times, you’ll be fine. Read again and again Is it the
answer? .
3.
Read, underline, makesummaries prepare mind maps I you read your
textbook at least 7 times, you’ll be fine. Read again and again Is it the
answer? NO!
4.
Overlearning • Whenwe read the same notes again and again, they
become familiar
5.
Illusion of competence • As the material becomes familiar, we gain
fluency • There is a feeling we already know the material • In fact, we
don’t
6.
Use focused modeduring lectures Review your notes later that day
Practice and test Go for a walk or otherwise use the diffused mode There
is a better way
7.
Focused mode •Allows the mind to recognize familiar patterns • Problems
related to these patterns are easily solved • Works in a sequencial way –
step by step reasoning
8.
Allow no distractions Keep your mobile turned off. Do not sit next to your
best friend Try to follow the lecture. Take notes of the key points Try to
connect what’s being said to other things you already know At the end of
the lecture, write a brief summary of the main points covered Focused
mode
9.
Revision allows theinformation to find a place in the large store of the long
term memory Start chunk formation Review your notes later that day
10.
Chunk formation •Use focused attention • Understand the problem •
Practice New chunks will be placed in your hanger (long term memory)
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Understand the problem Top down learning Understanding the big picture
12.
Chunk formation However,simple understanding how a problem is solved
does not necessarily create a chunk that can be used later
13.
Close the bookand try to solve the problem by yourself The chunk
(creation of neural patterns) will only be created by doing it yourself
Bottom up learning How the chunk fits in the big picture
14.
Practice As thesaying goes, Practice makes permanent
15.
Interleave But donot keep working on the same kind of problems for too
long Change type of problems or change subjects
16.
Deliberate Practice Focuson the most difficult part Spaced repetition
Review frequently Bottom up learning Practice .
17.
We can alsolook at chunks as if they were a puzzle. In the beginning, it is
difficult to place the pieces.
18.
We can alsolook at chunks as if they were a puzzle. We then get some
pieces together – they can be seen as a chunk. The more chunks we have,
the easiest it gets to place the next piece
19.
We can alsolook at chunks as if they were a puzzle. Even if we did not
know how the puzzle would look like, we start to see the big picture after
having done some chunks.
20.
If you thinkit is difficult to find the will to do the Practice…
21.
Use a pomodoro
22.
No, it isnot for throwing at the teacher!
23.
It is an“anti-procrastination” technique • Find a place where you can be
concentrated • Shut out all interruptions • Work for 25 minutes
24.
Use flashcards Testyourself • Do it consistently for short periods of time •
Recall will allow the information to be stored in the long term memory •
Use manual or computarized flash cards • In any case, make your own –
you are the only person to know what you need to learn!
25.
Do it everyday (ok, you can take Sunday off) Eventually all the new
concepts will be safely kept in the long term memory. New concepts will
be easier to grasp, because you have now more chunks, more hangers to
help connect the new material.
26.
Revisions • Recalland think about the material in different places than the
one where you first learned it • It increases the neural connections
27.
Go for awalk or otherwise use the diffused mode There is a better way
28.
Diffused mode •Now it is time for your brain to work on the material at his
own pace • You can take a nap, go for a walk, go clean your room , and
your brain will be working on the material
29.
Diffused mode Whatwe talked about Do you recall all the topics? Chunks
Pomodoro Deliberate practice Spaced repetition Overlearning Illusion of
competency Focused mode
30.
Happy learning! . Don’t forget your diffused time!
31.
Credits • Contentis based on the materials covered in the course
“Learning how to learn”, Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski •
PowerPoint presentation template:Presenter Media • Cliparts – Presenter
Media and [Link] • Photographs – my own
32.
Thanks to: •Nicole Charest, for a very helpful review and the idea of
throwing tomatoes • Cristian Artoni, for the link to the Pomodoro Timer