Learning How to Learn
The most valuable skill for change is being an effective learner. On the surface, knowing how to “learn” makes it easier to study for classes or pick up new tasks at work. But in a broader sense, developing a framework for learning will aid in every area of life. We are constantly encountering new information, facing new challenges, and going through new experiences. Those who are able to process new things most efficiently, as well as keeping long-term and properly using what they learn, are more likely to be successful. Of course, there is no one correct way for how to learn - it depends on the individual. So instead, I’ll be covering some of the more popular and well-researched learning strategies, as well as providing helpful tips for “learning how to learn”.
Making memorization manageable:
Probably the first thing that jumps to mind when people think of learning is routine memorization. Many of us rely on memorization to get through school, and even outside the classroom a good memory can go a long way. While actually learning and understanding something is often better than pure memorization, there are many cases in which memorizing is the fastest or simplest way. Fortunately, there are several techniques you can use to make memorizing information much easier.
The human mind is only able to remember so many “items” at a time. Using a method called chunking, you can lower the number of items you need to memorize by increasing the size of the items themselves. Chunks are compact packages of information that your mind can easily access. By breaking long lists, paragraphs, or any general block of information into pieces, you make it significantly easier to remember. A simple case of this is phone numbers. We typically remember phone numbers in their three pieces (area code + first three digits + last four digits), enabling us to memorize three “items” instead of all 10 digits. Doing so allows humans to memorize an impressively high collection of phone numbers. You can try this with your debit/credit card number too: instead of trying to memorize every individual digit, practice repeating it from memory in each four-digit chunk. You’ll pick it up much faster and remember it for much longer. Chunking is the simplest and perhaps most effective method for memorizing information.
image from WikiHow
A related memorization shortcut method is called the “memory palace”. This involves taking the information you want to remember - perhaps broken into chunks - and mentally storing it in a physical place that you visualize in your mind’s eye. Humans tend to recall better when the information is associated with some context, when we are recalling meaningful knowledge rather than isolated facts. The key is to associate a list of items you want to remember, in the form of mental images, with some place you are familiar with and can visualize well. In his book, Joshua Foer provides the examples of memory palaces as your childhood home, schools, or beloved family members’ homes. He also suggests that when creating the mental images associated with each item in your list of information, create images that are as funny/bizarre/unusual as possible - these will be easier to recall. Then mentally walk through your memory palace, placing the mental image in scattered (but ordered) locations. So if it’s your own home, you might place one item by the front door, another by the entryway closet, a third at the base of the stairs, and so on.
Repetition, repetition, repetition:
At the center of any learning process is the need for repeating exposure to the concept being learned. It’s very hard to remember something you only come across once. That’s why cramming your notes once before a test is usually unhelpful, and certainly won’t result in long-term memory. To truly remember (and thus learn) something requires repeated study. Or as Professor Oakley and Dr. Sejnowski put it, “Practice makes permanent”. My personal method that has proved useful in my studies: first, I handwrite my notes for every class (handwriting has been shown to have greater recall than typing). Then, within 24-48 hours after the notes were taken, I go back over them with some highlighters to distinguish important parts and organize the lines of notes. Then on the weekend, I’ll go over the notes from the previous week one more time, this time typing them on my computer (so I both repeat the information and create a digital copy). Through repetition of my notes, I am able to much more easily recall classes when it comes time to study for tests. You don’t have to follow this method exactly - just make sure you have a system for repetition!
This also means you can’t procrastinate on things you want to truly learn. Learning requires repetition, which requires time. It’s also much more effective (and in my experience, less stressful) when spaced out rather than crammed into a single night or two.
image from 7pace
Focused vs. Diffuse Thinking:
There are two modes of thinking, focused and diffused, and understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each will massively improve your learning ability. Focused thinking is that deep state of concentration in which you are purely attentive to the subject being learned, while diffuse thinking is more about letting your mind wander and is much less intense. Both types of thinking are necessary for you to learn and grow, but diffuse thinking is typically easier, since it can be done while working on most tasks or going about your day. Focused thinking, meanwhile, can often require the type of studying Joshua Foer calls deliberate practice.
Deliberate practice, in which you are highly focused and consciously challenging your mind, is both necessary for true learning and extremely hard. It requires forcing oneself to think deeply and critically about the material being studied and therefore staying out of the “autopilot” mode our brains like to default to when facing such new or unfamiliar material. It’s natural to feel stressed and confused and to doubt yourself when doing deliberate practice - these feelings are the prerequisite to learning. So do not be discouraged when struggling with learning! This applies to motivated studying for a subject as well. The key to productive studying isn’t putting in more hours or cramming at the last minute, but studying more effectively.
comic from Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Break big lessons into checklists:
Learning completely new or very large things can be incredibly intimidating. We’ve all experienced the syllabus day stress of encountering all the concepts a class will cover. Trying to learn everything at once is both exhausting and undesirable. Instead, take whatever you want to learn and break it into small, manageable items in an ordered checklist! Classes and textbooks make this easy by already dividing the information into individual lectures and chapters. You can further break these down into the separate concepts or sections as well.
Doing this outside of the classroom is even more helpful, since there is often much less structure provided in the learning process. When you start a new job or a new project at your current job, don’t try to take it all on at once. Divide what you need to learn into its smallest parts, and then take them on one at a time, checking off each piece as you go.
Healthy habits improve memory:
My last remark on how to become a better learner is to practice healthy living and self-care. There are numerous studies showing the connection between sleep and memory. It is oftentimes the case that staying up late studying, and therefore sacrificing sleep, will backfire when you’re able to recall what you studied or even think critically the next day. Beyond sleep, it has also been shown that exercise and proper nutrition (a healthy diet) help boost memory as well. So by taking proper care of your body, you’re also helping your mental strength!