Intro

I recently read A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even if You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley, Ph.D. I learned a lot about how the brain works when learning new material and many great tips on effective and ineffective studying. Barbara was a student who failed miserably in math and science classes in school. As a result, after high school, she enlisted in the military. She became determined to figure out how to be successful in school to advance her career options.

Her determination leads to discovering how the mind learns and sometimes tricks you into believing you are learning when you are not. Although the title of the book mentions math and science, it is really about learning anything. The book provides an understanding of how effective learning works and invaluable strategies for yourself and students in schools. In the next section, we will cover ten tips from the book on effective learning strategies.

Effective Learning Strategies

Use Recall

After reading a section or page in a book, close the book and attempt to recall the main ideas from what you just read in your own words. The amount of information you can remember in your own words is an excellent indicator of whether you are learning the material.

Test Yourself

Test yourself on the material numerous times. Make flashcards your best friend.

Chunk Your Problems

Break big problems down into smaller pieces and practice those smaller pieces until you can instantly retrieve them. Chunking is like having clusters of puzzle pieces that you ultimately want to piece together into the whole puzzle.

Use Spaced Repetition

Space out your learning to just a little bit every day. As an example, say you have one month to train to run a marathon. Running twenty hours one day per week would not be as effective as running three hours every other day per week.

Interleave Different Problem-solving Techniques During Study Sessions

Learn to use different techniques to teach yourself how and when to use specific strategies. For example, randomly quiz yourself on various problems to see how fast you can retrieve a solution to solve them.

Take Breaks

It is common not to understand new information the first time or even the first few times you encounter it. The book talks about two modes of learning: active and diffuse. When you are actively trying to learn something, you are in "active mode." However, when you stop active learning and do a different activity, you are still learning as your brain shifts into "diffuse mode" behind the scenes. Diffuse mode is when you are often not actively thinking about the problem and a new idea randomly "pops in your head."

Use Explanatory Questioning and Simple Analogies

When struggling with a concept, think to yourself, "How can I explain this in a way that even a ten-year-old would understand?". Being able to explain complex topics in simpler terms demonstrates how well you understand the material.

Focus

Turn off notifications on your phone and computer, get away from the t.v., and find a quiet, distraction-free place to work. Wear headphones and listen to focus sounds like on the Noisli app if needed. Use a Pomodoro timer such as BeFocused to work for X minutes and reward yourself with a break immediately after completing the study session.

Eat Your Frogs First

Work on the most challenging tasks early in the day when you have the most energy.

Ineffective Learning Strategies

There are also many strategies proven to be ineffective for learning. In the following sections, we will cover nine ineffective learning strategies mentioned in the book to avoid.

Passively Re-reading

Passively re-reading your notes or the text is not as effective as actively quizzing yourself on the text's central ideas or your notes. So, again, make flashcards your best friend.

Becoming Overwhelmed with Highlighting

Highlighting a few essential points is good, but you have accomplished nothing if you have turned your text into a coloring book. If you must highlight something, make sure it is actively going into your mind by closing the book and recalling the information.

Glancing at Problem Solutions and Thinking "I got it"

Do not fall into the trap of thinking that if you see someone do something and understand it, you know that you can do it yourself. Learning is doing, not seeing.

Cramming Before Exams

Your brain is like a muscle and can only handle so much input at a time. You will never find a top professional athlete who says they only prepare for their next opponent the night before the game. So space out your practice over time.

Repeatedly Solving The Same Types of Problems

Suppose there are ten different types of problems you may encounter on an upcoming test. If you only practice solving one kind of problem differently, do not be surprised if you only score ten percent on the test. Instead, use the Interleaving technique by studying many different types of problems during study sessions.

Allowing Peer Study Sessions To Turn Into Chat Sessions

Studying with friends by quizzing each other on the material to refine understanding can be beneficial. However, if most of the time is spent casually talking and "hanging out," you are wasting your time and need to find a new study group.

Failing to Ask Instructors or Classmates For Support

The Instructor's job is to help students clarify confusing concepts. Instructors want you to ask for help, and they worry about students who never ask questions. Classmates can be another source of support when clarification is needed.

Failing to Recognize Distractions Hindering Learning

Every tiny distraction reduces your brainpower when studying. The less brainpower you have when learning something, the less likely you will understand and retain the material.

Failing to Get Enough Sleep

While sleeping, your brain rehearses the material you are trying to learn over and over again. The brain also helps by piecing together the chunks of information you have into one whole piece. A lack of sleep builds up toxins in the brain that disrupt neural connections essential to quick and effective thinking power. Be sure to get at least seven or more hours of sleep every night.

Summary

In summary, the book Learning How to Learn is an excellent read to understand better how effective learning works. There is more valuable information you can gain from this book. I highly recommend picking up a copy. I will end with a TED talk Barbara did highlighting concepts from the book: