How to Self-Learn:
Teach Yourself Anything,
Become an Expert,
and Memorize Everything (Learning how to Learn Book 20)
Written by
Peter Hollins, narrated by russell newton.
Learning Misconceptions.
Whether you are studying for an important exam or simply working toward your
self-development goals,
knowing how to learn will be an important determiner of your success.
Perhaps one of the biggest problems with effective learning is not that people
lack the memory,
skills,
or intelligence to learn—it’s that they lack the knowledge of how to do it
properly.
Even experienced teachers and professionals can have outdated and unfounded
assumptions about the best way to encourage the human brain to learn as much as
it can.
In this book,
we’ll be looking at ways to shift your attitude toward the learning process
so that you can not only be more effective at reading,
taking notes,
remembering,
and staying organized,
but also be more capable of deeper conceptual understanding.
We will consider not only handy tips and tricks,
but also take a closer look at the attitudes,
mindsets,
and overall principles that underpin genuine learning.
First,
though,
we’ll consider what stands in the way of effective learning - the popular
misconceptions about what learning is and how it happens.
The evidence-based scientific facts tell us that our conventional understanding
about learning is sometimes wrong.
For example,
a study by Simons and Chabris in 2011 found that people believed that the
memory “works like a video camera,” whereas there is zero empirical
evidence to support this idea.
Here are some other common myths to drop before we continue to more
evidence-based strategies and approaches in the remaining chapters - Myth 1 .-
To Learn Better,
Study For A Longer Time.
Wrong!
The phrase “work smarter not harder” comes to mind.
Are you one of those people who looks up at the clock at the end of a grueling
study session and considers it a success if a lot of time has passed?
Do you write “study two hours” on your to-do list?
This myth is a lot more pervasive than it first appears,
but it may hint at a misunderstanding of how the brain actually works.
It sounds obvious,
but merely putting in the hours at your desk is not the same as truly grasping
material,
storing it,
and remembering it for the long term.
Myth 2 .- Students Know Best.
In fact,
you may be a poor judge of how well you’re learning,
and not great at self-regulating your study.
Without knowing it,
you may avoid challenging material.
Hartwig and Dunlosky (2012)
found that students often choose strategies with zero scientific backing,
and Kornell and Bjork (2007)
claim that students’ “intuition” about the best approach is not usually
trustworthy.
Maybe you’re going through some vocabulary flip cards or practicing math
problems.
You may decide that you’ve practiced enough,
but could that just be your laziness talking?
Myth 3 .- If You’Ve Learned It,
You’Ll Remember It.
When it comes to memory,
many of us assume that once something is drilled into memory,
it stays there.
But cognitive researchers and learning scientists have discovered that the
memory is a complicated,
dynamic process.
Your natural tendency is actually to forget,
unless you’re actively trying to avoid it.
Some estimates have us forgetting around eighty percent of what we’ve learned
within one or two weeks.
Unless we deliberately do something to mitigate the effects of this
“forgetting curve” we will never properly retain information,
and we can never be said to have properly learned anything.
However,
if we don’t understand how memory actually works in the first place,
we may be vainly studying away,
unaware of the fact that we are committing barely any of it to memory.
Myth 4 .- To learn something,
drill it over and over again.
Similarly,
your ability to recall information in the short term is a poor predictor of how
well you’ll remember it in the longer term (Soderstrom & Bjork,
2015),
so you can’t assume you’ve learned something just because you repeated it
plenty of times during a study hour.
You’ve probably had this experience before - you rehearse a piece of
information over and over and really do feel like you’ve “got it."
Yet when you take your exam the next day,
your mind is blank.
Why?
We’ll explore the answer in later chapters,
as well as consider the value of “interleaved” practice,
spacing,
and repetition.
Myth 5 .- Reading is more useful than practice tests.
Roediger and Karpicke (2006)
found that it’s the other way around - practice testing is more effective
than re-reading material.
This is because when you test yourself,
you’re practicing retrieval,
whereas re-reading does not allow you to glean anything new.
Myth 6 .- It’s important to set up the perfect study space.
Partly true,
but learning researcher Robert Bjork believes that we form stronger
associations (and therefore better memories)
when we learn in diverse locations,
rather than the same spot each time.
Myth 7 .- Practice,
Practice,
Practice.
Effective memories are not formed from repetition alone.
In the 1960s,
educators believed that rehearsal and repetition were enough,
but today it’s understood that memory is more complicated than that.
While repetition helps a little,
more meaningful data is more easily recalled,
meaning that how we repeat and rehearse information matters as much as how
often we repeat it.
Myth 8 .- Each Of Us Has Our Own “Learning Style.”
You’ve probably heard of the idea that some people are more verbal learners,
for example,
or that others do better with information presented aurally or visually.
Despite its popularity in the common imagination,
learning styles may be a myth;
the American Psychological Association published a report in 2019 stating that
belief in individual learning styles may actually get in the way of students’
learning,
rather than improve it.
If you’re thinking about using only those strategies that fit best with your
presumed style of learning,
don’t worry - the techniques with the most scientific backing can be used
effectively by everyone.
Myth 9 - “The left brain does this;
the right brain does that ...” In a similar vein,
there is little evidence to suggest any difference between “left-brained”
activities or individuals and “right-brained."
The left is purportedly oriented toward math and language,
while the right brain is more about creativity.
The truth is this is a complete myth.
Perhaps the biggest and most damaging myth,
however,
is the following - Myth 10 .- Students will automatically and intuitively pick
the right way to study.
This book is about learning to learn,
which is not something that schools teach.
Do not assume that you already know what the best way to learn is.
When you think about it,
you may have some fixed ideas about the natural way to progress with your
studying.
But where did you pick up these ideas?
Do you really have any evidence that they work?
Most likely,
your current approach is one of habit that you never really questioned.
However,
not all studying is created equal,
and you cannot trust yourself to learn well by accident!
Instead,
it makes sense to closely consider the evidence-backed techniques out there,
and train ourselves to use them rather than default to ingrained habits that
may not be helping us.
You picked up this book for a reason.
In all likelihood,
on some level you are trying to improve the way you currently learn because you
know you could be better—but you’re not sure how yet.
One good step to begin with is to ask - Q .- How have you studied and learned
new things in the past?
For example,
did you sit down,
plonk a book on your lap,
and re-read your textbook with a highlighter in one hand?
Did you start automatically making notes,
or did you begin by first drawing up a study timetable of how many hours you
would need to devote?
Q .- Now ask,
how well has this worked for you?
Be honest and appraise how well the above technique has actually been serving
you.
Do you largely feel like you retain what you learn,
that you have a good grasp of new material and that you are using your time and
energy well?
If most of us are honest,
we have never even asked ourselves these two questions in the first place!
But it can be illuminating to realize that your current approach may not be
working as well as you think it is.
This is where this book can help.
Too much study advice out there never challenges the learning myths we buy into
as a culture,
and in fact may only reinforce them.
As you read the chapters that follow,
try to keep an open mind and try to imagine that your new learning approach
could be quite different from your old one.
If you find yourself reverting to old methods,
remind yourself of the above questions and your answers.
It may be comfortable and easy to default to tired old habits,
but in the end,
this will not help you fulfil your full potential,
be as effective as you can,
and use the time you have most wisely.
Learning Mindsets.
Okay,
so we’ve thrown our myths and misconceptions about learning out the window.
We’re going to forget the old learning approaches we’ve been taught in
school and embrace a smarter approach.
Time to dive into some clever techniques,
right?
While this seems like a good idea,
it’s far better to understand that self-directed learning is as much about
useful methods as it is about attitude,
mood,
perception,
and feeling.
For example,
you could have the most scientifically sound approach,
but if you are unmotivated,
it doesn’t matter.
Let’s take a look at Six Sigma strategy author Tanmay Vora’s famous “3 Ls
of self-directed learning,” which couldn’t be more different from the
approach taught in schools.
(There is in fact one school launched in the 90s,
the Brisbane Independent School,
that bases its curriculum around these principles,
but if you weren’t lucky enough to go there,
you can always learn their approach below!)
Seven characteristics are emphasized in this model -
•Playfulness
•Autonomy
•Internalized Evaluation
•Openness to Experience
• Intrinsic Motivation.
•Self-Acceptance
•Flexibility The idea is to develop your own ability to self-direct and
self-regulate.
In other words,
to become your own teacher.
A self-directed learner is not just someone who is aping a series of useful
techniques;
rather,
they have learned how to learn,
and they do it well.
They take initiative,
adapt,
persevere,
and remain curious.
Basically,
they foster an attitude of learning that goes beyond any particular subject or
activity.
The exact study techniques you use matter,
but what’s most important is your mindset.
With the correct attitude,
you pace yourself,
spring back from disappointment or difficulty,
adjust as you go,
set your own goals,
and feel empowered when you reach them.
Your motivation and sense of purpose is stronger because you guide yourself.
Compare the following students - Student A .- Wants the teacher to tell them
what to learn and how.
Then they hack away at it,
at home alone,
wasting time on techniques that don’t get them very far.
They don’t care about anything outside the curriculum.
When they do poorly on a test,
they blame the teacher for not being better.
Student B .- Takes the initiative to make their own study curriculum and works
in collaboration with others to continuously refine it so that they’re using
their time in the best way possible.
They keep learning even after an exam and beyond the curriculum,
and when something doesn’t work,
they take responsibility for it,
determining a better way forward instead.
Student B is a self-directed learner,
while student A is arguably not learning anything.
Student B can reflect on their process,
can use their time efficiently,
and is motivated from a sense of personal responsibility and inquisitiveness.
How do you develop such a mindset?
Identify Your Goals.
You need realistic yet challenging goals that let you know what you’re trying
to achieve in the first place.
These are not just immediate goals regarding the content itself (“I want to
understand chapter 5”)
but broader goals about your development as a student of life (“I want to be
more resilient when receiving critical feedback from others”).
Stay Curious.
Keep asking questions,
and don’t take everything at face value.
Why did X. Y. Z. happen?
What would have happened if you did something different?
A lifelong,
self-directed learner places curiosity at the center of everything they do.
Challenge Yourself.
Growth and learning take place outside your comfort zone.
Push yourself to do more—the sense of reward and accomplishment will be
greater,
and this feeling of meaning will motivate you to carry on.
If the goals that others assign to you are on the conservative side,
set your own,
more ambitious goals.
That said,
a goal that is too ambitious will overwhelm you and leave you feeling
discouraged.
It’s your job,
however,
to find the perfect spot in between!
Track Your Progress.
You need a way to measure your effectiveness and monitor your progress.
Set a standard and regularly ask how you measure up against standard.
Again,
you don’t need to wait for others to test or appraise you;
you can do it yourself.
For example,
set yourself a weekly quiz and keep track of your scores.
Pay Attention To Your Source Of Motivation.
Students may budget their time,
and they may juggle their energy levels,
but remember also to be mindful of your degree of motivation and,
more importantly,
where that motivation is coming from.
Ideally,
you want to be intrinsically motivated,
i.e.,
have a drive to do something that comes from your own inner determination and
personal values rather than external rewards.
Your goals need to genuinely mean something to you or your motivation will
fizzle out.
Some self-directed students choose to have their mission statement or overall
goal hung on a poster above their desk so they’re constantly reminded of
their “big why."
Value Progress,
Not Perfection.
We cannot guarantee any particular outcome,
but we can always choose our actions in the moment.
By focusing on what is in our control as we progress through the learning
process,
we stay empowered.
Furthermore,
avoid comparing yourself against others,
and simply keep asking yourself - am I better than I was before?
Reach Out To Others.
There are limits to sitting alone and learning.
Reach out to others and collaborate,
learn together,
ask questions,
seek feedback,
be challenged and inspired,
and compare your process.
Find those who share your goals and support one another to reach them.
This is an aspect of motivation that modern school systems undervalue.
Hopefully you’re beginning to see the difference between a superficial and
ineffective learner,
and a more engaged,
more self-directed genuine learner.
Maybe you think,
“I don’t need to be a deep learner;
I just want to pass my exam."
Well,
the secret is that whatever your learning goals,
you will achieve more if you adopt the mindset of those people who have a
lifelong love of learning.
One excellent way of taking responsibility for your learning journey is to keep
a diary.
This “learning journal” can be used to keep tabs on yourself,
track your progress,
record feelings and developments,
ask questions,
and strategize.
There are two important things to remember -
•Make your journal relevant to You and your learning goals
•Check in with it regularly—for example,
at the end of every day or week As your first entry in the learning journal,
write down your primary goal.
Make sure the goal is challenging but still realistic.
Also make sure you know how you will track the goal—how will you be sure you
have achieved it?
Your goal may need to be broken down into smaller sub goals.
For example,
your main aim may be to “learn Spanish,” but this consists of several
subgoals of passing a particular test,
having a conversation with a native in Spain,
or being able to read a certain text with a certain level of fluency.
Remember,
though,
that these goals are only part of the story.
Also include goals that refer to the learning process itself;
for example,
you may wish to improve your short-term memory,
be more organized with your study materials,
and build better confidence.
The more time you take fleshing out your goals in your journal,
the better you’ll be able to monitor those goals when you return to your
journal periodically,
whether that’s once a day,
once a week,
or even once a month.
Let’s say that at the end of each day you check in with your learning journal.
You remind yourself of your main goal and reconnect to your reason for wanting
to achieve it.
You look at what you’ve done that day and appraise your progress.
What have you achieved?
What would be done better tomorrow?
Maybe you tackle an attitude or mindset problem or maybe you simply tweak a
practical matter by trying a different tactic going forward.
Whatever you choose to do with your journal,
just remember to make sure it works for You and your learning goals and that
you are routinely checking in with it to realign with your goals and monitor
your progress.
Don’t be too hard on yourself when you start out.
Remember the seven characteristics of a self-directed learner -
•Playfulness – Make It Fun!
Stay Curious.
•Autonomy – take responsibility;
don’t wait for others to give you permission or direction.
•Internalized Evaluation – set your own standards,
then follow them.
•Openness to Experience – be open to new ways of doing things.
• Intrinsic Motivation.
– regularly ask yourself why you are aiming for your goals.
•Self-Acceptance – forgive small missteps and be patient as you figure
things out.
•Flexibility – if something doesn’t work,
it’s not a problem;
just keep asking questions until you find something that does.
With practice,
your learning journal can be a powerful tool that helps you take charge of your
learning and develop an optimal mindset.
As you encounter techniques in the following pages,
you can appraise them,
test them,
and evaluate them for yourself in your journal.
If you can do this consistently,
congratulations—you are now learning like a self-directed learner does!
Reflective Learning Through The Gibbs Model.
The best students in the classroom are those who are the best students outside
the classroom.
“It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn.
Without reflecting upon this experience,
it may quickly be forgotten or its learning potential lost.
It is from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that
generalizations or concepts can be generated,
and it is generalizations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively."
These are the 1988 words of Graham Gibbs,
the education expert who developed the idea of “reflective learning."
Just like with Tanmay Vora above,
the key is autonomous conscious control of the learning process.
Gibbs cared about experience as a means to learning,
but he thought that it was only when we reflected on this experience that we
truly learned something.
Though this concept may seem abstract,
it likely applies to your current learning goal,
whatever it is.
Gibbs created his "structured debriefing" process which explained what this
reflection actually entailed.
It’s a continuous development cycle for a repeatable experience,
i.e.,
we don’t just do it once but repeatedly.
It teaches us to reflect and process a particular situation,
gaining deeper understanding and arriving at generalizations that enhance
learning.
Here are the steps - 1.
Describe – Describe what happened in the situation.
Remember the details. 2.
Feelings – Discuss feelings about the experience.
3.
Evaluation – How did the experience go? 4.
Analysis – Make sense of what happened.
5.
Conclusion – Give two conclusions - a general one and a personal one. 6.
Action Plan – Sum up everything you need to know and identify how you can
improve next time.
Let’s take a closer look,
with examples.
The framework can be applied to minor events you wish to analyze,
or more broadly to your own life as a whole.
Or both!
The following example shows how the framework applies to a broader life
situation.
Describe.
What happened?
Look at when,
who,
why,
where,
and how it happened.
Be comprehensive but concise,
and stick to facts.
Example .- I am on a mandatory training course with an internal team at work
because the boss wants everyone to prepare for this new software system.
I was enrolled so I could then train my subordinates on the protocol next month.
On the first day of the course,
the instructor graded my practice report as the worst in the group and loudly
criticized me in front of my peers.
Feelings.
What were your thoughts,
emotions,
beliefs,
and values at the time in response to the above?
What about others’ thoughts?
Example .- I was embarrassed and angry,
and thought,
“I didn’t even want to be on this course.
It’s mandatory!"
I felt this was unfair of the instructor,
and I felt picked on.
It’s shaken me because I’m normally a top performer at work and looked up
to by others.
The instructor seemed irritated with me.
Evaluation.
Look at the negative and the positive.
What worked and what didn’t?
How did things get resolved—if they did?
Example .- Talking to the instructor after class,
I realized that she didn’t think she had been unkind and was surprised I was
upset.
Honestly,
my report was not up to scratch,
but the instructor could have been gentler.
On the other hand,
I can at least appreciate that she’s an expert in her field and has taken the
time to improve my work.
Going forward,
I’m trying to put my bruised ego aside and genuinely learn to be better.
Analysis.
Use a wider theory or framework to put the event in context and understand it
better.
Ask Why questions and see if there is any guidance out there about similar
situations.
Look for possible alternatives and research various options going forward.
Example .- Sitting with the problem,
I’ve come to realize that my own reaction was more of a defensive response
from me,
and I wasn’t being genuinely attacked by the instructor.
I think I was especially touchy that day because deep down I’m a little
nervous about the changes happening at the company and insecure about my own
value to the team in the future.
However,
being sulky and unwilling to hear feedback won’t help!
Conclusion.
The general conclusion is transferable to other situations in life,
whereas the specific one is only applicable to the current situation.
Ask yourself - what have I learned?
What could I do better next time?
To do better next time,
what skills will I need?
Example .- My general conclusion is that I need to be less complacent and more
open to the fact that I can always learn more,
even if I consider myself accomplished already.
My specific conclusion is that I need to immediately put the instructor’s
feedback into practice and show her that I can learn and adapt.
I think this will go a long way to making me feel more in control.
Action plan.
Summarize everything you know and figure out a way to put this into action
right now.
How can you apply your knowledge and experience?
Think about how you can adapt or what you’ll do the next time you encounter
this problem.
Example .- I will compile a new report incorporating her feedback and ask her
to give me private feedback one-on-one when she has a moment.
In the future,
I’m going to try to be a little less serious about these things and thank
people who give me constructive advice,
while being aware of my own insecurities putting me on the defensive.
As you can see from the above example,
Gibbs’ process outlines the process of learning about learning.
It’s reflective because it asks us to use metacognition and learn about the
way we are learning.
This is the hallmark of a self-directed,
effective learner.
The process doesn’t have to be this long and drawn out,
though.
Here’s a simpler,
more concrete example - 1.
Describe – I did well on my music exam,
except I failed the sight-reading section.
2.
Feelings – I’m pretty confused and disappointed;
I thought I understood the theory and process.
3.
Evaluation – Examining my approach,
I’ve probably missed a few important details.
4.
Analysis – I think I missed these because I joined the class late last year.
5.
Conclusion – General - pay attention!
Specific .- Ask for catch-up lessons on this one issue. 6.
Action Plan – Get in touch with the teacher tomorrow to chat about remedial
lessons.
Maybe buy that sight-reading book I saw on Amazon.
Dedicate some time every evening this month to polishing up this area.
When it all boils down,
the ability to reflect on your own learning process is simply the ability to
keep asking,
what am I doing and is it working?
How can I do things better?
The thing that reliably interferes with this reflective process is our own ego.
We can’t reflect on a process if we’re unwilling to learn something new
about the situation or ourselves!
Now,
you may be wondering how exactly this process applies to your specific learning
goals.
Though it might seem overly general,
practicing the skills outlined by Gibbs will improve every aspect of your
learning well after you’ve completed an important exam or achieved this or
that goal.
In time,
these steps may start to become automatic,
and you may incorporate them into your thinking naturally.
This is where your learning journal can come in handy.
Remember that,
according to Gibbs,
any experience is an opportunity for learning,
provided you reflect on it!
For example,
let’s return to the two questions we began with earlier in the chapter .- How
have you studied and learned new things in the past,
and how well has that worked for you?
Specifically,
can you think of a time when things didn’t go according to plan?
Now,
try to use Gibbs’ framework to help you conduct a kind of post-mortem on this
experience and reflect on it.
Work through the steps until you arrive at an action plan that inspires you to
do something about what you’ve experienced.
You may notice that going through this process slows you down and forces you to
engage more deeply with what is going on in your life,
but also what is going on more specifically in your learning journey.
It teaches you to be self-directed,
self-aware,
and a responsible learner.
It also helps you make meaning of the things you’re learning and make course
corrections in your path toward your goal.
The next time you are confused,
unmotivated,
experiencing failure or disappointment,
or unclear on your next step,
pick up your learning journal and quickly run through Gibb’s steps to help
find clarity and a clear way forward.
Notice how you feel afterwards—isn’t it empowering to take charge of your
own process this way?
Understand Cognitive Load And Working Memory.
In his 2014 talk at the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning at the
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse,
Bill Cerbin explained a concept you may already be quite familiar with - you
can’t overload your brain!
He calls it “cognitive overload,” and it impairs student memory and
learning.
The brain has natural and inbuilt limits to the amount of new information it
can take in.
If we don’t respect these limits,
we may find ourselves frustrated,
exhausted,
and no better at remembering anyway.
When we talk about learning effectively or efficiently,
what we mean is - we want to find ways to reduce cognitive load while at the
same time increasing how much we learn.
Now,
why do people get overwhelmed when learning something new?
Is it - The speed the teacher covers the material?
The complexity of the material?
The way the information is organized?
Actually,
according to Cerbin,
what creates overwhelm is two things - our cognitive load and our working
memory.
Working memory is what allows us to hold on to a limited amount of brand-new
information as we encounter it,
for a short period of time.
It’s like the workspace of our conscious mind.
What we ordinarily think of as thinking and processing is really happening in
our working memory brain centers.
The trick here is that working memory is actually very limited and can only
hold a small of information at a time.
Imagine that your working memory is what you can hold in your cupped hands.
Anything over and above this quantity just falls out of your grasp—i.e.,
information that outstrips your working memory will simply not be grasped in
any meaningful way.
The metaphor that Cerbin uses is that of a bottle - imagine that our memory is
a wine bottle.
Your long-term memory storage is the main body of the bottle,
but your working memory is the narrower spout—only so much can enter at one
time.
Before memories can enter long-term memory,
they need to be processed through the “bottleneck” of working memory.
Now,
cognitive load refers to the “mental resources” needed to accomplish any
particular task or process some new information.
New tasks carry a bigger load than familiar ones;
bigger tasks have greater loads than smaller ones,
and complex tasks have a higher load than simple ones.
Cognitive overload occurs when the cognitive load of a task exceeds our working
memory’s natural limitations.
In other words,
it’s like trying to shove too much into a narrow bottleneck,
or struggling to grasp too much in two cupped hands.
You’ll know you’re in cognitive overload when you start making errors,
getting confused,
feeling overwhelmed or anxious,
or even wanting to give up in frustration.
So what can we take from this understanding?
Well,
obviously - your brain has limits.
It’s not a machine.
There is an optimal range of new information it can take in,
and beyond that point,
learning decreases.
But does that mean we are trapped forever to take in new information limited to
a few small pieces of information at a time?
Luckily,
no!
Understanding that our working memory has limits means we can artificially
extend these limits.
So,
your working memory is pretty puny,
but you have almost unlimited tools at your disposal to extend that working
memory.
An easy example - if someone asked you to remember a list of twenty random
words,
you probably would max out your working memory and do poorly on the task.
But by simply writing down the words to retrieve later,
you completely ease the cognitive load,
since the pen and paper serve as artificial extensions of your own working
memory.
So to learn more,
we have two choices - 1.
Expand our natural working memory 2.
Work with tools that help lower our cognitive load We can achieve much,
much more if we focus our efforts on number 2.
In any learning situation,
there are three sources of cognitive load that make demands on our limited
working memory - Essential load – the effort you need to learn a task or do
something new,
on an essential and superficial level.
Generative load – deeper processing to make sense of the new material,
including integrating and understanding.
This is more than just remembering;
it’s understanding and comprehending,
knowing why you do the tasks in the essential load.
Extraneous load – the effort of processing material irrelevant or unrelated
to the main task.
This could be interruptions,
distractions,
or poor explanations/teaching material.
If we want to reduce cognitive load,
we need to be aware of the different types.
Generative load is more difficult,
but the payoff is greater because it accompanies greater recall and
comprehension,
so we don’t want to reduce it.
But extraneous load is completely unnecessary and needs to be reduced entirely.
The ways to reduce cognitive load will be discussed in later chapters,
but for now,
it’s enough to understand that your brain does,
in fact,
have limits and that you undermine your learning when you disrespect these
limits.
In essence,
every one of the techniques we will discuss in some way lowers cognitive load,
but the most important thing at first is to simply be aware that it’s
happening,
and why.
Tip 1 .- Respect your limitations and take enough rest You can squeeze the
whole ocean through that bottleneck—if you’re patient enough!
Similarly,
the best learning takes place when we are able to pace ourselves and process
new information at a realistic speed.
This means taking time to stop,
have a break,
replenish our cognitive resources,
and come back to the task later.
Being fatigued or sleep deprived will make your working memory even smaller
than it normally is,
so make sure you build in plenty of breaks and get quality sleep every night.
Other than that,
notice whenever you start to feel overwhelmed or confused and ask if you need
to dial things back and take in the new information one bite at a time.
Remember that rushing or forcing more new information that your working memory
can handle is just increasing the overload—it’s not making it any easier
for your brain to process anything.
Tip 2 .- Condense,
chunk,
and generalize At least when information is still new,
try to lower its complexity,
slow down its delivery,
and keep it well organized.
It may be a helpful first step to just condense,
generalize,
and summarize what you need to learn so you can gain an overview.
For example,
you could skim a text before diving into it.
We’ll delve into “chunking information” in more detail later on,
but this is nothing more than breaking big overwhelming blocks of data into
smaller,
more manageable chunks.
For example,
you could see a giant essay in front of you and break it down into paragraphs,
committing only to understanding the main point of each paragraph at a time.
Later,
you can try to put all these ideas together,
but first just extract smaller chunks.
Tip 3 .- Eliminate extraneous load by cutting away the inessential This sounds
obvious,
but many of us deliberately overwhelm ourselves when we try to process too many
things at once,
especially things that are not essential to our understanding.
Cut down on distractions by turning off T. V. and radio,
putting your phone in another room,
and making sure nobody is bothering you while you’re studying.
Sit somewhere quiet and comfortable with minimal distractions.
Make sure that you’re not overly tired or hungry,
or unconsciously waiting for an upcoming appointment that weakens your
attention and focus.
For now,
we will simply be aware that we can never learn beyond the limits of our
working memory.
Knowing this,
however,
empowers us to find smart ways around these limits without exhausting ourselves
or jeopardizing our learning.
Gamification.
Gamification. for learning means you incorporate gaming mechanics to boost
learning.
Gamification is important because it not only enhances learning,
it also increases motivation levels and promotes engagement.
When you make things a game,
you encourage yourself to explore things in different ways;
plus,
you boost your motivation.
This is why gamification has been used extensively by software designers and
marketers—the idea is to create a way of engaging with information that is,
for lack of a better word,
addictive!
To gamify your learning experience,
you can simply learn to include essential game elements into your study routine.
Conventionally,
technology is seen as a distraction and the opposite of hard work and learning,
but we can adjust our mindset and see that gamifying our work with technology
is actually a way to leverage our engagement to make us better,
more efficient learners.
Gamification. improves your problem-solving skills,
boosts your critical thinking,
helps you sustain attention and motivation,
and may even enhance your collaboration with others and your social awareness
if you “game” with others.
Here are a few golden rules to keep in mind when trying to gamify your own
study approach - 1.
Make things genuinely fun!
Endorphins help with recall and learning.
2.
The hippocampus plays a big role in memory,
and its function is linked to dopamine release and the emotional sensation of
reward,
so make sure your learning feels meaningful to you and connects with you on an
emotional level.
3.
Remember that the brain is built for connections,
relationships,
and stories,
rather than dry and detached facts.
How can you gamify your learning process?
You probably already have an intuitive sense of what this might look like,
especially if you’re a gamer of any kind!
Here are some ideas - Give yourself tiny rewards Some learning tasks are
difficult because the reward is so far off in the distance.
You work and work and work and yet you don’t feel as though much has changed,
and all that results is that you’re tired.
Change things up by making sure you receive tiny rewards at more regular
intervals.
These rewards will stimulate the release of neurotransmitters in the brain that
boost motivation and strengthen the feeling that the action you’ve just
performed is a good one.
Give yourself points,
badges,
prizes,
or tokens of achievement when you achieve a small step on your path.
Not only will this make you feel like you’ve made progress,
but it will also inspire you to race to earn the next one.
For a simple example,
imagine you allow yourself to eat one jelly bean per page of challenging text
you read.
A jelly bean is just a silly thing,
and if you really wanted to,
you could gobble the whole bag.
But by turning it into a game,
you set a fun challenge for yourself and see how far you can go.
Set up a progress indicator Closely related to this technique is to
deliberately set up markers that let your brain know it’s making progress on
its journey.
This alone will be perceived as a reward.
Though small,
this feeling of achievement and actually getting somewhere is highly
motivational.
You can set up a “progress bar” for yourself in many ways - have a poster
on which you cross out days,
challenges,
or tasks,
or something cumulative where you can watch your daily growth toward a goal,
like a jar you add a coin or marble to after each completed task.
Consider creating a collage that represents your goal,
and literally draw a line that gets longer and longer the closer you get to
that end point.
Simply seeing the cumulative effect of your progress encourages you because you
don’t want to “break your streak” or lose momentum.
Here’s one place your learning journal can be put to use.
Simply going back to the goals you set for yourself a week or month before and
seeing how far you’ve come gives you a feeling of pride and accomplishment
that makes you want to keep going.
Add an element of competition In keeping with the idea of making learning more
collaborative and social,
see what you can do to playfully vie against your peers.
Naturally,
you don’t want to take this too far!
When there’s a task to be done,
you could break into teams or groups and compete against one another.
Another way to bring in some competition is to have a “leader board” system
where the top performer gets to occupy a special place on a notice board that
announces their rank.
This not only encourages others to see if they can do better,
but it also encourages the reigning champion to keep on their toes.
Create low-stakes challenges Not everyone responds to competition,
time limits,
or rewards the same way.
Sometimes,
and for some subjects,
what works best is to have a task where you are trying your very best but
without any penalty if you fail or do it wrong.
Low-stakes challenges encourage open minds and creative,
out-of-the-box solutions.
For example,
one particularly fun but beneficial activity is to deliberately choose to do a
task as wrong as possible.
Or challenge yourself to completely immerse in a present problem and follow a
bad course of action to its logical conclusion.
The game here is that eventually you start seeing a real solution.
Turn things into a story The most absorbing games are typically those that
follow a clear and understandable narrative.
You know exactly where you’re going and why.
You may discover that your interest in a task is greater when you have a strong
sense of how your actions fit into a greater narrative context.
If you have a particularly stubborn challenge you’re facing,
conceptualize it as a “boss” at your current level that you have to defeat.
Keep it dynamic and unexpected The best games are fun,
and the worst ones are boring,
predictable,
and plodding.
Bring in an element of surprise into your study.
For example,
invite a friend to challenge you to an unknown problem,
or put a selection of written problems in a bag and randomly draw one from the
pile.
To make it more fun,
mix in a few genuinely difficult tasks along with some freebies or prizes that
allow you to have a reward or bonus.
This recreates the addictive feeling of “spinning the wheel” to see the
outcome.
Only allow yourself to dip into the bag again when you’ve solved the previous
problem correctly.
Intrinsic Motivation.
In reading all the above,
you may be wondering if gamification really works—don’t people quickly tire
of chasing carrots?
Research has suggested (Yeager & Bundick,
2009)
that when people learn not simply for external reward but because they
genuinely find the activity interesting and gratifying,
they are more effective and better at overcoming challenges. Gamification. is
based on external reward,
but it may be that operating out of intrinsic purpose and desire is more
effective.
Author Daniel Pink explains how intrinsic motivation may be more effective at
keeping us engaged in learning in the long run than extrinsic motivation.
According to him,
three key components of internal motivation—mastery,
autonomy,
and purpose—are what makes it more satisfying and effective than merely being
driven to do something because of outside rewards.
Mastery means we keep trying again and again until we gain complete control
over a task.
We need specific,
clear,
and demonstrable goals.
We need a clear objective to aim for and feedback that helps us adjust along
the way.
Autonomy means we get to choose what we do on our learning path (i.e.,
we are self-directed,
as described above).
As a self-directed learner,
your challenge may be to recognize all the choices available to you and own
them.
Purpose means we act with a reason.
There is some point to our learning,
and it’s worthwhile to us personally.
Our actions need to feel relevant and important.
Does this mean that gamification is really not a great way to boost our
learning?
Well,
it’s not either/or.
A great strategy is to use both.
In a general sense,
pay attention to whether your study program is providing you with mastery,
autonomy,
and purpose,
but that doesn’t mean you can’t also further encourage yourself with
gamification tricks in specific moments.
For example,
you may have the goal of learning to play the traditional Irish harp,
the cláirseach.
Mastery .- Every day you set up tasks that allow you to practice,
refine your skills,
and try again until you perfect certain abilities.
Autonomy .- You chose this instrument,
and you created your own study goals and schedule.
You decided on the pace and tone of your lessons and the favorite pieces
you’d practice.
Purpose .- Most importantly,
you never forget why you’re learning the instrument in the first place.
You draw on your love of the music and knowing you participate in a proud
shared cultural and familial heritage,
which deeply satisfies you on a personal level.
However,
on a day-to-day level,
playing the cláirseach is hard and boring work!
You need to do taxing and difficult scales and fingering exercises.
So,
you use gamification to help you get through some of the slog.
For example,
you create a little chart on your wall onto which you stick a golden star every
time you complete an hour session.
Seeing the growing line of stars gives you a temporary boost in flagging
motivation.
If you are routinely finding that you need to bully,
coerce,
beg,
or trick yourself into doing learning tasks,
it may point to a lack of intrinsic motivation.
After all,
no flashing smartphone app,
sticker,
or badge is going to replace your genuine disinterest.
If this is you,
ask yourself - Have I given myself enough opportunity to develop real mastery
and build competence?
Am I taking full responsibility for my learning journey,
or is someone else in control?
Am I energized by a deeper reason for doing any of it?
If you’re having difficulty with these questions,
then your first task is to resolve them before using the temporary Band-Aid of
gamification.
Takeaways -
•The evidence-based scientific facts tell us that our conventional
understanding about learning is sometimes wrong.
It’s a good idea to be clear about the study approaches you’ve used so far
and be honest about how well those are actually serving you.
It may be time to try something completely new!
•Self-directed learning is as much about useful methods as it is about
attitude,
mood,
perception,
and feeling.
It is important to cultivate the right mindset when it comes to learning.
A self-directed learner is ideally playful,
autonomous,
open to experience,
flexible,
self-accepting,
and capable of internal evaluation and motivation.
Identify your goals,
stay curious,
challenge yourself,
track your progress,
be intrinsically motivated,
collaborate with others,
and keep a “study journal” to actively reflect on your progress.
•According to Gibbs,
it is only when we actively reflect on our experiences that we truly learn.
We can use his “structured debriefing process” - describe the factual
situation,
describe our feelings about it,
evaluate the experience,
make an analysis,
arrive at two conclusions (one general,
one specific),
and formulate an action plan for next time.
•The brain has natural and inbuilt limits to the amount of new information it
can take in,
and we cannot overload it.
Long-term memory is the bottle,
and short-term memory is the narrow spout.
We can lower cognitive load by condensing,
limiting distractions,
and having enough breaks.
• Gamification. means incorporating gaming mechanics into learning to boost
motivation and engagement.
Remember,
though,
that internal motivation is ultimately more powerful,
so try to include elements of mastery,
autonomy,
and purpose in your learning.
This has been
How to Self-Learn:
Teach Yourself Anything,
Become an Expert,
and Memorize Everything (Learning how to Learn Book 20) Written by
Peter Hollins, narrated by russell newton.