The Learning Techniques-Part 1

In earlier articles, I have talked about the principles of learning, the lies about learning and the pillars of learning. Now it’s time to learn about some of the techniques that you can use in order to be an efficient learner. These techniques have definitely helped me, and I hope that they can help you as well.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique is this idea where you spend a certain amount of time focusing on a task without any distractions and then taking a break for a certain period of time. For example, I like to study or work for 25 minutes, give a 5 minute break, and then get back to what I was doing for another 25 minutes. There’s a neat timer that you can find here. I love using this Pomodoro timer when I am working or learning a new concept. It allows my brain to recharge before I keep going. This technique also helps in tackling procrastination. If you’re dreading about doing household chores, just use the Pomodoro technique. Many of these tasks take about 25 minutes to complete, such as washing the dishes, putting away the laundry or even vacuuming a room altogether. When you think about it, 25 minutes goes by pretty fast and it’s just a small chunk of your time. When I am learning a new concept, I use at least two Pomodoro’s, so 50 minutes of study time with a 10 minute break every day. This technique has really benefited my life, and I hope it does the same with you.

Chunk the Subject

When you’re learning a new concept, it can seem daunting. For example, in Biology class, you might be learning about cellular respiration. Looking at the diagram of how cellular respiration works, you may seem intimidated by what you are looking at, thinking about how you’ll be able to understand everything there is to know about cellular respiration. Instead of trying to learn about it all at once, try dividing this topic into different “chunks”. Chunks are compact bits of knowledge. As humans, we try to connect everything that we learn, and by chunking, you are able to divide and conquer each part of the topic. You can combine these different bits of knowledge in order to make them meaningful. This is also why cramming for a test does not work because you will not be able to fully comprehend each aspect involved in cellular respiration. This is also why you should not procrastinate when studying, because the way our brain works is that it can hold chunks of knowledge and then combine those chunks together to make something meaningful.

Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is this idea where you are repeating and practicing something over and over by spreading it out across days. For example, I may learn about a topic in one day, and then after two days I want to be able to repeat what I learned a few days before that way the knowledge can stick for a longer period of time. It’s not just where you learn about something in one day and then not touch it after a long time. Instead, you want to spread out what you’re learning and be able to recall what you learned previously. You also want learning to be an enjoyable experience, and you should not just use one learning technique over and over. If you’re learning a new language, you don’t just want to keep using flash cards. You want to also practice by conversing with someone who’s proficient in the language that you’re learning as well as writing in that language. When you space out your learning and use different techniques, the knowledge you obtain will stick much longer.

Deliberate Practice

Have you ever thought about how some athletes become the best in their sports? They use deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is where you carve out a period of undistracted focus and make what you do a little bit harder than what you did the day before. If you are wanting to be the best shooter in basketball, you first start out from the free throw line where you keep perfecting your shooting technique, and then the next day you may try to shoot further from the free throw line, and then the day after that you may try to shoot from a different angle. The art of deliberate practice is what differentiates the best from everyone else. This can be applied to other aspects as well and not just to sports. If you’re a competitive coder, you try working on problems that are just a little bit harder than the day before in order to get better at using the right data structures and algorithms. In order to be the best at something, you need to use deliberate practice.

Create a Roadmap

Think about what path you want to take in order to reach your goals. Research the opinions of others, and research about the industry that you want to be in. When you do this research, you will be able to recognize quality resources that will help you. You will be able to create a roadmap for yourself by knowing where you need to start and what paths you will need to take in order to reach your destination. If you want to learn how to program, you first need to think about why you want to program and then think about how you will reach your goal of landing a job as a software engineer. If you are in school getting a degree in Computer Science, you should create a map based on the classes that you will take, when you want to get an internship and how you want to practice for the coding interview. As humans, we love seeing things visually, and when we have a visual image of a roadmap, it allows us to connect many different things together in order to reach our goals. I recommend using a tool like Miro in order to build your roadmap.

Interleaving

When you are learning something, you want to try different methods. You don’t just practice one skill over and over. Instead, you want to practice multiple skills and add variety in learning your skills. Let’s head back to the basketball example. You don’t just want to just practice the same shot every single time. Instead, you want to try shooting from another spot on the court. If you’re playing tennis and want to get really good at it, you should spend some time using your forehand and then switching to your backhand. If you’re learning Korean, you may want to spend 20 minutes reading in Korean, 20 minutes writing in Korean and 20 minutes speaking in Korean. This interleaving technique actually helps you learn efficiently and allows you to recall information much faster.

Einstellung

The word “Einstellung” means installation in German. The concept of Einstellung states that our brains develop to mechanize the state of the mind. This is a rigid mindset, meaning that we don’t see any other perspectives. For example, when you’re solving a problem, you may only consider using your way of solving the problem and not being open to better ways that exist. This means that you are being set in your ways and are not willing to change perspective. Instead, you should develop an integrative mindset, where you are willing to accept many perspectives.

Importance of Community

When you are learning something new, try sharing it with people who have similar goals as you. You should be a part of a group when you are learning. Community helps with immediate feedback and this also gives you accountability. Being a part of a community of people who are learning the same things as you encourages you to keep learning and receiving help when you hit a roadblock in your learning journey. Be around people who want you to succeed and get better and what you are doing. Share your progress with others, ask questions and get feedback. Be around those who want you to be better than where you are right now.

I hope you found this read to be beneficial, and if you enjoyed reading this, feel free to hit that clap button 50 times and share this article with others who may benefit from this. There are more techniques that I will be going over in another article, so stay tuned for Part 2! I would like to thank Andrei Neagoie for being an amazing mentor and teacher and you can check out his Learning to Learn course on Udemy.