Techniques to learn efficiently
- Use metaphors, analogies or stories. Studies show that students who use them do much better at understanding
and remembering concepts than those who don’t. For example, the term ‘adduction’ and ‘abduction’ are so similar, but I will always remember aDDucting is like ADDing space for my hair. Weird I know (but do you get it though?). The sky is the limit when it comes to forging associations with what you are learning. A popular way for remembering the bones of the hand is to think of the sentence “Lovers Try Positions That They Can’t Handle”. The first letters are also the first for the anatomical terms. Like I said, the sky is the limit.The funnier and more evocative, the easier to remember !
. - Do sleep, and sleep well! Sleeping actually removes the metabolic toxins that the brain accumulates through the day and deepens newly created neural patterns by actually going over the concepts you were learning. Here’s what’s cooler; If you review your material right before you go to bed, you’ll be more likely to dream about it and studies have shown that dreaming about the topic can increase your ability to understand it. And if you put intentions on dreaming, the chances of it will be higher! Hmmm if only I could do that about a prince charming but for real life.
and remembering concepts than those who don’t. For example, the term ‘adduction’ and ‘abduction’ are so similar, but I will always remember aDDucting is like ADDing space for my hair. Weird I know (but do you get it though?). The sky is the limit when it comes to forging associations with what you are learning. A popular way for remembering the bones of the hand is to think of the sentence “Lovers Try Positions That They Can’t Handle”. The first letters are also the first for the anatomical terms. Like I said, the sky is the limit.The funnier and more evocative, the easier to remember !
- Chunk your learning. Assemble the bits of information and create a larger meaning. 5 x 3 = 15, easy peasy right? But that’s thanks to a lot of repetition in grade school and the understanding that little Johnny will eat 15 jelly beans if he steals 3 bags of 5 jelly beans. Focus on the material without any distraction, then understand the basic idea. Practice and practice some more. That’s how you chunk.
From drills (chunking) To actually playing soccer!
- Put the breaks on after hard concentration. It’s normal to get stuck in a problem or simply get empty minded. Take a break and let the diffused mode part of your brain do its magic in the background. When the mind relaxes, conceptualizing takes place and you can return to the problem from a different angle.
- Recall information or test yourself. After reading a page, look away and try to recall the main points. Studies show that students who do this, learned far more than students who don’t. Recalling not only enhances deep learning but it makes sure you’re not fooling yourself, something called the ‘Illusion of learning’.
. - Change up the learning. This is called interleaving, and by switching to different problems, methods or techniques, you will learn how, when and why a certain way is better. Practice different rhythms on your drums or try solving different math problems and in different ways.
. - Handwriting builds stronger neural structure than typing. Just so you know.
- Space out your reps. When learning something new, we need to bring the material to our long term memory by repeating it. However, we need to space out the repetitions over many days as it is known to be a lot more effective then a whole lot of repetetion in just one single session. Just like in muscle building, it is the combination of work and rest that stronger structures are built. (Yeay, we got an analogy over here!)……
- Don’t underestimate the power of exercise. Studies showed that exercising rats had double the amount of nerve cells in the hippocampus (area of the brain important for learning) than non exercising rats. They also did better at learning tasks and their nerve cells survived longer (neurons will die off if you don’t use them). So get moving!
With that being said, what is the use of these techniques if you don’t have the discipline or the motivation to even study! Fortunately there are tricks for procrastination too. Other than that, have a successful learning journey!
Feature image of Old woman studing the Alphabet with a Laughing Girl by Sofonisba Anguissola
Image credit: Photo By Flood G., UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace , Lynn Lin , tourist_on_earth, Angelo Amboldi, via http://imagefinder.co/, and Rdikeman via Wikimedia Commons
