Barbara Oakley, a polymath and engineering professor, shares her remarkable journey from a math-resistant student to an educator. She discusses effective learning strategies, including the power of 'chunking' knowledge and the benefits of switching between focused and diffused thinking. Oakley explains how overcoming procrastination can boost learning efficiency and emphasizes the importance of practice and memory retention. She also challenges traditional learning styles, advocating for diverse methods and the evolution of online education to foster creativity and innovation.
Effective learning involves deliberate practice and actively testing yourself on the material.
Sufficient sleep is crucial for memory consolidation and retention.
Learning from others and engaging in effective study techniques can enhance learning and recall.
Deep dives
The Power of Deliberate Practice and Test Yourself
One of the main ideas from the podcast episode is the importance of deliberate practice in learning. Simply re-reading material or passively reviewing it is not effective. Instead, actively test yourself on the material to truly gauge your understanding. This can involve solving problems, working through examples, or explaining concepts in your own words. Additionally, taking regular breaks and engaging in physical activity, such as exercise, can stimulate the diffuse mode of thinking and aid learning.
The Role of Sleep in Learning
Sleep plays a crucial role in the learning process. During sleep, the brain consolidates newly learned information and creates stronger connections between neurons. It is important to get sufficient sleep to enhance memory and retention. Lack of sleep can hinder the formation of new memory patterns and lead to difficulties in recalling information. Good sleep habits, including a consistent sleep schedule and prioritizing quality sleep, can greatly benefit learning.
Learning from Others and Creating Effective Study Habits
Learning from others, whether it is through observation or direct interaction, can be a valuable learning strategy. It is important to actively engage with the material and try to understand key concepts. Chunking, or breaking down information into meaningful chunks, helps in creating patterns in the brain and aids in recall. Effective study techniques include avoiding procrastination, using the Pomodoro Technique (working in focused intervals followed by rewards or breaks), and regularly testing your knowledge to ensure understanding.
The Importance of Memorization in Learning
Memorization has been given a bad reputation in education, with the focus being placed solely on understanding concepts. However, memorization plays a crucial role in learning and should not be disregarded. Memorizing equations, poems, or any other information actively engages the brain, leading to a deeper understanding of the material. By mastering memorization techniques that promote active recall, students can improve their ability to learn and retain information.
The Interaction Between Working Memory and Long-Term Memory
Working memory and long-term memory are distinct but interconnected aspects of learning. Working memory refers to the temporary storage and manipulation of information, while long-term memory involves the encoding and retrieval of information over a longer period. The process of learning and mastering a subject relies on the transfer of information from working memory to long-term memory. With repeated practice and consolidation during sleep, information can be stored as neural patterns in long-term memory, allowing for easier recall and improving overall understanding of the material.
Just when I start to think I’m using my time well and getting a lot done in my life, I meet someone like Barbara Oakley.
Barbara is a true polymath. She was a captain in the U.S. Army, a Russian translator on Soviet trawlers, a radio operator in the South Pole, an engineer, university professor, researcher and the author of 8 books.
Oh, and she is also the creator and instructor of Learning to Learn, the most popular Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) ever(!), with over one million enrolled students.
In this fascinating interview, we cover many aspects of learning, including how to make it stick so we remember more and forget less, how to be more efficient so we learn more quickly, and how to remove that barriers that get in the way of effective learning.
Specifically, Barbara covers:
How she changed her brain from hating math and science to loving it so much she now teaches engineering to college students
What neuroscience can tell us about how to learn more effectively
The two modes of your brain and how that impacts what and how you learn
Why backing off can sometimes be the best thing you can do when learning something new
How to “chunk” your learning so new knowledge is woven into prior knowledge making it easily accessible
The best ways to develop new patterns of learning in our brains
How to practice a skill so you can blast through plateaus and improve more quickly
Her favorite tactic for dealing with procrastination so you can spend more time learning
The activities she recommends that rapidly increase neural connections like fertilizer on the brain
Whether memorization has a place in learning anymore, or simply a barrier to true understanding
The truth about “learning types” and how identifying as a visual or auditory learner might be setting yourself up for failure.
...and a whole lot more.
If you want to be the most efficient learner you can be, and have more fun doing it, you won’t want to miss this discussion.
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