Learning how to learn

What modern and effective approaches to learning can you use in your life? Find out →

Painting

The main problems in learning

Neither at school nor at the university do they teach us how to study the material correctly. We are preparing for exams and learning material by heart. We train ourselves to solve repetitive problems in order to do better on a test, but often in the end this does not give us real knowledge. We don't benefit from cramming.

Conclusion: you need to be able to learn, but for some reason this is not taught anywhere. What to do with it?

Specific techniques and exercises help to change the approach to learning, make it effective and exciting. The same techniques are applied on the courses in the Practicum.

Learning techniques

Five practices from Barbara Oakley

  • Book

    Two kinds of attention

    Deep knowledge arises by alternating between focused and diffuse thinking.

  • Памятник

    Recall

    Recall what you have learned - this will allow you to connect disparate portions of memory.

  • Внутри здания

    Interliving

    Study several problems that arise at the same time, they enrich each other.

  • Стены

    Questions

    As you listen to your teacher, come up with a good question that you really care about.

  • Книги

    Illusion of competence

    Repeat to yourself, write it down, tell a friend: it just seems to you that you own a new topic.

TED Videos

For those who like to procrastinate

The Barbara Oakley Story.

Since childhood, Barbara was bad at mathematics. She considered herself unable to do it, and far from being the smartest. In the army, she studied Russian to get a raise, so successfully that she was promoted to commander. But for promotion, she had to take math. And then Barbara came up with her own approach to the exact sciences. It turned out that if there is something you're not "made for", your knowledge gained by labor is much deeper than that of those who are clear at first sight.

Feynman method

Learn and don't forget.

More info → Feynman portrait

Figures and facts

About learning and the brain

  • 86 billion

    The number of neurons in the human brain

  • 2,1 billion

    Number of people in need of advanced training

    The World Bank, 2017

  • 1000 terabytes

    Human memory capacity

  • 500 trillion

    The number of neural synapses responsible for learning of an adult

  • 420 million

    Number of adults under the age of 25 without education for employment

    The World Bank, 2017

  • 17–20 years old

    Peak of learnability

  • the year 1885

    Opening the Forgetting Curve

  • the year 1889

    Discovery of the conditioned reflex

Salman Khan

The One World Schoolhouse

Sala Khan's passion and innovation is transforming the learning experience for millions of students around the world. All the World is a School is a must read for all educators so that students everywhere can gain the skills and knowledge that lead to success in school, career and life.

George Lucas

Film director, producer

Book Purchase book →

Learning principles

by Josh Kaufman

  • 1

    Choose an attractive project.

  • 2

    Focus on one skill.

  • 3

    Determine your target skill level.

  • 4

    Break the skill into elements.

  • 5

    Prepare everything you need for class.

  • 6

    Remove barriers for practice.

  • 7

    Set aside dedicated time for practice.

  • 8

    Create fast feedback loops.

  • 9

    Work on a schedule, in short, intense intervals.

  • 10

    Pay attention to quantity and speed.

Helpful Resources

More materials about learning techniques and life hacks