I recently completed Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski’s MOOC, ‘Learning How to Learn’ and I found it necessary to share some of the techniques I have implemented to boost my own learning efficiency.
The most important and impactful thing has been making a good plan. Journaling my learning journey and taking note of techniques that worked and those that did not work out so well for me has helped me hone in on the most efficient techniques I can use. A part of my planning includes making sure that I have a good environment for learning, free of distractions. And after that, adopt the pomodoro technique to ensure that I am completely focussed and make the best use of my learning time. All these are documented as I found that documentation is an effective way of tracking progress.
Here are some advices I have for improving learning efficiency:
Chunking: Always breakdown the material and ensure that you have dialled down to the main gist. This will improve recall even after a long time
Interleaving: I find interleaving better than blocked practice. In interleaving, one tries to mix up different subject materials to prevent boredom whereas blocked practice focuses on completely understanding a subject material in one sitting preferably. Interleaving works best for me and I recommend it.
Use those flashcards: Memory aids are important in retaining information and I advise that you try some techniques out and settle on the ones that work best for your learning style.
Make handwritten notes: Writing helps in consolidating the information in the brain and it is a good way of improving recall and understanding of study material.
Finally, the most important step is to have a plan and the next thing is to implement while documenting and iterating. You’ll get there.
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