Learning

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Notes

The spacing effect clearly shows that studying time is more efficient if it is spread out over multiple sessions than if it is compressed in one session. More exposures to information, separated in time, will result in better retention than if you cram them together in one burst.

The testing effect says that testing oneself, so you must retrieve the important information from memory, works better than re-reading notes or creating diagrams while referencing your textbook.

There’s a strict hierarchy of what kinds of study materials will be most useful to you in preparing for your eventual exam:
1. The most valuable are mock tests and exams which are intended to be identical in style and form to the test you’re actually going to take.
2. Next are problems, given in homework assignments, textbook questions or quizzes, that are given for your class specifically.
3. Finally, self-generated questions or writing prompts based on the material.
The reason for this hierarchy of practice is known as transfer-appropriate processing. This basically means that the more your practice resembles the exam, the more your practice efforts will transfer into actual results.

Memorization matters, but it’s more often as a means to understanding rather than an end in itself. This means that deeply understanding the core concepts behind any exam you study for should be a top priority.

Anxiety is one-two punch for your studying ability. It’s both harder to concentrate and the stress makes it harder to remember things, even if you could.
The solution is to make at least some of your studying sessions a full-blown simulation of the exam. If you have a few mock exams, I would save these for doing a full simulation of the test - same seating posture, materials and, most importantly, the same time constraints.

The foundation for effective learning is practice, and good practice has three components:
- See: look for an example of how to solve a problem - people don't solve problems by building general-purpose problem-solving skills, but by acquiring a ton of specific patterns of knowledge;
- Do: solve the problem yourself - acquiring patterns is not enough, the knowledge needs to become an automatic skill in order to be useful;
- Feedback: check whether you got the right answer - feedback is vital because it can correct for errors, can train your unconscious learning system, and can direct your future learning (to fix areas of weakness)

How to take better notes:
- Paraphrase, Don't Transcribe: frame the lecturer's words in your own words - this will force you to focus on understanding the meaning of what is being said;
- Note Misunderstandings: take a note of all the concepts and questions that you don't immediately understand (write down timestamps, if you are watching a video) so you can follow up later;
- Ask Questions: reframe the content presented in terms of the questions that might be asked about it - this is effective to identify the main principles

Andrew Huberman
- - Deliberate learning is a two-step process: engagement and focus, and deep rest
  - The best cycle for learning is a 90-minute session of deep focus, followed by a 20- or 30-minute naps within the following four hours, as this speeds up the brain rewiring by a factor of 10x to 20x
  - Gap learning effect: if you stop for about 10 seconds randomly during the 90-minute deep focus cycle, neurons will "replay" the new connection more often, leading to better learning

Last updated 1 month ago

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