Learning Framework
Things left to do on this page:
- Spell Check
The Learning Framework
This page is dedicated to improving my understanding of meta-learning and becoming more effective at aquiring skills and knowledge. It contains the first part of my five part series which includes research and techniques from a myriad of books and research.
The Learning Framework Series:
- The Learning Framwork (You Are Here)
- Planning and Prioritizing
- Tools and Techniques
- Execution and Practice
- Adapation and Evaluation
My Goals For This Research:
This is what I would like to have, or know how to do through this research on learning:
Planning and Prioritization:
- Know how to prioritize and identify what's important to learn to reach learning goals
- Know how to align learning goals with values and things I'd find practical
- Have a clear understanding of whether or not to take on a new learning project
- Have an estimate of how much time/energy a new learning project will take and whether or not it can fit within my life
- Have a learning roadmap/outline for *any* type of learning project.
- Have something to help create a learning roadmap.
Current writing and reflection on this topic has been moved to: Planning and Prioriziting Learning Projects
Tools and Techniques:
- Know how to research/compile a learning roadmap
- Have techniques, skills and tools to help keep me disciplined, motivated and sticking to my learning goals
- Have a list of techniques for different types of learning projects.
- Have something to reference when planning a learning project.
- Combine all of the information, techniques and such that I've learned about learning from all my research
Execution and Practice:
- Know how to practice a skill or information for the 'real-world' situation
- Know how to balance multiple learning projects
- Know how to get the most out of a book, class or online course.
- Know how to remember what I learn
- Know how to identify useful infomation and skills to prioritize memorizing
- Know how to focus, have tools for focusing
- Know how much time to spend in each part of the learning process and how to identify when I should move to the next part of the process
Adaptation and Evaluation:
- Know how to measure progress
- Know how to embrace the fun parts of learning
- Know when to stop taking learning too seriously
- Have a way to evalute when to drop a learning project
- Know what to do, and have tools for, when I get bored, frustrated or hit a plateaus
Click here to see thoughts behind how I made these goals
What is the end goal or final result from putting in effort to researching and writing this?
I would like to achieve the following with this research:
- Have a learning roadmap/outline for *any* type of learning project.
- Have a list of techniques for different types of learning projects.
- Have something to reference when planning a learning project.
- Have something to help create a learning roadmap.
- Combine all of the information, techniques and such that I've learned about learning from all my research
What would this look like if I did everything wrong?
- I wouldn't have a way to measure my progress
- I would be lost or confused on what to learn next
- I would focus on learning things or parts that aren't important
- I would spend a lot of time learning things I wouldn't use or value
- I would enjoy the process of learning a lot less
- I would forget everything I learned
- I wouldn't know how to use what I've learned in a real context or situation
- I wouldn't be able to manage a lot of learning projects
- I wouldn't continue, or would abandon all of my learning projects
- I wouldn't know what to do when I get bored, frustrated or hit a plateau
- I wouldn't be able to focus on learning when I needed to
- I would stop practicing
- I would spend so much time on one aspect of learning that I wouldn't reach my objectives. (read: Spending too much time researching, reflecting, etc., not enough time practicing or using the skill)
Now, if I flip them they become a list of the most important goals:
- Know how to measure progress
- Know how to research/compile a learning roadmap
- Know how to prioritize and identify what's important to learn to reach learning goals
- Know how to align learning goals with values and things I'd find practical
- Know how to embrace the fun parts of learning
- Know when to stop taking learning too seriously
- Know how to remember what I learn
- Know how to identify useful infomation and skills to prioritize memorizing
- Know how to practice a skill or information for the 'real-world' situation
- Know how to balance multiple learning projects
- Have a clear understanding of whether or not to take on a new learning project
- Have an estimate of how much time/energy a new learning project will take and whether or not it can fit within my life
- Have techniques, skills and tools to help keep me disciplined, motivated and sticking to my learning goals
- Have a way to evalute when to drop a learning project
- Know what to do, and have tools for, when I get bored, frustrated or hit a plateaus
- Know how to focus, have tools for focusing
- Know how much time to spend in each part of the learning process and how to identify when I should move to the next part of the process
Anxieties and Ponderings On Learning
There is a fear that one may be required to learn something uninteresting that will un-used or be tedious in its aquisition.
Something that has discouraged me from exercising, somewhat conciously, is that I do not know the most effective way to exercise. That my effort that I put into exercising is somehow built on unproven research, that my understand is outdated, and that the effort will not prove me that maximum that it could. I see this as an attempt to get the most out my time and effort. Spending a ludicrus amount of time and energy chasing my tail researching the process and way to do anything that I could have just done it uneffiectively and had learned the best way simply by doing.
Current Understanding Of Learning
Create a list of what I would like to research/understand of the learning process
Meta-learning:
This section will contian all of my current understanding of the process of learning. The different stages and psychological perspective of learning. Some higher level approaches and differences depending on those approaches.
What are the different types of learning projects/things to be accounted for in the learning framework?
When I think about 'learning' or at least the type of learning that I find myself needed to do, I can break it down into a few types:
- Informational Learning
- Practice Learning
- Extrinsic Learning
Informational learning might involve memorizing terms and intellectually understanding how something works. Then this information might be used in a real world scenario.
Practice learning would include developing a skill, or ability through physical means. This would be something like improving or picking up a skill (guitar, programming, etc.). This could also be
Extrinsic Learning would be learning something in order to do/accomplish something other than the learning itself. For example, if you wanted to build a website, the reason you would learn about HTML would be as a means to build the website. This can involve a combination of Informational and Practice learning as a means of reaching a state outside of the learning.
Extrinsic is specified because the method of evaluated and determined what to learn is different. Or at least I feel like it's different.
I have included Extrinsic learning, so should I also include Intrinsic learning as well?
Biology
There is this great video from TED-Ed [9] that discusses how practice effects the body.
The Learning Process:
Encoding
Encoding is the part of the process that involves taking in the information. Information encoding takes place when you are reading a book, or watching a video, or sitting in a lecture. However, not all techniques have the same effectiveness of encoding.
ADHD and impared encoding.
Investigate encoding to retention ratio of time spent.
What are some techniques that can be used to improve the encoding phase of learning?
I find that I take in a lot of various information. However, none of it seems to stay when I would need to use the information. Or I don't really understand the information I do encode enough to use it in context to learn more information.
An example of this would be passively watching online course material and then trying to use the information sometime later. I recently have tried to make a habit of reading a few pages each day, as well as watch a few online course lectures each day. However when I really would like to recall the information could be days, or weeks later.
I would like to have a better understanding of how to better encode the information so that I can use it and recall it when I would like to. Or would have enough understanding of the material in order to use it in practice. (Watching a coding video about a concept, and then being able to use that concept to solve a problem)
Research the Encoding part of the psychological process of learning.
Storage
The process of retaining information over time.
Research the Storage part of the psychological process of learning.
Retrieval
The ability to access and bring into thought information stored in memory.
Research the Retrieval part of the psychological process of learning.
The Different Learning Stages:
~ The First 20 Hours [1]
- Cognitive (Early) Stage—understanding what you’re trying to do, researching, thinking about the process, and breaking the skill into manageable parts.
- Associative (Intermediate) Stage—practicing the task, noticing environmental feedback, and adjusting your approach based on that feedback.
- Autonomous (Late) Stage—performing the skill effectively and efficiently without thinking about it or paying unnecessary attention to the process.
Do More research on these different stages and how they fit into the overall schema of learning.
Learning Analogies/Metaphors
Physical and Mental Working Out
There are a lot of interesting parrallels between the process of working out and increasing muscle mass to learning.
Overload - in physical fitness overload is the point where your muscles become exhausted. If you attempt to push past overload you may injure yourself. Your goal is to exercise to overload. This let's your body know that you need more strength in that muscle in the future.
I believe that there is a similar concept within your brain where you reach a 'mental overload'. A point where you can no longer efficiently take in more new information, are mentally exhausted and require rest. While I am not sure whether reaching mental overload causes the brain to build back stronger. I am fairly certain that pushing past mental overload too many times in seccession will lead to burnout.
UPDATE: I've recently come across a video[8] that discusses my exact theory on overloading focus. I'm going to give it a try and see if it works for me.
Rest - The process of exercising tears your muscle fibers. The period of rest inbetween exercises is where you body repairs itself and builds on top of where it was before the workout.
Rest has a lot to do with how much you can effectively learn and retain from your practicie and studying. Resting during and after insensive studying or practice seems to yeild more results than studying or practice without breaks.
Reps
Celluar Evolution
Basic idea, before I forget it, is that learning has a very similar process to celluar evolution. You start off with learning one little cell of information. Small, atomic, can't communicate with other cells.
Then you start learning about multicelled information. Information that interacts with other concepts or ideas.
Eventually you start learning and being able to grasp larger and larger celled ideas and concepts. At some point you can think about the entire ecosystem of ideas, or see a multicelled concept and understand all of the interactions between the ideas and concepts that make up that larger idea.
This pattern repeats itself in so many fields and practices. In programming you learn single lines, like the IF statement, or how to use variables. Those are our single celled ideas. Then we start learning about functions. Functions are comprised of multiple lines and often involve one larger concept, such as 'updateObject'. At some point you start thinking in classes and eventually design patterns.
This pattern of celcular evolution appears in music as well. You start with learning notes, our cells. Then chords. Then different types of chords and patterns. Then different ways to use those chords, notes and such which comprise music.
Structure and Techniques:
This is where I will come up with differnet steps and strategies based on my previous research and experience that I will turn into a repeatable system for learning.
What is the order of conducting my own learning projects?
What will stop me from taking on too many learning projects at once?
Instead of Expecting we'll magically be able to stick to things ... it's often more helpful to plan for the variability in interest and motivation...
~ How To ADHD [7]
One of the peices of advice is to commit for a fixed amount of time, and evaulate whether or not it is worth it to continue. Additionally
"Something Something about only having 3 active projects at once" ~ 4,000 weeks
Step 0: Select What You Want To Learn
Decide what you want to learn.
Evaluate whether or not what you want to learn should be learned now, or wait until later. Think: Project Evaluation from 'How To Adhd'.
Step 1: Learning Intentions/Goals
What are the questions and things I should think about when starting out on a learning project?
How do I know when I've learned what I wanted to learn?
What should I clarify or think about before trying to learn something new or take on a new project?
How can I measure my progress in learning effectively?
How long should I be learning for?
How can I create a conducive environment for learning?
What are the best practices for setting and achieving learning goals?
What will ensure that I stick to my learning goals and reach my objectives?
How do we clarify something vague like 'I want to play the guitar' into something that can actually be achieved?
Spend about 10% of the time you want to practice a skill on planning out and researching about aquiring that skill.
Determine how profecient you need to be in order to feel like you've met your learning goal. Do you need to be a master of the craft in order to sing the song you want, or do you just need to know a few chords?
How can you break down your learning objective into a more concrete and specific goal? If you want to learn how to play improv guitar, what does that mean you need to practice?
Create a learning roadmap.
Aquire materials and remove obstacles to learning.
Step ?: Academic Learning
How can I identify the most important concepts in a new field of study?
How can I make sure that I will remember what I need, when I need it?
What techniques can help me learn more efficiently?
How do I balance learning new information with reinforcing old knowledge?
What is the role of feedback in the learning process?
Step ?: Practice
How can I make sure that I will remember what I need, when I need it?
What techniques can help me learn more efficiently?
How do I balance learning new information with reinforcing old knowledge?
What is the role of feedback in the learning process?
Step ?: Plateaus
What are effective strategies to overcome learning plateaus?
Step Z: Determine Where To Go From Here
Once you've finished your learning project, figure out if you are going to keep learning, pick a new project or what you are going to do.
Ideas and things to remember for later:
- Cover Interleaving and Creative Distractions Mentioned in the Planning section, and needs to be added to the Active Learning Section
- Bengamin Franklin Writing Style There is a story of how benjamin franklin learned how to write so well which involves mimicing the style of writing in his own words. include this story in the Active Learning Section.
- How to put in the hours? I've been hearing stories of people who put in crazy hours, 4+ hours a day into practice and wonder how they can do it. How can they keep themselves focused and on task for that long? The closest I've gotten is 'practicing' rocket league for 3 ish hours, when I was sick and couldn't do anything else.
- How to use ChatGPT for deep learning? I think that it can be used to correct assumptions and possibly for testing on material.
- Verifying the 10,000 hour rule. Example: this video on gold 10,000 hour video
- The 20 rules for creating effective flashcards: 20 Rules of formulating knowledge. As well as look into this source, which could also have useful information.
Organized Learning Research
Meta-Learning
Meta-learning means learning about the process of learning. It's about the different models of the brain and learning.
Knowing how your brain works when learn effectively helps you learn faster and better. It means you can adjust how you study or practice to make sure you're getting the most out of your time.
- Nuerons that fire together, wire together.
- Research on talent development emphasizes the role of myelin in the brain, growing with practice to speed up and refine skill execution. [3]
- Myelin's growth responds directly to practice, not mere thought, underscoring action's importance in learning and skill acquisition. [3]
Initial Exploration:
Initial Exploration is the phase where learners identify what they want to learn, why it matters to them, and how it aligns with their goals and interests. This stage sets the foundation for a successful learning journey.
This phase is crucial because it fuels motivation and ensures the learner's commitment by aligning the learning process with their intrinsic interests and goals. It establishes a clear direction and purpose, which are essential for sustained engagement and perseverance.
- Align Learning Topic With Interests. Choose a loveable project that excites you. [1] You can't learn if you aren't interested in doing so. [4] Recognize the timportance of wanting to learn and find ways to make skills and knowledge personally meaningful. [4]
- Research Your Learning Topic. Spend time gathering resources, and identifying important subskills and tools for the skills you're learning. [1] Have I done research on the typical ways of learning this subject or skill? [2] Have I spent about 10 percent of the total time on preparing my project? [2] Identify whether it is a hard skill or soft skill. [3]
- Talk With Practitioners To Set Expectations. Understand realistic outcomes and the complexity of the skill from those who have mastered it. [1] Observing top performers intensely helps with motivation and skill development. [3] Pay attention to their learning strategies. [2] Have I interviewed successful learners to see what resources and advice they can recommend? [2] Encourage learners by providing support, praise, and social encouragement while emphasizing the importance of effort over innate intelligence. [4]
How is 'Initial Exploration' different than planning?
How is 'Initial Exploration' different than planning?
- Initial Explortaion is brainstorming
- Deciding what to learn
- Discovering different things to learn
- Connects values, dreams and broad ambitions to a topic or area to learn
- Maybe learning about conditions or things that could help those closets to you
- Maybe learn how to relate to your friends better?
Planning:
The Planning Phase involves setting specific, measurable goals, defining the scope of what is to be learned, and organizing resources and schedules for learning activities.
Effective planning transforms vague ambitions into actionable steps, creating a roadmap for success. It helps manage time and resources efficiently, reduces overwhelm by breaking down the learning into manageable tasks, and increases the likelihood of achieving learning objectives.
- Focus on One Skill at a Time: Concentrate your energy on a single skill to avoid diluting your effort. [1]
- Set Realistic Goals: Avoid overly ambitious targets and focus on achievable benchmarks. [4] Use inversion to identify crucial elements of the skill by considering what would lead to failure. [1] Sharing your goals can undermine your motivation to achieve them, so it’s more effective to keep them private. [3]
- Define Your Target Performance Level. Clearly articulate what "good enough" looks like for the skill. [1] Determine what you want to learn and set a manageable scope. [2]
- Create A Learning Roadmap. Determine what the essential steps are you need to take in order to learn your topic or skill. [2] Break down the skill into smaller, manageable parts for focused practice. [1] Set specific goals, deadlines, and strategies for your learning process to stay focused. [4] Plan, schedule, and set SMART goals to stay on track. [5] Think about how the skill will be used and plan practice accordingly. [2]
- Identify Primpary Resources. Choose materials like books, videos, classes, or mentors. [2] Have additional resources and drills ready for further practice. [2] Obtain Critical Tools, gather all necessary tools and resources required for practicing the skill. [1] Look for a high-quality coach. Look for a teacher or coach who challenges you, gives clear and concise instructions, focuses on fundamentals, and ideally has a wealth of experience and knowledge. [3]
- Create A Learning Calendar. Allocate specific time blocks for practice, prioritizng skill development. [1] Decide on the length of your project and consider shorter commitments for focus. [2] Physically schedule your study times in a calendar for commitment and organization. [2] Allowing at least eight weeks for a new skill to develop is crucial for seeing significant progress and changes in teh brain. [3] Choose consistent times for learning (e.g., mornings, evenings, weekends). [2] Consistent daily practice(5 minutes a day for a week) is more beneficial than infrequent, longer sessions(1 hour once a week) for skill acquisition. [3] Intense, focused observation of a skill being performed helps create a detailed mental blueprint for mastering it. [3] Consider a Pilot Week to test your schedule for a week to adjust if necessary. [2]
- Eliminate Barriers to Practice: Remove obstacles that hinder consistent practice. [1]
- Create A Learning Journal. Keeping a performance journal, like a notebook or a collection of notes, helps in reflecting on past performances and planning future goals, thus aiding in skill improvement. [3] Make and Test Predictions. Enhance learning through experimentation and hypothesis testing. [1] Create Scaffolds and Checklists. Develop routines and checklists to streamline the practice process and focus on skill development. [1] Identify Mental Models and Hooks. Recognize recurring patterns and analogies to help understand and remember new concepts. [1] Utilize feedback mechanisms such as learning diaries and videos to monitor and improve your performance. [4]
Active Learning:
The Active Learning Phase is the heart of the learning process, where learners engage directly with the material through varied practices, apply what they've planned, and actively work on acquiring the skill or knowledge.
Active engagement with the material facilitates deeper understanding, enhances retention, and builds practical skills. This phase is where theoretical knowledge is transformed into practical expertise, making it crucial for the actualization of learning goals.
Should we divide up learning 'academically' vs. learning skills? Learning on paper vs. in practice?
- Follow the Plan: Start learning as per your plan while being open to adjustments. [2]
- Embrace An Effective Mindset: Be willing to make mistakes and appear foolish. [3] Engaging in challenging tasks that induce struggle is essential for brain growth and skill development. [3] Focus on what you aim to achieve in each practice rep, rather than on avoiding mistakes, to ensure a positive and effective learning experience. [3] Adopt a diligent, work-oriented approach to practice, emphasizing consistency and effort over relying on talent or inspiration. [3] Grit, a combination of passion and perseverance, is crucial for long-term success and can be developed through self-awareness and challenges. [3] Challenge yourself by pushing beyond your comfort zone to foster more effective learning. [4] Encourage a positive attitude towards failure, as it can lead to valuable learning experiences. [4] Embrace self-discipline to overcome challenges and stress during the learning process. [5] The most effective learning occurs just beyond your current abilities, where challenges are optimally balanced with your skill level. [3] Don’t Fall for the Prodigy Myth - Early success is not a reliable indicator of long-term success; persistent effort and resilience in the face of initial failure are key to developing talent. [3] Adopt a patient and strategic approach to skill development, understanding that growth takes time and consistent effort. [3] Acknowledge that learning requires effort and hard work, and celebrate even small accomplishments. [4]
- Focus: Am I focused when I spend time learning, or am I multitasking and distracted? Am I skipping learning sessions or procrastinating? When I start a session, how long does it take before Iʼm in a good flow? How long can I sustain that focus before my mind starts to wander? How sharp is my attention? Should it be more concentrated for intensity or more diffuse for creativity? [2] Eliminate Distractions; Create a focused practice environment by removing electronic and biological distractions. [1] Create distraction-free environments for learning, both in physical spaces and during presentations or lectures. [4] Manage focus and attention, taking scheduled breaks and eliminating distractions. [5] Simple, humble environments, as opposed to luxurious ones, are more conducive to deep practice and focusing attention on skill improvement. [3] Use "Repeat Backs": After receiving instructions, repeat them in your own words to enhance understanding and retention. [4]
- DIRECTNESS: Am I learning the skill in the way Iʼll eventually be using it? If not, what mental processes are missing from my practice that exist in the real environment? How can I practice transferring the knowledge I learn from my book/class/video to real life? [2]
- DRILL: Am I spending time focusing on the weakest points of my performance? What is the rate-limiting step that is holding me back? Does it feel as though my learning is slowing down and that thereʼs too many components of the skill to master? If so, how can I split apart a complex skill to work on smaller, more manageable components of it? [2] Don’t Do “Drills.” Instead, Play Small, Addictive Games - Transforming practice into engaging, measurable games can significantly enhance skill improvement. [3] Master skills by breaking them down into the smallest possible parts, mastering each part, then gradually combining them into larger wholes. [3] Each Day, Try to Build One Perfect Chunk - Aim for daily perfection in a small, defined skill area to build consistent progress over time. [3] Pay Attention Immediately After You Make a Mistake - Actively observing and learning from mistakes right after they happen enhances skill development by providing clear feedback for improvement. [3] To Learn a New Move, Exaggerate It - Overemphasizing new actions helps identify their boundaries and facilitates more precise mastery over time. [3] To Choose the Best Practice Method, Use the R.E.P.S. Gauge - Opt for practice methods that involve reaching, engagement, purposefulness, and strong, speedy feedback for the most effective learning. [3] Embrace Repetition - Repetition is crucial for skill development, enabling the strengthening and optimization of neural pathways through focused practice. [3] Progress in any field involves learning from and incorporating elements of top performers' techniques into one's own style. [3] Solo practice is crucial for focusing on specific skills and developing discipline, as it allows for intensive, undistracted work on areas of weakness. [3] Don’t Waste Time Trying to Break Bad Habits—Instead, Build New Ones - Focus on developing new, positive habits that can override and replace less desirable ones. [3] Jump in Over Your Head: Embrace concepts and techniques that are initially confusing; understanding will come with practice. [1] Take Off Your Watch - Focus on the quality and intensity of your practice, rather than the duration, by counting the number of effective repetitions. [3] Concluding practice sessions with a rewarding activity can enhance motivation and make practice more enjoyable. [3] Slow It Down (Even Slower Than You Think) - Practicing slowly magnifies errors and allows for precise adjustments, enhancing skill acquisition, especially for hard skills. [3] Close Your Eyes - Closing your eyes during practice can heighten other senses, push you towards your skill limits, and refresh familiar tasks, deepening learning. [3] Mime It - Practicing actions without equipment focuses attention on essential movements and improves skill accuracy. [3] When You Get It Right, Mark the Spot - Emphasize and memorize the sensations of a perfect practice rep to establish it as a benchmark for future attempts. [3] Use the Sandwich Technique - Alternate between correct and incorrect moves during practice to highlight and correct mistakes effectively. [3]
- Honor Your Biology: Respect your physical and mental limits; practice in optimal cycles for sustained concentration and rest. [1] Use timed sessions to maintain focus and productivity. [1] Use the 3 × 10 Technique - Practice a skill three times with ten-minute breaks in between each session for optimal learning and memory retention. [3]
- Reading Tips: Engage in four levels of reading: elementary, inspectional, analytical, and syntopical for deep comprehension. [5] Enhance reading skills by stopping subvocalizations and training eye movements. [5] Master strategic skimming by focusing on key information. [5] Conduct thorough research through gathering, filtering, pattern-finding, seeking dissent, and synthesis. [5] Prioritize deep learning by understanding concepts over surface memorization. [5] Ask critical questions to pull information and gain perspective. [5] Use the SQ3R method: Survey for an overview, question to engage, read for comprehension, recite to reinforce, and review for retention. [5]
- Note Taking Tips: Create Cornell notes with sections for taking notes, writing cues, and summarizing. [5] Think in Images - Using vivid, relatable images to understand and remember techniques ensures more effective and memorable learning. [3]
- Flash Card Tips: Think in Images - Using vivid, relatable images to understand and remember techniques ensures more effective and memorable learning. [3]
- Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: To Build Hard Skills, Work Like a Careful Carpenter - Developing hard skills necessitates a precise, slow, and error-focused approach to establish correct neural pathways. [3] To Build Soft Skills, Play Like a Skateboarder - Soft skills are developed through playful, exploratory engagement in varied and challenging environments, emphasizing agility and pattern recognition. [3] Honor the Hard Skills - Hard skills are foundational to talent development and should be prioritized and refined continuously, even by top performers. [3]
- Self Quizzing: Creating daily, targeted challenges can boost motivation and focus, leading to more effective skill development. [3] Avoid passive learning methods like rereading and instead engage in active strategies like self-quizzing and self-explaining. [4] Ask yourself questions after reading text, and practice recalling a passage in order to remember more of it. [4] Practice self-explanation to uncover blind spots in understanding. [5]
- Feynman Technique: Apply the Feynman technique, using analogies to clarify concepts. [5] Harness the power of analogies to explain new ideas and promote innovation. [4]
- Competition Tips: Practice Immediately After Performance - The period right after a performance is prime time for targeted practice to address and correct mistakes while they are fresh. [3] For Every Hour of Competition, Spend Five Hours Practicing - Balance competitive experiences with extensive practice to focus on skill development and avoid the distractions and pressures of games. [3]
- Learning Enviornment: Using smaller spaces for practice can intensify focus and increase the efficiency of learning by forcing more concentrated engagement with the skill. [3]
Enhancement:
Enhancement Strategies encompass advanced techniques and approaches to deepen understanding, improve retention, and refine skills beyond the foundational level acquired in the active learning phase.
These strategies are vital for overcoming plateaus, enhancing long-term retention, and achieving mastery. They introduce variety and challenges that stimulate further growth and prevent stagnation.
- RETRIEVAL. Am I spending most of my time reading and reviewing, or am I solving problems and recalling things from memory without looking at my notes? Do I have some way of testing myself, or do I just assume Iʼll remember? Can I successfully explain what I learned yesterday, last week, a year ago? How do I know if I can? [2]
- FEEDBACK. Am I getting honest feedback about my performance early on, or am I trying to dodge the punches and avoid criticism? Do I know what Iʼm learning well and what Iʼm not? Am I using feedback correctly, or am I overreacting to noisy data? [2] Create Fast Feedback Loops: Set up methods to receive immediate feedback on your performance. [1]
- RETENTION. Do I have a plan in place to remember what Iʼm learning long term? Am I spacing my exposure to information so it will stick longer? Am I turning factual knowledge into procedures that Iʼll retain? Am I overlearning the most critical aspects of the skill? [2] Use Spaced Repetition and Reinforcement for Memorization: Employ systematic review methods to reinforce and remember key concepts. [1] To Learn From a Book, Close the Book - Active engagement through summarization after reading enhances retention and understanding more than passive rereading. [3]
- Emphasize Quantity and Speed: Prioritize the volume of practice over perfection, especially in early stages. [1]
- INTUITION. Do I deeply understand the things Iʼm learning, or am I just memorizing? Could I teach the ideas and procedures Iʼm studying to someone else? Is it clear to me why what Iʼm learning is true, or does it all seem arbitrary and unrelated? [2]
- EXPERIMENTATION. Am I getting stuck with my current resources and techniques? Do I need to branch out and try new approaches to reach my goal? How can I go beyond mastering the basics and create a unique style to solve problems creatively and do things others havenʼt explored before? [2] Change your practice method to disrupt autopilot and push past plateaus by using techniques like altering speed or practicing in reverse. [3] Mix different learning activities to gain a better sense of how concepts and skills relate. [4]
- Rest Properly: Napping enhances learning by solidifying neural connections made during practice and preparing the brain for absorbing new information. [3] Stop Before You’re Exhausted - Practicing until fatigue sets in can hinder learning by causing errors and bad habits, so it's crucial to stop while still fresh and focused. [3] Just Before Sleep, Watch a Mental Movie - Visualization of perfect performance before sleeping can enhance skill acquisition and confidence. [3]
- Teach It: To Learn It More Deeply, Teach It - Teaching a skill to others can enhance your own understanding and mastery of it, while also benefiting from mixed-age learning environments. [3] Six Ways to Be a Better Teacher or Coach - Effective teaching strategies include connecting emotionally, delivering concise information, avoiding vague language, creating a custom scorecard, maximizing active engagement, and fostering independent learning. [3] Provide Effective Feedback: When giving feedback, offer observations and structured hints to guide the learner. [4] Explain ideas or skills to yourself and others to gain a deeper understanding. [4]
- Reflect on Your Learning: Regularly think about how your thinking has evolved and what you've learned, and identify areas for further improvement. [4] Combat overconfidence by encouraging learners to reflect on what they've learned and identify areas of misunderstanding. What did I learn? What was hard to understand? What seems unclear? [4] To avoid the pitfalls of overconfidence, ask yourself: Do I really know what I think I know? [4]
- Deepen Understanding: Go beyond the basics by expanding your skills and knowledge through practice and self-explanation. [4] Understand the connections between different details and procedures within your area of expertise. [4] Explore hypothetical situations to deepen your understanding of complex subjects. [4] Create concept maps to visually represent relationships between knowledge and skills. [4] Seek input from individuals with diverse experiences to enhance your learning. [4] Remember that learning is about grasping the organized and intelligible system within a specific field of expertise. [4]
Evaluation and Maintenance:
Evaluation and Maintenance involve assessing progress towards learning goals, reflecting on what has been learned, and implementing strategies to retain knowledge and skills over time.
Regular evaluation helps learners recognize achievements and areas needing improvement, fostering a growth mindset. Maintenance ensures the durability of learning, preventing the decay of knowledge and skills.
- Self-Evaluation: Regularly assess your learning methods and progress, adapting as needed. [2] After completion, reflect on what worked and what didn’t. [2] Use your experience to improve future learning projects. [2]
- Adjust Future Plans: Make necessary changes in approach for subsequent projects. [2]
- Maintenance: Continue practicing at a sustainable level to retain the skill. [2]
- Relearning: Accept some forgetting, with the plan to quickly relearn as needed. [2]
- Mastery: Deepen your knowledge and skill with further practice or projects. [2]
Footnotes:
- Josh Kaufman: The First 20 Hours Learn Anything... Fast
- Scott H. Young: Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
- Daniel Coyle: The Little Book of Talent
- Ulrich Boser: Learn Better
- Peter Hollins: The Science of Self-Learning
- Gabriel Wyner: Fluent Forever
- Jessica McCabe: How to ADHD
- Salim Ahmed: How To 16x Your Focus Permanently in 5 Mins
- TED-Ed: How to practice effectively... for just about anything