Chunking Flashcards
What is chunking?
The mental leap that helps you unite bits of information together through meaning.
What is a chunk?
A network of neurons that are used to firing together SO THAT you can think a thought or perform an action smoothly and effectively.
How do you start making a chunk?
Focus mode learning starts a chunk: focusing your attention to connect parts of the brain to tie together ideas.
Why is context important?
Context helps you understand what is really going on and how the concept fits together with other concepts you’re learning.
How to set yourself up to create chunks for mastery?
1: get an initial sense of the pattern you want to master: to hang your neural scaffolding. (Later you can knit them into larger, more complex chunks.)
2: Focus on the connections between the steps. (helps you learn the map so that you can innovate your way through it).
How to form a chunk:
1: Focus your undivided attention on the information you want to chunk.
2: Understand the basic idea. (grasping* (going between focused & diffuse modes) and reviewing for understanding)
3: Practice ensures that the neural connections are firm and accessible from many pathways. This helps you Gain context, so you see not just how but also when to use this chunk, knowing where your chunk fits into the bigger picture.
How do you truly grasp an idea?
Allow the focused and diffused modes of thinking to take turns in helping you figure out what is going on.
Does understanding a thing mean you could do that thing?
no, only DOING it yourself creates the neural pathways of mastery.
What is understanding?
The superglue that holds memory traces together.
Learning takes place in what Two Ways?
Top Down: What you’re learning and where it fits in (context); Bottom Up: Chunking. And in the middle, where they meet is CONTEXT so that you understand when to use that tool/chunk.
What is one of the best ways to learn?
Recall! The retrieval process enhances deep learning.
Does it matter where you practice Recall?
Yes it does: staying in the same place is not as beneficial as trying to recall in different places because the brain has such a strong visual/spatial memory ability.
**You can gain stronger recall by practicing in a NEW environment.
**Recalling material outside your usual place strengthens your grasp of the material.
How can you make sure you’re learning and not fooling yourself with illusions of competence?
Testing yourself. You must be able to pull out the information and use it yourself, that is mastery.
What is interleaving?
Jumping back and forth between the concepts you practice AND mixing around strategies and concepts you use to solve problems.
Skipping around like this helps you to learn more deeply.
Ways to do this include: Mixing up notecards, skipping around the chapter reading, mixing up test problems.
