Learning How to Learn Flashcards
Pomodoro Technique
Time management technique that consists of setting a timer for generally 25 minutes, where a person focuses without any interruptions on a task. This activity is usually followed by a rewarding break.
Hint: This technique can be very efficient when used in bursts of multiple sessions. Even if the standard time is 25 minutes, it can be modulated to best fit our purposes/situation. For instance, if we find ourselves in a severe case of procrastination for whatever reasons, we can start with 5 minutes and slowly and gradually increase the time day by day or week by week.
Procrastination
Avoiding to do something by doing something else.
Example: instead of working on her Russian exam, Barbara decided it was a better idea to clean up her room.
Hint: One of the strategies to deal with procrastination is to control the cues which trigger it. Are we distracted by the notifications on our phone? Wouldn’t it then be wiser to temporarily put the device on silent or turn it off altogether?
Diffused Thinking Mode
“Relaxed” type of thinking style. It’s more related to a “background” type of thinking which occurs when a person is doing something else.
Example: while he was focusing on his painting, Terrance’s mind suddenly came up with the solution to the math problem he was trying to solve for months.
Hint: Sometimes, the best solution to solve a problem we’re stuck on, seems to simply be doing something that clears our mind of all the tension we went through.
Chunks
Bits of information in our mind.
Example: the concept of bird is formed by several chunks such as “flying”, “feather,” “beak”,etc.
Hint: High quality chunks are formed and better stocked in memory when we use all of our attention on the task at hand. So better avoid that multitasking…
Working Memory
Type of memory with limited capacity that temporarily holds information for further processing.
Example: we use this type of memory when we’re asked to retain a phone number.
Hints: Working memory is highly dependent on our attention. To make the best use of it, it’s better to keep it simple, and not juggle with several things at a time.
Illusion of Competence
The belief of doing something efficiently when in reality we’re not.
Example: research has shown that only re-reading source material not only prevents people from learning it efficiently but also gives them the false impression of knowing it well.
Hint: One of the best ways to make sure we’re doing something right, is to test ourselves. Just like we’re doing now! We’re way ahead of this hint, aren’t we?
Focused Thinking Mode
A thinking style that usually requires us to focus continually and intensely for an extended period of a time on a specific object. This type of thinking is usually used to solve problems and understand concepts more deeply.
Example: focusing without interruption on a scientific article for 25 minutes.
Hint: Focus (or attention), is like a muscle. We can force ourselves to stay focused for a period of time but without trying too hard. Like the muscle, our brains need time to recover.
Short-Term Memory
Type of memory that retains information for a short period of time.
Example: studying a theory will likely make it remain in our heads for a while but will get erased if we don’t rehearse it regularly.
Hint: When reading a text, it’s best to highlight a few key words or a sentence by paragraph. That way, we’re sure to retain the principle ideas and not to overwhelm our short-term memory.
Chunking
It’s the assembling of chunks, that help us make sense of the world and understand more difficult concepts.
Example: the concept of “car” is formed by several interlinked chunks, such as wheels, engine but also chunks related to its smell, shape, and sound.
Hint: We’re chunking when we focus on solving a problem but the brain is also chunking when we perform random tasks/hobbies in our lives. The second type of chunking is more similar to intuition and usually requires to be verified with the focused thinking mode.
Spaced Repetition
Technique that consists of repeating information over a certain number of days which favors long-term retention.
Example: research has shown that repeating a number of vocabulary words on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday is more productive than repeating them several times over the course of a single day.
Hint: We can prioritize hard to learn concepts and repeat them more often to save precious time. No need to repeat every single thing in detail every day.
Quitting Time
It concerns the action of planning a “down time” in our life, which allows us to recover from and reward ourselves for our efforts, hence helping us to stay motivated in our future endeavors.
Hint: Life’s circumstances and personal preferences play a grand role in the planing of our quitting time. How much time off do we think we need to function properly? If there’s an exception, do we think we can handle it?
Law of Serendipity
A phenomenon which stipulates that lady luck favors those who try. In other words, a person who tries to reach her goals has an increased chance of attaining them compared to person who doesn’t.
Hint: Being given the solution on silver plate is not the same as trying to figure things out by ourselves. The process of trial and error builds increasingly more neuronal connections in our brains, thus making us sensibly smarter.
Einstellung Effect
A phenomenon in which having an idea can occlude and/or prevent the rise of new, fresh ideas.
Hint: To avoid finding ourselves in this situation, one solution is to note down our idea and pretend it’s bad (even if it looks great), then try to come up with new solutions, write them down and repeat the process as much as needed. This stimulates creativity, ensures having alternatives and avoids struggling with divers biases.
Habit
Automated behavior that allows us to save energy.
Example: procrastination is an example of bad habit and having a regular sleep schedule is an example of good habit.
Hint: Did you know that you could make the inventory of your good and bad habits? On paper or other electronic devices, it can give you a strategic overview, make it more concrete and easier to tackle unwanted habits and improve good habits.
Astrocytes
Support cells to neurons that distributes nutrients, maintain the extracellular ionic balance and are involved in repair mechanisms after a brain injury.
Hint: Researchers suspect that astrocytes might play a bigger role in learning then we previously thought. These cells are highly dependent on our life style. Therefore, diet, exercise and sleep could greatly improve our cognitive capabilities.
