Week 2: Chunking Flashcards
Learning: What is chunking?
Grouping of coherent information. If you divide a difficult subject into chunks, it will help you to see the bigger picture, and to remember the individual chunks better, because you can relate the information together. Think of learning a song where you learn a phrase at a time. Over time you add these chunks together and learn the complete song. The best chunks are the ones that are so well engrained, that you don’t have to consciously think about connecting the neural pathway together.
Learning: When using a worked out example to help you to learn something, what is often overlooked?
The connection between the steps of a solution. Most people focus too much on the individual steps.
Learning: What are the different steps of chunking?
1) focus your undivided attention on the subject.
2) Understand the basic idea you’re trying to chunk.
=> allow the focussed and diffused to interchange
3) Gain context: so you can not only say how, but when to use this chunk.
4) practice
Learning: how important is understanding in chunking?
Very important. It is like superglue that holds the underlying bits of information together.
Learning: Is understanding enough to remember chunks?
No, this does not create a chunk that you can recall later. You need to review it fairly soon after you learn it.
Learning: One common mistake that learners make is to refuse to move on in their reading until they fully understand the material in the book in front of them. But sometimes skipping ahead can help. Which learning practice might help prevent getting bogged down by petty details before you begin to see the bigger picture?
Try taking a “picture walk” through the material to gain big picture context before diving into the details
Learning: Is re-reading a useful study tool?
No, you must recall the material.
Learning: How do you use ‘recall’ study method?
After reading, turn the book away and see what you can recall.
Learning: Is concept mapping an effective study tool?
No, you must use recall to study. It’s like learning advanced chess, before you know the basic concepts of how the pieces move.
Learning: What is the biggest illusion of mastering material?
When you look at a solution and you think you got it. => It is not your solution, it is not persisted in your memory.
Learning: Is underlining and highlighting an effective study method?
No because you fool your brain into thinking you know stuff. As if making lots of motions with your hand can fool you into thinking you’ve placed the concept in your head. So keep it to a minimum.
Learning: Are notes you make in the margin of a document a good study method?
Yes.
Learning: How can you make sure you’re not fooling yourself when learning?
Test your knowledge. Mistakes help correct your thinking.
Learning: Why is it important to recall material outside of the room/setting where you first learned it?
Because you subliminally attach information of the room to the material. This can throw you off when you need the material in another setting.
Learning: Motivation is controlled by what chemical substance? How is it activated/increased?
Dopamine. It increases if an expected or unexpected reward presents itself. This is why a treat after a study session in the pomodore technique is so important.
Learning: Discuss the Serotonin molecule.
Affects your social life. In monkey troops the alpha male has the highest level. It is also linked to risk taking, with high risk linked to lower serotin levels.
Learning: What are the three chemicals that are important for learning?
Serotin
Dopamine
Acetylcholine
Learning: How do your emotions impact learning?
Very much. Your emotions impact your amygdala. And a happy amygdala means better cognition.
Learning: What does acetylcholine do for your learning?
Form connections that are very important for focussed learning.
Learning: What is the value of a big library of chunks?
You can connect them in new ways through diffuse thinking. The bigger your library, the easier it also gets to figure out problems and find solutions.
Learning: Discuss chunk ‘transfer’
Chunks can help you solve problems in other chunks. E.g. concepts you learn in physics can help you in studies of economics.
Learning: What are the two ways to solve problems? What do you use for the difficult problems?
1) sequential step by step reasoning (focussed mode)
2) Holistic, global intuition (diffused mode). Used for the difficult problems, because they make bigger jumps between chunks (connections you cannot find through step by step reasoning). SOLUTIONS SHOULD BE VERIFIED THROUG SEQUENTIAL REASONING!
Learning: explain law of serendipity? Why is it important in learning?
‘Lady luck favors the one who tries’. When you are feeling overwhelmed by many concepts (chunks) you must learn for a subject, just choose one and start learning. The next one will be easier…
Learning: What is overlearning? What are the benefits? What happens when you overlearn in one session?
If you continue learning something after you mastered it. It helps for internalizing so you don’t have to think about it when performing it. e.g. a tennis serve.
If you overlearn too much in one session, it can be a wast of valuable study time, because the long term memory are not strengthened anymore.
