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I recently got my marks back from University. My grade point average was a 4.2 out of a possible 4.5, resting between an A and a perfect A+. In itself, this isnt an incredible achievement. But I managed to do this while spending only a fraction of the time studying than many of the people I knew. Is it just natural talent? Perhaps. Ive always had a knack for understanding concepts and learning new ideas. But I also believe the way I learned the information played a role. Instead of cramming last minute or memorizing details, I try to organize information in a way that makes it easier to recall. This strategy of organization I label holistic learning. Holistic learning is simply the process of organizing information into webs, that interconnect ideas. Instead of forcing ideas into your skull, you focus on the relationships between information. Linking ideas together to see the whole, instead of just the parts. Building an Understanding Learning is a process similar to building a house. You arent fed the complete picture. Limitations on communication prevent the instantaneous transmission of knowledge. Instead you listen to lectures, read textbooks and take painstaking notes to try and comprehend a subject. You are fed building supplies, bricks, mortar and glass. It is up to you to assemble the building. Unfortunately, most learning strategies fall into two basic types:
1. Memorization Instead of building anything you simply stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position. 2. Formulas This is the equivalent to being blind, fumbling around a new house. You cant see the building itself but you learn to come up with simple rules to avoid walking into walls. There is nothing particularly wrong with either of these strategies, assuming they arent your entire strategy. The human brain isnt a computer so it cant memorize infinite sums of knowledge without some form of structure. And formulas no longer work if the questions they are designed to solve change scope. Learning Holistically The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture. Here are some ideas to get started: 1. Metaphor Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer. 2. Use All Your Senses - Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting. 3. Teach It - Find someone who doesnt understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes
explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect. 4. Leave No Islands When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you wont be able to reach them during a test. 5. Test Your Mobility - A good way to know you havent linked enough is that you cant move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you cant jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you wont be able to think through the connections during a test. 6. Find Patterns Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to if statements in programming languages. 7. Build a Large Foundation - Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn. 8. Dont Force - I dont spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning. 9. Build Models Models are simple concepts that arent true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand. When I was trying to tackle the concept of subspaces, I visualized a blue background with a red plane going through it. This isnt an entirely accurate representation of what a subspace is, but it created a workable image for future ideas.
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highlighted textbook doesnt matter if you dont understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Dont be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.
In the U.S. and U.K., speaking a foreign language isnt necessarily valued, because we arent always confronted with opportunities to learn and use other languages. But once you get outside of North America, monolingualism is far from the norm. And if youre thinking of traveling or studying abroad, learning a new language is imperative. Actually speaking a foreign language fluently takes a lot of hard work and practice. Even if you study every day, it can take years to master some languages. Meanwhile, you start to get frustrated at your lack of progress and you want to give up. Dont. There are all kinds of rewards associated with speaking a second language. Not just intangible rewards, like being able to chat with locals when you travel, but psychological and health rewards as well. Studies show that being able to speak a second language may help you multitask and prevent dementia. So if you want to reap all of the benefits of speaking a second language, how can you continue working on your language skills without getting burnt out? Here are 6 tips to simplify your language learning. You may also be interested in: Is Studying Abroad Worth The Cost?
2. Speak the language as much as you can (especially with native speakers).
It goes without saying that the best way to learn how to speak a language is to actually speak it. Reading and studying grammar books will only get you so far. And yet, its so easy to get trapped in the not-good-enough mindset, where you dont speak because you think you dont speak well enough. And then your speaking doesnt get better. I know this from firsthand experience, because I basically refused to speak French all throughout high school. I was embarrassed that I would make mistakes and have a terrible accent.
When I went to the Middlebury College Language School after my first year of college, and was forced to speak French 24/7, I got placed in graduate level classes because my written French was so good. It took years to build up confidence speaking, but now, Im married to a French guy, and French people ask me regularly what region of France Im from. So make an effort to communicate with native speakers of your language. Youll learn a lot more in a 5 minute conversation with a native Spanish speaker than you will from another English speaker whos had 2 years of college Spanish. Try to spend 80% of your time speaking with those who speak the language better than you. (If youre in a program like Middleburys, dont neglect students who dont speak as well as you do. Part of the purpose of the program is to help lower-level speakers.)
Even listening to the language in the background will help you to pick up information on how the language is spoken.
If you misspeak, and catch your mistake, immediately correct yourself by repeating the sentence correctly. It will help you program your brain to avoid making the same mistake again, and solidify the grammar rules in your mind.
6. Carry around a notebook and write down new words you learn.
One thing I did at Middlebury and during my first year in France was carry around a small notebook. Any time I heard a word I didnt know, Id write it down (asking the other person to spell it, if necessary). After a few weeks, I had a great resource to look at whenever I thought, Oh, I remember talking about that recently, but I forget what its called. And just as importantly, I had a written record of all of the words I learned. If youre in the beginning stages of learning a language, this process might be too overwhelming, since youre learning new words all the time. But once you get to an intermediate or advanced level, your learning process slows down. In the beginning, you progressed easily because you were learning simple verb tenses and lists of super useful vocabulary that you use every day hello, How are you?, Can I have a pen, please? and when you get past that stage, the learning suddenly gets more difficult. When youre advanced, keeping a record of the words you learn can also help you from getting frustrated and thinking that you arent learning anything new. As long as you use the language, youll always be progressing. The secret technique for learning foreign language: How to Hack Language Learning
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