I often hear the phrase learning styles and wonder what people really mean. Are we pigeonholed form birth as to the RIGHT way WE need to learn? Just because you have learnt to learn one way does not rule out more effective ways of learning.
Studies into neuroplasticity ( ability of your brain to rewire itself) of the brain has opened new possibilities for our development in learning and education. Research into patients with severe mental trauma and disabilities has shown that the brain can reconnect some of the dots in order to function again.
What does this mean for you? You form new links too. Actually, they are already linked, just not strongly enough until you use them consistently.
Quick sum: The brain is filled with around 100 billion neurons. These can each have 10,000 synaptic connections to other neurons. Electrical pulses travel around these connections like a giant matrix. All your connections are made roughly until you are 15 years old. When you do something consistently (ie use a hammer), you reinforce the connection - essentially when you see a hammer you know exactly what to do, how to do it and obviously whether you can lift it.
But when see something new, you need to find the best way to do it. Sometimes we don't. We find the easiest way - like sweeping dirty clothes under your bed.
You reinforce that over time. Bad habits like not brushing your teeth? Reinforced. Eating too many cheeseburgers? Reinforced. When you start a new habit - like exercising in the morning, it's painful. Oh yes. Your brain, leading the creature of habit that we are, is quick to tell you it's not comfortable. But for anyone who's had to get up early for 2 weeks in a row - it becomes easy - YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT IT.
That's the point.
But don't think that you have to do something a certain amount of times for the reinforced pattern to stick - incentive works too. If i offered you $1 million to get up early for the next 2 weeks - you wouldn't worry at all! It would strengthen the connection in your brain almost immediately.
So, when your trying to learn something - think about what pattern your using. Is it from a long time ago? Why not think of a new one? Why not try a few? Einstein's definition of insanity is
"Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"
In what way are you insane?!
Why learn the hard way? ©
Tim Fairweather. Learning Coach
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Why your wasting your time studying, again.
Whether you are sick of getting the same response back from your teachers or just tired of missing the point, the easiest way for you to improve is to question the question.
Part 1 of 2 - “Why are they asking this?”
By asking this you are forcing you brain to act like a teacher / professor or marker instead of a student.
The real reason you’re stuck is that you are thinking like a student
Think about how you would write the course / subject your studying.
You would pick a textbook and materials that give you MOST of the answers but let the students stretch the last bit themselves. You want it to be easy to understand and match to what level of knowledge your course is expected to give them. You would use a combination of materials and methods: lectures, small classes, required readings, optional reading, homework, assignments, presentations and online discussion or research
Part 2 of 2 - Think about how you would set the exam.
You have the material already – lectures, tutorials/classes, homework and essay assignments and group work..
Therefore you can use anything you have covered there. You would identify what you think are the key, then you would highlight the areas that students get wrong most of the time.
This is your list for homework, tests and exams. You can even go and ask your professors or lecturers what their favorites are. That’s one of the easiest ways to find out what is on the exam before you sit it.
What area is the question asking me about? What topic? Or does it combine topics? Is it trying to get me to do an easy calculation or hard one – look at the marks involved. Maybe it’s a trick question, what is my gut feeling. Should i already know this? Where would i find it if i did?
Every question you will do in your research, homework, essay practice and studying is unique in that it is getting you to learn something very particular. Once you know what the question is asking, answering it usually simple! But sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a topic will be covered in depth in the exam from first sighting – don’t let this slow you down. Just answer some questions to get a feel. How do you know how many to do?
Do this next time your stuck:
Write down a brief paragraph on what the question is asking and WHY this question is being asked:
Eg.
What: This question is getting me to weigh up the reasons for abortion being considered a crime.
Why? Maybe because there is no obvious distinction as to when a foetus becomes a person. Killing a person is a crime, so depending on how far the foetus has grown could be considered murder...
As you keep writing down WHY this question is being asked each time you do a question you will notice that they start to repeat themselves. Especially in maths and science based subjects.
If that is the fifth time a particular question is getting you to determine what formula to use then you have undoubtedly covered most of the material that could possibly be asked in an exam – you just don’t know it.
Find out why something is being asked, what page are they trying to get me to look at, what formula to use, what legal case to refer to, what function in programming language, which of Newton’s Laws, what philosophical argument... the list goes on.
Once you know WHY it is being asked, it is much easier to give them the answer.
Why learn the hard way? ©
Tim Fairweather - Learning Coach.
Part 1 of 2 - “Why are they asking this?”
By asking this you are forcing you brain to act like a teacher / professor or marker instead of a student.
The real reason you’re stuck is that you are thinking like a student
Think about how you would write the course / subject your studying.
You would pick a textbook and materials that give you MOST of the answers but let the students stretch the last bit themselves. You want it to be easy to understand and match to what level of knowledge your course is expected to give them. You would use a combination of materials and methods: lectures, small classes, required readings, optional reading, homework, assignments, presentations and online discussion or research
Part 2 of 2 - Think about how you would set the exam.
You have the material already – lectures, tutorials/classes, homework and essay assignments and group work..
Therefore you can use anything you have covered there. You would identify what you think are the key, then you would highlight the areas that students get wrong most of the time.
This is your list for homework, tests and exams. You can even go and ask your professors or lecturers what their favorites are. That’s one of the easiest ways to find out what is on the exam before you sit it.
What area is the question asking me about? What topic? Or does it combine topics? Is it trying to get me to do an easy calculation or hard one – look at the marks involved. Maybe it’s a trick question, what is my gut feeling. Should i already know this? Where would i find it if i did?
Every question you will do in your research, homework, essay practice and studying is unique in that it is getting you to learn something very particular. Once you know what the question is asking, answering it usually simple! But sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a topic will be covered in depth in the exam from first sighting – don’t let this slow you down. Just answer some questions to get a feel. How do you know how many to do?
Do this next time your stuck:
Write down a brief paragraph on what the question is asking and WHY this question is being asked:
Eg.
What: This question is getting me to weigh up the reasons for abortion being considered a crime.
Why? Maybe because there is no obvious distinction as to when a foetus becomes a person. Killing a person is a crime, so depending on how far the foetus has grown could be considered murder...
As you keep writing down WHY this question is being asked each time you do a question you will notice that they start to repeat themselves. Especially in maths and science based subjects.
If that is the fifth time a particular question is getting you to determine what formula to use then you have undoubtedly covered most of the material that could possibly be asked in an exam – you just don’t know it.
Find out why something is being asked, what page are they trying to get me to look at, what formula to use, what legal case to refer to, what function in programming language, which of Newton’s Laws, what philosophical argument... the list goes on.
Once you know WHY it is being asked, it is much easier to give them the answer.
Why learn the hard way? ©
Tim Fairweather - Learning Coach.
Welcome to How To Learn
Welcome to students everywhere who want to stop wasting their time. You study too much. You study the wrong things. I studied too much of the wrong things.
The cost? Most of you will pass. All of you will have missed out of opportunities to hang out with your mates. Some more than others.
This site will bring you the latest brain research, cognitive learning ideas and techniques for you to halve your study time and get back your social life.
Firstly I want you to do well in school - wait, actually I want you to get the marks you need. The reason though is not because that's better, but because doing that, enables you to spend of your time on other things. I'm more interested in showing you how to learn to be a DJ than how to learn maths. Or kick a soccer ball. Or learn to salsa dance. The learning techniques are framed in school work but are for you to use in all the different parts of your life that you can think of.
My reason for writing and developing products for students is simple: I've spent enough time being one. I wasted so many nights trying to learn to pass exams that i forgot how you can make it easy. It's not so much how to study, but how you study. The process of learning is a LEARNING PROCESS. But for some reason we never think to keep a record of what WORKS for us.
I went to uni in Sydney, did a double major then got a job. Decided i did the wrong degree so did a Masters and got another job. Once i started that job i did ANOTHER degree. I'm 25 and have only now worked out how to do it. If you would like to learn how to learn, learn to study more effectively, or are just interested in how you can get the best out of your brain please read on.
My aim is to bring you information you can use - immediately. I'm writing a book and producing a program that i hope will be available to millions of students around the world who don't get the opportunity for a real education.
For teachers reading this, the site is not written for you. I was blessed with some great teachers. I unfortunately had many who were not as interested in me or what they taught. This site is to bring materials to THOSE students who need to help THEMSELVES acheive their goals.
Please email me at fairweathertim ( at ) hotmail.com and leave comments so that I cover the topics you want to hear.
The cost? Most of you will pass. All of you will have missed out of opportunities to hang out with your mates. Some more than others.
This site will bring you the latest brain research, cognitive learning ideas and techniques for you to halve your study time and get back your social life.
Firstly I want you to do well in school - wait, actually I want you to get the marks you need. The reason though is not because that's better, but because doing that, enables you to spend of your time on other things. I'm more interested in showing you how to learn to be a DJ than how to learn maths. Or kick a soccer ball. Or learn to salsa dance. The learning techniques are framed in school work but are for you to use in all the different parts of your life that you can think of.
My reason for writing and developing products for students is simple: I've spent enough time being one. I wasted so many nights trying to learn to pass exams that i forgot how you can make it easy. It's not so much how to study, but how you study. The process of learning is a LEARNING PROCESS. But for some reason we never think to keep a record of what WORKS for us.
I went to uni in Sydney, did a double major then got a job. Decided i did the wrong degree so did a Masters and got another job. Once i started that job i did ANOTHER degree. I'm 25 and have only now worked out how to do it. If you would like to learn how to learn, learn to study more effectively, or are just interested in how you can get the best out of your brain please read on.
My aim is to bring you information you can use - immediately. I'm writing a book and producing a program that i hope will be available to millions of students around the world who don't get the opportunity for a real education.
For teachers reading this, the site is not written for you. I was blessed with some great teachers. I unfortunately had many who were not as interested in me or what they taught. This site is to bring materials to THOSE students who need to help THEMSELVES acheive their goals.
Please email me at fairweathertim ( at ) hotmail.com and leave comments so that I cover the topics you want to hear.
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