I recently got my marks back from the university. The grade average was 4.2 out of 4.5 possible, resting between A and A + perfect. In itself, this is not an incredible achievement. But I managed to do this while spending only a small portion of the time taught by many people I knew.
Is it just a natural talent? Maybe. He has always been a talent to understand concepts and learn new ideas. But I also think that the way I learned information played a role. Instead of stacking the last minute or saving details, I try to organize information in a way that makes it easier to remember.
This strategy of the first organization called mass learning. Comprehensive learning is simply the process of organizing information in networks, connecting ideas. Instead of forcing ideas on your skull, focus on the relationships between information. Connect the ideas together to see the whole, instead of just parts.
Building understanding
1/ Learning is a similar process to building a home. You do not feed the whole picture. Restrictions on communications prevent the transfer of knowledge immediately. Alternatively you can listen to lectures, read textbooks and take strenuous notes to try and understand a topic.
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:
Memorization - Instead of building anything you just stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position.
Formulas - this is equivalent to being blind, feeling about a new home. You can not see the building itself but you learn how to come up with simple rules to avoid walking in the walls.
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2/ There is no particular error in any of these strategies, assuming it is not your entire strategy. The human brain is not a computer so that countless amounts of knowledge can be saved without form of structure. The formulas no longer work if the questions are designed to resolve the scope of the change.
Holistic learning
The alternative strategy is to focus on using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing the information so that it fits in the larger picture. Here are some ideas to get you started:
3/ Metaphor - metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find the relationships between the information, go out with the analog to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a chain. Make metaphors comparing parts of the brain with sections of your computer.
Use all your senses - abstract thoughts are difficult to keep because they are so far from our senses. Turn them closer by coming out with vivid images, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a specific selection of the matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one funny and put one.
4/ Teaching - Find someone who does not understand the subject and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Five minutes can spend explaining the concept can provide you hours of study combination for the same effect.
Leave No Islands - When you read through a textbook, every piece of information must connect with something else you've learned. Learners fast do this automatically, but if you leave the islands information, you will not be able to access them during the test.
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5/ Test Your Mobility - A good way to find out that you did not hook enough is that you can not move between concepts. Open a word document and start explaining the topic you are working with. If you can not jump between sections, refer to one idea to help explain another, you will not be able to think through communication during the test.
6 / Search for patterns - look for patterns in the information. The information becomes easier to organize if you can identify more similar patterns across different topics. The way in which neural fire ignites is similar to "if" in programming languages.
7 / Build a large institution - Read a lot A general understanding of many topics gives you a lot of flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.
8 / No power - I do not spend too much time studying before exams. Compulsory information over the past few days is incredibly effective. Instead try to slowly link ideas as they come to you so that you will study a quick summary instead of trying first in learning.
9 / Construction models - Models are simple concepts that are not true in themselves, but useful to describe abstract ideas. The crystallization of a particular mental image or experience can create a model you can refer to when trying to understand. When I try to touch the concept of sub surfaces, visualize a blue background with a red plane passing by. This is not a very accurate representation of what is the sub space, but it is creating a viable image for future ideas.
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10 / Learning in your head - having beautiful notes and clearly highlighted textbooks does not matter if you do not understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick to you for tasks, tests and life. Do not be afraid to get messy when you skip ideas on paper and tie them in your head. Use notes and books as a learning tool rather than as a final result.