If you& #39;re going to learn anything, learn how to learn.

//thread//
This thread is the summary of a course I recently did on "Learning How to Learn for Youth" from @ASU

The link to the entire course is at the end.

Note– I have not written this by myself. I have just compiled it from different sources.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="1️⃣" title="Tastenkappe Ziffer 1" aria-label="Emoji: Tastenkappe Ziffer 1"> What is learning?

Let us break this down into two parts.

Focused thinking https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆚" title="Quadratisches VS" aria-label="Emoji: Quadratisches VS"> Diffused thinking.

Focused thinking involves working on a singular task, like reading this thread.

Diffused thinking happens when you& #39;re not focused on anything, like when you are taking a walk.
Learning happens at the crossover of these two kinds of thinking.

It you want to learn something, it& #39;s important to take advantage of these two kinds of thinking.

Combine intense periods of focus with intense periods of nothing.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="2️⃣" title="Tastenkappe Ziffer 2" aria-label="Emoji: Tastenkappe Ziffer 2"> Procrastination and how to combat it.

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔴" title="Roter Kreis" aria-label="Emoji: Roter Kreis">The Pomodoro techniquehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔴" title="Roter Kreis" aria-label="Emoji: Roter Kreis">

You set a timer and do nothing except what you wanted to work on for the duration.

Even if it gets difficult, you keep working on it until the timer is done.
A typical one is 25-minutes of focused work with a 5-minute break afterwards.

But you can choose.

30/10
45/15
60/ 10

If 25-minutes is too long, start with 10 and make your way up.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="3️⃣" title="Tastenkappe Ziffer 3" aria-label="Emoji: Tastenkappe Ziffer 3"> Sleep your way to better learning.

There& #39;s a reason famous thinkers like Einstein and Salvatore Dali would sleep for 10-hours at a time and tap multiple naps during the day.

Being in focused mode is to brain cells what lifting weights is to muscles.
You& #39;re breaking them down.

Sleep provides an opportunity for them to be repaired and for new connections to be formed.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="4️⃣" title="Tastenkappe Ziffer 4" aria-label="Emoji: Tastenkappe Ziffer 4"> Spaced repetition, a little every day.

Spaced repetition involves practising something in small timeframes and as you get better at it, increasing the amount of time between each timeframe.

Don& #39;t break the chain. Do it every day.

Go over the difficult stuff more often.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="5️⃣" title="Tastenkappe Ziffer 5" aria-label="Emoji: Tastenkappe Ziffer 5"> Deliberate practice: do the hard thing.

You don& #39;t have to learn every intricate detail about a topic from the get go.

Seek out what the major concepts are and learn them.

Spending more time on the things you find more difficult is how an average mind turns into a great one
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="6️⃣" title="Tastenkappe Ziffer 6" aria-label="Emoji: Tastenkappe Ziffer 6"> Einstellung– don& #39;t be held back by old thoughts.

You upgrade your smartphone& #39;s software but...

When was the last time you upgraded your thinking?

When learning something new, have an open mind.

Think like an amateur. Ask stupid questions.

This is how you learn.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="7️⃣" title="Tastenkappe Ziffer 7" aria-label="Emoji: Tastenkappe Ziffer 7"> Recall— what did you just learn?

Practice recalling what you read so far.

Don& #39;t scroll back up.

Think about what you just read and try to articulate it in your own words.

This is what helps you understand what you have learnt and what you *think* you have learnt.
Rereading the same thing over and over again can give you an illusion of understanding it.

But recalling it and reproducing the information in your own words is a way to figure out which parts you know and which parts you don& #39;t.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="8️⃣" title="Tastenkappe Ziffer 8" aria-label="Emoji: Tastenkappe Ziffer 8"> How to build a habit around learning?

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="➡" title="Pfeil nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach rechts"> Make a cue— something that reminds you to get down to work

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="➡" title="Pfeil nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach rechts"> Make a routine— like learning every day after lunch

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="➡" title="Pfeil nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach rechts"> Create a reward— you can only use social media after covering the day& #39;s topics
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="➡" title="Pfeil nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach rechts"> Reinforce the belief— you will feel more confident about your learning ability and will take on more "hard" subjects

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="‼" title="Doppeltes Ausrufezeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Doppeltes Ausrufezeichen">Notehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="‼" title="Doppeltes Ausrufezeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Doppeltes Ausrufezeichen">

Don& #39;t think about the outcome right at the beginning.

Writing a bestselling book is hard.

But making a habit of writing every day isn& #39;t that hard.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔟" title="Taste 10" aria-label="Emoji: Taste 10"> Learning doesn& #39;t happen overnight.

Learning tough skills doesn& #39;t happen over the course of days or weeks or months.

Years is the right timeframe for most things.

If you believe you can& #39;t learn something, you& #39;re right.

It you believe you can learn something, you& #39;re right.
Book recommendations—

"Learn How to Learn for Youth" by @barbaraoakley and @sejnowski

"Make it Stick" by Peter C. Brown

"The Art of Changing the Brain" by James E. Zull

Course linkhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten"> https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn">https://www.coursera.org/learn/lea...
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