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CourseHome(/learn/learninghowtolearn/home/welcome) Week4(/learn/learninghowtolearn/home/week/4) Reading

TheserulesformasynthesisofsomeofthemainideasofthecoursetheyareexcerptedfromthebookAMindfor
Numbers:HowtoExcelinMathandScience(EvenifYouFlunkedAlgebra),byBarbaraOakley,Penguin,July,
2014.Feelfreetocopytheserulesandredistributethem,aslongasyoukeeptheoriginalwordingandthiscitation.

10RulesofGoodStudying
1. Userecall.Afteryoureadapage,lookawayandrecallthemainideas.Highlightverylittle,andneverhighlightanythingyouhaventputinyourmindfirstby
recalling.Tryrecallingmainideaswhenyouarewalkingtoclassorinadifferentroomfromwhereyouoriginallylearnedit.Anabilitytorecalltogeneratethe
ideasfrominsideyourselfisoneofthekeyindicatorsofgoodlearning.
2. Testyourself.Oneverything.Allthetime.Flashcardsareyourfriend.
3. Chunkyourproblems.Chunkingisunderstandingandpracticingwithaproblemsolutionsothatitcanallcometomindinaflash.Afteryousolveaproblem,
rehearseit.Makesureyoucansolveitcoldeverystep.Pretenditsasongandlearntoplayitoverandoveragaininyourmind,sotheinformationcombines
intoonesmoothchunkyoucanpullupwheneveryouwant.
4. Spaceyourrepetition.Spreadoutyourlearninginanysubjectalittleeveryday,justlikeanathlete.Yourbrainislikeamuscleitcanhandleonlyalimited
amountofexerciseononesubjectatatime.
5. Alternatedifferentproblemsolvingtechniquesduringyourpractice.Neverpracticetoolongatanyonesessionusingonlyoneproblemsolvingtechnique
afterawhile,youarejustmimickingwhatyoudidonthepreviousproblem.Mixitupandworkondifferenttypesofproblems.Thisteachesyoubothhowand
whentouseatechnique.(Booksgenerallyarenotsetupthisway,soyoullneedtodothisonyourown.)Aftereveryassignmentandtest,gooveryourerrors,
makesureyouunderstandwhyyoumadethem,andthenreworkyoursolutions.Tostudymosteffectively,handwrite(donttype)aproblemononesideofa
flashcardandthesolutionontheother.(Handwritingbuildsstrongerneuralstructuresinmemorythantyping.)Youmightalsophotographthecardifyouwantto
loaditintoastudyapponyoursmartphone.Quizyourselfrandomlyondifferenttypesofproblems.Anotherwaytodothisistorandomlyflipthroughyourbook,
pickoutaproblem,andseewhetheryoucansolveitcold.
6. Takebreaks.Itiscommontobeunabletosolveproblemsorfigureoutconceptsinmathorsciencethefirsttimeyouencounterthem.Thisiswhyalittlestudy
everydayismuchbetterthanalotofstudyingallatonce.Whenyougetfrustratedwithamathorscienceproblem,takeabreaksothatanotherpartofyour
mindcantakeoverandworkinthebackground.

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7. Useexplanatoryquestioningandsimpleanalogies.Wheneveryouarestrugglingwithaconcept,thinktoyourself,HowcanIexplainthissothatatenyear
oldcouldunderstandit?Usingananalogyreallyhelps,likesayingthattheflowofelectricityisliketheflowofwater.Dontjustthinkyourexplanationsayitout
loudorputitinwriting.Theadditionaleffortofspeakingandwritingallowsyoutomoredeeplyencode(thatis,convertintoneuralmemorystructures)whatyou
arelearning.
8. Focus.Turnoffallinterruptingbeepsandalarmsonyourphoneandcomputer,andthenturnonatimerfortwentyfiveminutes.Focusintentlyforthosetwenty
fiveminutesandtrytoworkasdiligentlyasyoucan.Afterthetimergoesoff,giveyourselfasmall,funreward.Afewofthesesessionsinadaycanreallymove
yourstudiesforward.Trytosetuptimesandplaceswherestudyingnotglancingatyourcomputerorphoneisjustsomethingyounaturallydo.
9. Eatyourfrogsfirst.Dothehardestthingearliestintheday,whenyouarefresh.
10. Makeamentalcontrast.Imaginewhereyouvecomefromandcontrastthatwiththedreamofwhereyourstudieswilltakeyou.Postapictureorwordsinyour
workspacetoremindyouofyourdream.Lookatthatwhenyoufindyourmotivationlagging.Thisworkwillpayoffbothforyouandthoseyoulove!

10RulesofBadStudying
ExcerptedfromAMindforNumbers:HowtoExcelinMathandScience(EvenifYouFlunkedAlgebra),byBarbaraOakley,Penguin,July,2014
Avoidthesetechniquestheycanwasteyourtimeevenwhiletheyfoolyouintothinkingyourelearning!
1. Passiverereadingsittingpassivelyandrunningyoureyesbackoverapage.Unlessyoucanprovethatthematerialismovingintoyourbrainbyrecallingthe
mainideaswithoutlookingatthepage,rereadingisawasteoftime.
2. Lettinghighlightsoverwhelmyou.Highlightingyourtextcanfoolyourmindintothinkingyouareputtingsomethinginyourbrain,whenallyourereallydoing
ismovingyourhand.Alittlehighlightinghereandthereisokaysometimesitcanbehelpfulinflaggingimportantpoints.Butifyouareusinghighlightingasa
memorytool,makesurethatwhatyoumarkisalsogoingintoyourbrain.
3. Merelyglancingataproblemssolutionandthinkingyouknowhowtodoit.Thisisoneoftheworsterrorsstudentsmakewhilestudying.Youneedtobe
abletosolveaproblemstepbystep,withoutlookingatthesolution.
4. Waitinguntilthelastminutetostudy.Wouldyoucramatthelastminuteifyouwerepracticingforatrackmeet?Yourbrainislikeamuscleitcanhandle
onlyalimitedamountofexerciseononesubjectatatime.
5. Repeatedlysolvingproblemsofthesametypethatyoualreadyknowhowtosolve.Ifyoujustsitaroundsolvingsimilarproblemsduringyourpractice,
yourenotactuallypreparingforatestitslikepreparingforabigbasketballgamebyjustpracticingyourdribbling.
6. Lettingstudysessionswithfriendsturnintochatsessions.Checkingyourproblemsolvingwithfriends,andquizzingoneanotheronwhatyouknow,can
makelearningmoreenjoyable,exposeflawsinyourthinking,anddeepenyourlearning.Butifyourjointstudysessionsturntofunbeforetheworkisdone,
yourewastingyourtimeandshouldfindanotherstudygroup.
7. Neglectingtoreadthetextbookbeforeyoustartworkingproblems.Wouldyoudiveintoapoolbeforeyouknewhowtoswim?Thetextbookisyour
swimminginstructoritguidesyoutowardtheanswers.Youwillflounderandwasteyourtimeifyoudontbothertoreadit.Beforeyoubegintoread,however,
takeaquickglanceoverthechapterorsectiontogetasenseofwhatitsabout.

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8. Notcheckingwithyourinstructorsorclassmatestoclearuppointsofconfusion.Professorsareusedtoloststudentscominginforguidanceitsourjob
tohelpyou.Thestudentsweworryaboutaretheoneswhodontcomein.Dontbeoneofthosestudents.
9. Thinkingyoucanlearndeeplywhenyouarebeingconstantlydistracted.Everytinypulltowardaninstantmessageorconversationmeansyouhaveless
brainpowertodevotetolearning.Everytugofinterruptedattentionpullsouttinyneuralrootsbeforetheycangrow.
10. Notgettingenoughsleep.Yourbrainpiecestogetherproblemsolvingtechniqueswhenyousleep,anditalsopracticesandrepeatswhateveryouputinmind
beforeyougotosleep.Prolongedfatigueallowstoxinstobuildupinthebrainthatdisrupttheneuralconnectionsyouneedtothinkquicklyandwell.Ifyoudont
getagoodsleepbeforeatest,NOTHINGELSEYOUHAVEDONEWILLMATTER.

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