Whole-brain learning, focused vs. diffuse modes, sleep and memory.
The concepts below are paraphrased from Learning How to Learn; no book wording is reused. Each concept carries provenance pointers back to the chapter or section of the source.
Concepts drawn from this book (33)
- Analogy and Transfer : Comprehension & Depth
Analogy is the process of mapping a familiar situation onto a new one in order to bootstrap understanding when direct experience is missing. - Attention Residue : Attention & Focus
Attention residue is the cognitive cost that lingers after switching tasks; part of your attention remains stuck on the previous task and reduces performance on the new one. - Chunking : Comprehension & Depth
Chunking is the process of binding individual pieces of information into a single meaningful unit so that the unit, not its parts, occupies working memory. - Deep Encoding Strategies : Memory & Encoding
Encoding strategies are the techniques learners use to give new material meaning at the moment of study: connecting it to prior knowledge, imagery, emotion, or action. - Deep Processing : Comprehension & Depth
Deep processing is engaging with material at the level of meaning and connection rather than at the level of surface features or rote repetition. - Deep-Work Blocks : Attention & Focus
A deep-work block is a scheduled interval (typically 60 to 120 minutes) reserved for one demanding cognitive task with all distractions removed. - Flashcard Systems : Recall & Retrieval
A flashcard system pairs a prompt with a recall task, so that every review is an act of retrieval rather than recognition. - Focused Attention : Attention & Focus
Focused attention is the deliberate direction of cognitive resources toward one task at a time, free from competing demands. - Focused vs Diffuse Modes : Attention & Focus
The brain operates in two complementary modes: a focused mode for direct attack on a problem, and a diffuse mode for background incubation and unexpected connections. - Formative Assessment : Test & Assessment
Formative assessment is the ongoing measurement of learning during the learning process, used to adjust instruction rather than to certify outcomes. - Free Recall : Recall & Retrieval
Free recall is the practice of reproducing what you remember about a topic without prompts, lists, or cues. - Growth Mindset : Motivation & Emotion
A growth mindset is the belief that ability is built through effort and strategy rather than fixed at birth, so setbacks are signals to change approach, not verdicts about talent. - Habit Formation : Procrastination & Habits
Habit formation is the process of installing automatic behaviours that fire on a cue and require little deliberation to perform. - Illusions of Knowing : Metacognition & Self-Regulation
Illusions of knowing are the false confidence that comes from familiar re-encounter with material; you feel you have learned because you recognise the words, but you cannot retrieve or apply the content. - Intrinsic Motivation : Motivation & Emotion
Intrinsic motivation is the drive to learn because the activity itself is rewarding (curiosity, mastery, purpose) rather than because of external rewards or pressures. - Learning Across a Career : Career & Lifelong Learning
Learning across a career is the long-arc process of refreshing, updating, and expanding skills so that an adult remains effective as their field changes. - Learning Is a Skill : Foundations of Learning
Learning is the deliberate construction of knowledge and skill so it becomes readily available from memory when you face new problems and opportunities. - Learning Journal : Metacognition & Self-Regulation
A learning journal is a written record of what you studied, what you tested yourself on, what you failed to retrieve, and what you plan to do next. - Long-Term Memory : Memory & Encoding
Long-term memory is the brain's high-capacity store of schemas, concepts, and procedures that persist over days, months, and years when they are revisited and connected. - Mental Models : Comprehension & Depth
A mental model is a mental representation of some external reality that captures the key features and relationships needed to reason about it. - Metacognition : Metacognition & Self-Regulation
Metacognition is the awareness of and control over your own learning: knowing what you know, knowing what you do not know, and planning accordingly. - Mnemonics and the Memory Palace : Memory & Encoding
Mnemonics are encoding tricks (acronyms, vivid imagery, location-based narratives) that give new information a hook in long-term memory so it can be retrieved reliably. - Procrastination : Procrastination & Habits
Procrastination is the habit of postponing tasks that matter, driven by short-term mood repair rather than by rational planning. - Productive Struggle : Productive Struggle & Difficulty
Productive struggle is effortful engagement with material at the edge of current ability, with feedback available to correct mistakes along the way. - Project-Based Skill Acquisition : Programming & Skill Acquisition
Project-based skill acquisition is learning a complex skill by attempting real projects whose outcomes matter to the learner, while using formal resources as needed support. - Retrieval Practice : Recall & Retrieval
Retrieval practice is the deliberate act of pulling information out of memory (by self-testing, flashcards, or free recall) instead of passively re-exposing yourself to it. - Self-Testing Rituals : Metacognition & Self-Regulation
Self-testing rituals are the small, repeatable habits of retrieving knowledge from memory at predictable moments: start of class, end of week, before sleep. - Sleep and Memory : Memory & Encoding
Sleep plays an active role in memory consolidation; the brain reorganises and stabilises what was learned during the day, and integrates it with prior knowledge. - Spaced Repetition : Practice & Spacing
Spaced repetition is the practice of reviewing material at increasing intervals so that each review happens just as the memory is about to fade. - Testing Effect : Recall & Retrieval
The testing effect is the empirical finding that retrieving information from memory produces stronger learning than re-exposing yourself to that information for an equal amount of time. - Timeboxed Study Blocks : Attention & Focus
Timeboxed study blocks are predefined, finite intervals of focused study followed by a break, used to protect attention and reduce procrastination. - Willpower and Routine : Procrastination & Habits
Willpower is a finite, fluctuating resource; routines and environment design are the levers that protect willpower and make learning automatic. - Working Memory Limits : Memory & Encoding
Working memory holds only a small number of items in active focus at once, and is easily overwhelmed when learners try to handle too many novel pieces of information simultaneously.