Learn Letter 131: 5 Science-Based Learning Hacks; A visual way to learn and discover about different subject

May 22, 2024

Hi learners,

Do you ever feel frustrated by your learning process? In today's edition you'll get 5 science-based principles on learning, all designed to make you a better learner.

1 Factual knowledge precedes skill

Building a house without a foundation doesn't work. Nor does learning skills without foundational knowledge. Declarative knowledge (such as facts) often forms the foundation for higher-order skills. You can’t think critically without a foundation of factual knowledge. Declarative knowledge (such as facts) is needed for procedural knowledge (such as skills).

2 You understand new things in the context of what you already know

Abstract subjects can often feel hard to learn. The reason why is that you learn things by their relation to other things you already know. Previously-stored knowledge functions as a framework in which newly learned information can be linked or in other words: Learning is like a tree. Every time you learn something new you create new branches. The more branches (cues) you have, the easier it is to encode new information to them (for example through elaboration or visualization).

3 Skill mastery requires practice

There's no shortcut to mastering a skill. Consistent, deliberate practice is essential. Don't be afraid to revisit basic concepts and tackle practice problems. The more you work at it, the more automatic and efficient your skills will become. When I started DJing, mere understanding of principles an techniques wasn't enough. I needed to spend time practicing and playing to improve.*

4 People are not so different in how they learn.

You don’t learn better when you receive information in your preferred learning style (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic). There is no evidence from controlled experiments that suggests teaching in a person’s preferred learning style will help them learn. While most people think we learn differently (visual vs auditory learners), research shows we all learn similarly.

5 Your brain’s capacity is basically unlimited

There’s no such thing as a full brain. What can feel like juggling too many pieces at a time is a high cognitive load on your working memory.

Your long-term memory capacity is unlimited — and the more you learn, the more possible connections you create for future learning, which makes additional learning easier. There’s no limit to how much you can remember as long as you relate it to what you already know.