When I was ten, I first heard the word “revision”. Perhaps you might think this is something I should have heard earlier in life, but there were many occasions where it seemed I had quite literally been living under a rock. Revision was described merely as looking at something again, to better understand it. Of course, this was nonsensical to me at ten years old. I was also aware of how fast one could lose knowledge gained – as described by the “forgetting curve”, first discovered by Hermann Ebbinghaus. Nevertheless, this didn’t prevent me from spending countless hours desperately trying to “re-learn” things I had once learnt. Sometimes, it even seemed that my knowledge of the topic would become worse after this “revision”. It took me years to finally understand what I was doing wrong and how I could amend it. The bottom line was that I had been trying to learn in a way that wasn’t compatible with myself. After discovering this, I found that I could learn whatever I wanted without a fear that I would never be able to master it. The amount of time required for this learning drastically reduced, and I began to really enjoy the process of acquiring knowledge.
Understanding how you learn should be a part of the school curriculum before any learning takes place. Without this knowledge, countless hours will be wasted, and some may never discover how they can truly learn. I want to share with you the tools and tips that may help you better understand what learning is for you, and how you can leverage this in your life.
Tip 1: Never stop experimenting. Just because something works does not mean that it is the only way or the best way to do it. Experiments teach us to be more creative, find novel avenues to learn and provide great insights into how our brains work. A simple yet effective method to incorporate more experiments into your learning is to ask yourself: how can I approach this differently? Consider what your current learning strategy may be missing and get creative.
Tip 2: Go into detail. When there is a mountain of work to get through in learning or revision, it can be tempting to rush through as quickly as possible. However, by taking time to try and deeply understand the distinct parts, not only do you consolidate it better in your mind, but you also gain insight into what specific aspects are helpful for your learning. You may discover that adding a visual element to learning really helps to improve your retention of the topic. Knowledge gained from deeply understanding one area will naturally permeate into other areas, improving your learning.
Tip 3: Never forget the basics. Returning to first principles should be a frequent practice. There is no singular way to view a topic when learning. Each visit will inevitably be unique and can even lead to novel neural connections forming that improve your perspective on a given topic. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to “re-learn” the basics and avoid thinking that you’re too good for it. Regardless of how advanced your knowledge may be, the basics underpin everything else.
If we shift our view on what learning means to us, it can become something that we truly enjoy and look forward to. Schools often teach us that learning is something monotonous and repetitive, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Find an area that piques your curiosity and focus your attention entirely on that – you never know what you might discover!