How We Learn
How We Learn
Q: How important is routine when it comes to learning? For example, is it important to have
a dedicated study area?
A: Most people do better over time by varying their study or practice locations. The more
environments in which you rehearse, the sharper and more lasting the memory of that material
becomes—and less strongly linked to one “comfort zone.” Knowledge becomes increasingly
independent of surroundings the more changes you make—taking your laptop onto the porch, out to a
café, on the plane. The goal, after all, is to be able to perform well in any condition.
Changing locations is not the only way to take advantage of the so-called context effect on learning.
Altering the time of day you study also helps, as does changing how you engage the material, by
reading or discussing, typing into a computer or writing by hand, reciting in front of a mirror or
studying while listening to music. Each counts as a different learning “environment” in which you
store the material in a different way.
Q: Is it best to practice one skill at a time until it becomes automatic, or to work on many
things at once?
A: Focusing on one skill at a time—a musical scale, free throws, the quadratic formula—leads quickly
to noticeable, tangible improvement. But over time, such focused practice actually limits our
development of each skill.
Mixing or interleaving multiple skills in a practice session, by contrast, sharpens our grasp of
all of them. In a subject like math, mixed problems sets not only remind you what you’ve learned but
also train you to match the problem types with the appropriate strategies.
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How We Learn
Q: There’s so much concern that social media and smartphones and all manner of electronic
gadgets are interfering with learning—and even changing the way people think. Is this
merited? Is distraction always bad?
A: Distraction is a hazard if you need continuous focus, like when listening to a lecture.
But a short study break—five, ten, twenty minutes—is the most effective technique learning scientists
know of to help you solve a problem when you’re stuck. Distracting yourself from the task at hand
allows you to let go of mistaken assumptions, reexamine the clues in a new way, and come back fresh.
If you’re motivated to solve the problem, your brain will continue to work on it during the break
subconsciously, without the (fixated, unproductive) guidance you’ve been giving it.
Q: What’s the most common reason for bombing a test after what felt like careful preparation?
A: The illusion that you “knew” something well just because it seemed so self-evident at the time you
studied it. Fluency illusions form automatically and subconsciously. Beware study “aids” that can
reinforce the illusion: highlighting or rewriting notes, working from a teacher’s outline, restudying
after you’ve just studied. These are mostly passive exercises, and they enrich learning not at all.
Making your memory work a little harder—by self-quizzing, for example, or spacing out study time—
sharpens the imprint of what you know, and exposes fluency’s effects.
Source: Carey, Benedict. How We Learn. Random House, 2014. Pages 223-228.