Learning to learn: Powerful mental

tools with which you can master

difficult topics (Learning How to
Learn)
by McMaster University & University of California San Diego
Barb Oakley, Terry Sejnowski, and the Learning to Learn team.

Module 1

● Tips: use analogies to explain, use examples.

● There are two ways of thinking, focused (full concentration) and diffuse (flexible and
creative).
● Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused work and reward
● Spaced repetition technique: repeat the same information several days in a row, and give
yourself a day of rest, then repeat, give yourself a day of rest and so on...
● Working memory in the prefrontal cortex and long-term memory in the rest of the brain
● What you want to remember to practice before going to sleep
● It is important to exercise so that the brain rests
● Interview with a polyglot: 5 days of continuous study, for three hours a day and one day
of rest. Mnemonic techniques through a visualization that serves as a link to the word you
want to learn. Go to memrise.com there are techniques also at ankisrs.net, Author of the
book “fluent in three months”

Module 2

● Read the index, or take a look at the books to know where we will place them. Fragments
are best learned with focused attention, understanding the basic idea and practicing to
understand the context. Chunking may involve learning how to use a certain problem-
solving technique. Context means learning when to use that technique and not some
other.
● After reading something from a book, look away and try to repeat Read the entire text
and then underline the main ideas as little as possible. Write notes on the sides. Studying
away from places outside of where you were studying reinforces learning.
● What motivates you? Acetylcholine. Their presence creates long-term memories. Its lack
causes Alzheimer's. Dopamine: is activated when the brain receives/will receive reward.
 Its lack causes Parkinson's disease. Serotonin: affects social life. Low levels of serotonin
make people more aggressive
● Two ways to solve problems:
● -Sequentially (ordered, in steps) -Holistic The information is joined together in a diffuse
mode, but this must be verified by the focused mode.
● Transfer: Fragments help you understand new concepts
● Overlearning is not productive to do in a single session. It is only advisable to do it when
you are nervous about speaking in public or everything must go perfectly.
● Einstellung means mindset, and it is focusing on the known or reinforced fragment,
avoiding going towards other known fragments. It hinders creativity/flexibility.
● Deliberate practice is about continuing to focus on the most challenging material that is
important for productive study. Interleaved consists of skipping parts of the text,
according to different factors such as complexity, theory, practice, etc., etc. It serves to
DEEPER. Although sometimes it takes longer
● Interview with a writer: Use diffuse mode, make mental maps on a sheet of paper. Place
the sheet horizontally to write more quietly. DO NOT EDIT WHILE YOU WRITE AT THAT
SAME MOMENT. Write or die to avoid this habit.

Module 3

Procrastination :
Habits have 4 parts:
● The stimulus: trigger that triggers zombie mode.
Analyze: the place, the time, how you feel and reactions of things or people
● The routine: response that your brain is accustomed to giving when it receives the
stimulus, it can be useful, harmless or harmful
Analyze possible habits that stop negative stimuli
● The reward: bad habits are quick but superficial, good habits are long-term and can also
be rewarded. Get motivated with mini prizes.
● Believe: change the underlying belief. You can look for friends, groups that inspire or help

Focus on the process, not the product. It is easier for the brain because it can
concentrate without thinking beyond it. That is why you have to plan in advance the
actions to be undertaken, and comply with the established times. That's what the
pomodoro is also good for.

Balance between life and learning

● Make a task list of things to do for the week. It frees the brain, which focuses on problem
solving and not memorizing.
● Getting organized the day before performing one of the tasks helps the subconscious.
● Take into account the advice regarding process orientation in the case of medium and
long-term objectives.
● Plan a time to finish.
 ● Importance of having free time
● Have an organizational plan B in case you procrastinate
● Do what you don't like at the beginning of the day

Memory

Visual and spatial memory techniques are useful because primitive man needed to
remember places of food and danger, so it is a memory that is developed.

Examples :
-Give another meaning to the formulas or abbreviations. Ex: BID is Golden Indian
Embroidery.
The funnier the phrases the better. Repeat sporadically, every day.
Add smell, weight, etc, etc to the images. Say out loud to add more memories.
Make handwritten cards with symbols to “guess” the concepts, this helps
to intersperse learning.
Anki: app to memorize
To remember names: after you have heard it, try to remember the names every
certain period
Short term: stored in the hippocampus

Every time we evoke a memory, it changes, reconsolidation occurs

Memories are modified, building on each other in memory, and they are easier to
maintain if we remember them regularly than if we dedicate a lot of time to them in a
single period of time.

Einstein's brain had more astrocytes.

Creation of significant groups and memory palace:

The first ones are done with the initials, and then we look for a similar word that helps us
remember these initials, obviously excluding letters that do not correspond.
Remembering numbers is easier by associating them with memorable events, for example a
family member's birthday. Also with a numerical system that is familiar to you, for example $20
per kg of potatoes. Associate the numbers with ages that I have been or will be in the future. Ex:
18 I left my house, 25 I decided to return to Corrientes

Memory Palace: you can remember 95% of individual words by vividly imagining them in your
home and remembering their position along the route. Promotes creativity.

Module 4:

How to Create a Vivid Visual Metaphor or Analogy

● One of the best things you can do to not only remember but also understand concepts is
to create a metaphor or analogy for the concept.
● Metaphors and visualization (being able to see something with your mind's eye) have
been especially useful not only in art and literature, but also in enabling the world of
science and engineering to progress.
● It is often helpful to pretend that you are the concept you are trying to understand.
● Metaphors and analogies are useful for getting people out of Einstellung (being blocked
by thinking about a problem in the wrong way).

Example: thinking of an onion as something negative because it makes you cry, thinking of
warriors who come from everywhere as an analogy of laser rays that attack cancer.

People who find it difficult to concentrate and therefore form fragments may be less “intelligent” in
principle, but they are more creative since once they understand the concept they can review it
from all possible angles.

Every day new neurons are born in the hippocampus. These neurons can survive and help you
remember things if:

● Learn a new skill, for example, how to fix the sink pipe.
● Exercise
● Explore new routes

Santiago Ramon y Cajal felt that the key to his success was his PERSEVERANCE, which he
called "the virtue of the less brilliant"

You have to go to the countryside to promote the diffuse mode of the brain.

The value of teamwork

Right hemisphere helps us take a step back and put our actions in perspective. The right is the
devil's advocate and tries to correct things while the left tries to hold on to the way things were.

It is more difficult to find fault with something created exclusively by us, so it is good to
complement yourself with other people's reviews and suggestions.
Dr. Felder's Testing Checklist
● Did you make a serious effort to understand the text? Did you look in other sources?
● Checked the results with other colleagues
● Summarize the material before going to class
● Actively participate by giving opinions in the group
● Consult the teacher and assistants
● You understood all the solutions to the problems you already solved well
● You asked for what you didn't understand to be explained again.
● study guide
● Consult what was not clear at the moment
● SLEEP WELL!

For exams:

See the entire question paper

Start with the difficult questions and then free your brain to answer the rest
Go for the easy thing when you get stuck, then continue with the hard thing again. This favors the
diffuse mode and will help you see problems from a different perspective.
Try this on housework first

The other option is to start with all the easy ones and then the difficult ones.

Other tips:

Diaphragm breathing
Change mentality: “this match motivates me to give my best”
In multiple choice, try to remember the answer before looking at the options
Have a plan B, in case your worst fears come true
When checking the exams, do it from back to front.

Additional

These rules form a synthesis of some of the main ideas of the course. They are
taken from the book "A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science [Even
if You Flunked Algebra]", by Barbara Oakley (editorial Penguin, July 2014). Feel free
to copy these rules and redistribute them as long as you maintain the original word
order and citation.

10 rules of good study

1. Use the memory. After reading a page, step away from it and remember the
main ideas. Apply little highlighting and never resort to this technique with
passages that you have not first fixed in your mind through memory. Try to
remember the main ideas when walking to class or in a classroom other than
 the one in which you learned the material. The ability to remember the ideas
inside you (generate them yourself) is one of the main indicators of good
learning.
2. Test yourself. Do it in all aspects, all the time. Flashcards are your allies.
3. Fragment your problems. Chunking is about understanding and putting into
practice a solution to a problem, so that everything comes to mind quickly.
After solving a problem, rehearse with it. Make sure you can solve it perfectly,
step by step. Think of it as a song and learn to play it over and over in your
head, so that the information combines and forms a finished fragment that
you can refer to whenever you want.
4. Separate the repetition. Spread out learning any topic a little bit every day, like
athletes do with exercise. The brain is like a muscle: it can only undergo a
limited amount of exercise at a time.
5. Alternate different problem-solving techniques during practice. Never practice
too long in a session applying just one problem-solving technique; After a
while, you'll just imitate what you did for the previous problem. Combine
resources and work on different types of problems. With this you will learn
how and when to use a technique. (Books usually don't have this setting, so
you'll need to do this yourself.) After each assignment and exam, review your
mistakes, make sure you understand why you made them, and rework your
solutions. To study more efficiently, transcribe by hand (without keyboard) a
problem on one side of the flashcard and the solution on the other.
(Handwriting generates more robust neural structures in memory than
keyboard writing.) You can also photograph the card if you want to upload it
to a studio app on your mobile phone. Ask yourself questions randomly on
different types of problems. Another way to do this is to randomly go through
your book, select a problem, and see if you can solve it perfectly.
6. Take breaks. It is normal to not be able to solve problems or interpret
mathematical or scientific concepts the first time you encounter them. For this
reason, studying a little every day is much better than studying a lot at one
time. When you're frustrated by a math or science problem, take a break so
another part of your mind can step in and work in the background.
7. Use explanatory questions and simple analogies. When you have trouble with
a concept, think: How can I explain this so that a ten-year-old can understand
it? Using an analogy will be helpful; for example, saying that the flow of
electricity is like the flow of water. Don't just think about your explanation, say
it out loud or write it down. The extra effort of speaking and writing allows you
to encode (i.e., convert into neural memory structures) what you learn at a
deeper level.
8. Focus. Turn off beeps and alarms on your phone and computer completely,
and then set a timer for twenty-five minutes. Focus intentionally during those
twenty-five minutes and try to work as diligently as possible. Once the time is
up, give yourself a small, fun reward. A few of these sessions in a day can
help you considerably advance your studies. Try to set times and places when
studying (without looking at your computer or phone) is what you do
naturally.
9. Eat your frogs early every day. Do the most difficult activity of the day first,
when your mind is clear.
 10. Set a contrast in your head. Imagine the place you come from and contrast
this with the place you long to reach after studying. Post an image or words in
your workspace to keep your desire in mind. Look towards these when you
feel your motivation waning. This task will bear fruit for you and for those you
love.

10 rules of bad studying

Extracted from the book “A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science [Even if
You Flunked Algebra],” by Barbara Oakley (Penguin publishing house) , July 2014).

Avoid these techniques; They can waste your time, even though they can trick you into
thinking you are learning.

1. Passive repetition of reading: it is the action of sitting passively and looking

back over a page. Unless you can prove that the material is incorporated into
your brain by remembering the main ideas without looking at the page, repeat
reading will be a waste of time.
2. Letting the highlight overwhelm you. Highlighting your text can trick you into
thinking you're incorporating the concept into your brain when you're actually
just moving your hand. Apply a little highlight in one spot and another will
work; Sometimes, it can be useful to mark important aspects. However, if you
use highlighting as a memory tool, make sure that what you highlight is also
incorporated into your brain.
3. Simply take a look at a solution and think that you really know the procedure
to obtain it. This is one of the worst mistakes students make. You must be
able to solve a problem step by step, without seeing the solution.
4. Wait until the last minute to study. Would you practice in a hurry at the last
minute for a track and field event? The brain is like a muscle; You can only
assimilate a limited amount of exercise per topic at a time.
5. Repeatedly solve problems of the same kind with which you are already
familiar. Simply solving similar problems during your practice does not really
mean that you are preparing for an exam. It's like trying to prepare for a
basketball game by practicing only dribbling.
6. Allow study sessions with friends to become chat sessions. Reviewing your
problem-solving methods with friends and asking each other questions about
each other's knowledge can make learning more enjoyable, reveal errors in
your thinking, and deepen your knowledge incorporation. However, if your
team study sessions take a fun turn before the work is completed, you'll be
wasting time and might want to find another study group.
7. Skip reading the textbook before starting to work on the problems. Would you
jump into a pool before you knew how to swim? The textbook is your
swimming instructor, your guide to the answers. You will hesitate and waste
time if you don't get around to reading it. However, before you start reading,
quickly look at the chapter or part to get an idea of the topic covered.
8. Do not consult with instructors or classmates to clarify confusing points. As
teachers, we are used to confused students who come to us for guidance; Our
job is to help them. The students we care about are the ones who don't come
to us. Do not be one of them.
9. Thinking that you can achieve deep learning when you are constantly
distracted. Each call to attention to an instant message or a conversation
implies a decrease in the brain's capacity for learning. Every tug that
interrupts attention rips out tiny neural roots before they can grow.
10. Not getting enough sleep. Problem-solving techniques are grouped in your
brain when you sleep, and what you incorporate before going to sleep is even
put into practice and repeated. Prolonged fatigue allows toxins to accumulate
that alter the neural connections necessary to think quickly and well. If you
don't sleep well before an exam, EVERYTHING ELSE YOU HAVE DONE WILL
LOSE ITS VALUE.