[December 27, 2024] Learn how you learn. Not learning how to learn.
In order to improve yourself in any way—efficiently and effectively—you must know how you learn and then work hard to improve that same method. This is necessary because we use our brains’ preferred method to understand and learn new concepts and information.
I’ll use myself as an example. I believe my way of learning can help anybody, but it’s not for everyone. Some will rightly disagree with my way, and that’s fine. I want to provide this so you can see how it developed over time. Refining my techniques took several decades of considerable effort.
I was a senior U.S. Army officer, so keep that in mind. And know that what works at a higher level in the military may not work elsewhere. In my method, I used a visual guide. I called it a Spiderweb Approach, and I wrote about it at the beginning of this year. Essentially, I look to understand the world and learn to imagine it spatially. Then, I can place new information within that and dig deeper into any spatial node at any time.
What this method does for me is to help organize those missions and tasks I believe are most important. As well, it allows me to focus on one or a small subset at any point in time. The advantage here is that I can visually see links between those spatially organized areas in my spiderweb. Like in a natural spider’s web, all threads connect to the center where the spider (that’s me) is located.
Those who study learning have found a number of different ways that we learn. I will note that there is overlap, and this “learning” is this complex.
Here are seven ways of learning that come from Princeton University. See my notes below for details.
- Focus on one task only; don’t divide your attention in difficult but unhelpful ways. Instead, challenge yourself to think deeply and conceptually about what you are studying. In other words, allocate your attention efficiently.
- Organize the information you are trying to learn using powerful frameworks/conceptual categories, such as those used by experts in the field.
- Actively elaborate on and connect what you are learning to what you know.
- To make your knowledge more durable, vary your activities in terms of locations, situations (alone, with others), and modalities (oral, visual, verbal).
- Space your learning over several episodes; interleave your learning of different missions/tasks, minimize studying similar materials for long uninterrupted periods in order to enhance your memory of it.
- Draw a representation (image) of the information you are learning. Make charts that organize information sketch out processes, create flow charts, and make a mind map of key concepts and their relations to clarify your understanding.
- Anticipate subsequent study and practice and put information into an efficiently “studyable” form. For example, take notes in a format that helps you do problem sets and makes exam prep easier.
These techniques are similar to what I used in my Spiderweb Approach. Whatever you use, your ability to use it more efficiently and effectively will improve over time as you develop it.
Regardless of how you learn, work hard to improve. Your life will be easier and less stressful. Learn how you learn.
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Note: Information in my article, in part, came from The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning | 328 Frist Campus Center, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 and can be found here: https://mcgraw.princeton.edu/undergraduates/resources/resource-library/how-people-learn
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Please read my books:
Exactly what Gen. Satterfield is doing:
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“6. Draw a representation (image) of the information you are learning. Make charts that organize information sketch out processes, create flow charts, and make a mind map of key concepts and their relations to clarify your understanding.“
👀 EXCELLENT technique.
The excellent 7. Learn HOW you learn.
More good ideas on how to learn, and to learn more effectively and efficiently. Don’t ever be discouraged that there are more ways than one.
WANT TO STRUGGLE, IGNORE THIS.
Yep’er. Thanks Sweeney!!!!!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
This is exactly how I did NOT do in college and I suffered massively for not doing so. I’d been told by my teachers in HS these were the best ways of learning, but “no”, I ignored them and to my peril. I did graduate but it was a rough time. I was one of those who crammed for a test, and while my grades weren’t horrible, I rarely remembered what I’d crammed to study. This made it harder as I went along in my Business major. Now it’s my turn to give advice to young adults and I use my failed attempts to study to show them how not to learn.
Sadly, I think that’s how most of us studied.
I like the idea of using a spatial method of conceptualization. Makes sense. I understand that men are more spatially oriented than women.
Excellent start on perhaps an idea of developing how to learn but, more important, if I read you right, to concentrate on the method that works for you. That way, a person will struggle less over time as your learning technique improves.
Hi King, good to see you back. The idea here from Gen. Satterfield is simple but advice that many will consciously ignore. People will do what they want, and when it comes to learning “how they learn” and then trying to improve upon it, folks are just too often plain lazy. This is one of the reasons that I’m a big fan of Gen. S. and of his two books. Esp. “55 rules for a good life” helps me stay on the path that is most likely to lead to success. Too many ignorant Leftists that have taken over the media and Democrat Party believe these proven ways of living a good life are old and outdated. They are wrong.
Here is the book: https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/
Exactly, well said, Eric. Thanks. Get a copy of Gen. Satterfield’s books today. You will not regret that decision.
Yep! 😎😳🥸😇😃😁👍
Btw, I do like your new series on the “pre-surge” times in Iraq. Those are largely ignored because it’s not exciting to discuss. Well done. I look forward to the types of engineering obstacles you ran into and what you did and who you worked with to solve those obstacles.