10 More Tips for Fast Learning
One of the biggest problems with the traditional education model is it works on the premise that one size fits all. As we now know, a one size fits all does not work well in a universal education system. Everybody learns differently.
At the basic level, there are 4 learning types: visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic and each of us are dominant in one or more of these types.
- Visual learners learn better in an environment where there are a lot of visual stimuli. These people often have what is commonly called “photographic memories” where they see an image or a page of text and from the visual cues memorise whatever it is they see.
- Auditory learners learn best when they can hear and listen to the subject they are learning. These people thrive in lecture halls, using podcasts and audiobooks.
- Reading/writing learners find reading and writing out what they learn a better way to learn.
- Kinaesthetic learners need to be doing. Tell teaching or textbooks do not stimulate their brain’s learning centres, instead, they need to be doing whatever they are learning. These people do well in school science labs or in the art or woodwork rooms. Here they can practice what they learn in real time.
However, on top of these basic learning types, there are also cognitive skills which are related to the way our brain processes information. There are 5 primary cognitive skills: reading, learning, remembering, logical reasoning, and paying attention. Each of these can be utilized in a way that helps us become better at learning new skills and developing ourselves.
Understanding where we are strong and where we are weak helps us improve what we learn and how we learn. For example, most people find that when they learn something new at a workshop and don’t apply that learning to a real situation soon after the workshop, whatever they learned is soon forgotten. This is part of the cognitive skill of remembering and being able to translate what you learned to a practical situation (logical reasoning).
One of the advantages we have over our ancestors is the almost limitless access we have to free education. Websites such as ted.com, YouTube and millions of web pages on Google give us limitless possibilities. You can learn anything from how to polish shoes and tidy your house to quantum physics, and applied mathematics.
No matter what it is you want to learn, you can learn it. However, with those almost limitless possibilities, you will not learn anything effectively unless you know and understand what kind of learner you are.
So, to help you become more effective at learning, here are 7 ways you can use your natural learning type with cognitive skills:
Discover Your Dominant Learning Style
This will appear obvious once you start to think about the way you naturally learn.
For example, whenever I want to learn something new, I will begin on YouTube. I am a very visual person and I need to see how to do something.
Recently, I have been learning how to fold clothes the Marie Kondo way. I regularly have an item of clothing on the table and Marie Kondo on YouTube ‘showing’ me how to fold. What I am doing is taking my naturally dominant visual and kinaesthetic learning style and applying the cognitive skill of logical reasoning to learn the best method for folding clothes.
A two-minute video of Marie Condo folding a tee-shirt while I am following the instructions ensures I am internalizing and applying the correct method to fold a tee-shirt.
Experiment with Different Channels of Learning
If you are not sure what kind of learner you are, then experiment.
Take a subject you want to learn and start off by reading around the subject. Then watch a video or lecture on the subject. After that, apply the knowledge you have learned.
For example, if you were to improve your presentation skills, you could do a simple Google search for an article about the top ten ways to improve your presentation skills, read that, and then do a similar search on YouTube. After you have read the article and watched the video, apply your new knowledge to your next presentation. That way you reinforce the knowledge you learned and internalise your new skill and you also discover which learning points you remembered more readily.
Practice Focused Work
One of the weakest cognitive skills for most people is the ability to pay attention. In a world where we are being distracted and interrupted multiple times a day, it is very difficult to stay focused on what we need to stay focused on. Teaching ourselves to be comfortable with our phones turned off and all the notification on our computers off is one of the best ways to strengthen your attention skills.
You do not have to go all day with your phone and notifications off. All you need do is turn everything off for set periods of time each day. Likewise, if you are in a meeting or training course, turn off your phone completely while you are in a session. These days, facilitators understand the need for people to be in contact with the outside world so there are regular breaks for you to catch up with messages and important emails.
Seek as Many Different Ways You Can to Take Advantage of Your Preferred Learning Style
To help reinforce your new knowledge, do not rely on just one way to practice your new skill.
For example, if you have spent some time learning how to write better emails, then apply your new learning by writing a journal, or writing a blog. Both a journal and a blog do not have to be published, you can keep them private. What you are doing is applying your new writing skills in a variety of different ways which strengthens your brain’s capacity for flexibility and allows for a larger scope where your new skills can be applied.
Reinforce Your Knowledge by Reviewing What You Learned in Your Less Dominant Learning Style
While we all have a preferred learning style, it is wise to review your new skills in a different way. If you are a visual person and you have devoured every chart, image and infographic you can about your new skill, then find a written article or book on the subject and read that.
The more ways you study your new skill, the faster you internalize the skill itself. Doing this helps your brain to ‘fill in the missing gaps’ of what you have learned and strengthens your knowledge.
While our dominant learning style will always be the best way to learn, we still need our less dominant way of learning to help with the retention and deeper learning required to really master a skill.
Apply Your New Knowledge in a Practical Way
This works on the principle that if you don’t use it, you lose it.
Think back to your foreign language classes at school. Most people very quickly forget the new language if they do not use it consistently after they have learnt it. Even with your native language, you might learn a new word or phrase, but if you never find a need to use that word, you soon find you cannot remember it.
Our brain’s neurones need regular exercise. Without it, like a muscle, they shrivel and die.
Use Your New Skill as Quickly as Possible
Imagine you were to attend a sales training workshop. On day one, you learn about meet and greet and asking questions. At the end of that first day, practice what you learned. On the way home, start a conversation with a stranger on the bus or train. Alternatively, if you call at the supermarket on your way home, talk to the cashier and practice asking them questions.
The important part of doing this is you are strengthening the learning process. What your brain has now done is taken something you learned in theory and applied that to a real situation in a practical way. You can adjust the theory to fit better with your personality and very quickly asking questions becomes almost natural.
This strategy works with almost any new skill you learn. When I learned to drive a car, my instructor taught me to hold the steering wheel at the ten minutes to two position. I found that position uncomfortable and after passing the test, I found myself more comfortable holding the steering wheel at fifteen minutes to three. Much more comfortable for me. Changing the way I hold the steering wheel does not prevent me from driving in the correct, but it just works better for me.
10 Effective Ways To Make You A Faster Learner
The following 10 tips will help you to become a fast learner:
Analyze Your Learning Style
Before you can start experimenting with different studying methods, you need to understand what type of learner you are:
Is your memory associated to sound?
Maybe you can remember what you were reading when a particular song was playing? If this is your case, then you fall into the category of auditory learners.
If you want to start studying more efficiently, then it would be wise to record the lectures and listen to them instead of reading textbooks.
Do you relate information to visual content?
If you are a visual learner, you should implement images, graphs, charts, infographics, colorful lists, flashcards, and other types of visual content when you study.
Are you a physical learner?
If your learning style is not auditory or visual, then you might be a physical learner. Some students have too much energy; they tap their feet or play with a pen during lectures.
A walk before a lecture will calm your nerves down. You can try studying/listening to audio lectures during a walk. That will help you remember the information more quickly.
Use the Right EdTech Tools
Technology has the power of making everything easier. There are plenty of websites, online tools, and smartphone/tablet apps that will boost your skills of planning, writing, time management, brainstorming, etc.
One way of improving your productivity is using flashcards. You can make your own cards, but you can also download pre-made kits online.
StudyBlue is one of the best online destinations when it comes to creating and discovering flashcards from all areas of study.
If you are looking for a tool that makes the process of brainstorming more effective, then you should try PapersGear.
You also need the SelfControl app, which will eliminate all distractions when you need to stay focused.
Quizlet is another website you should bookmark; it offers study tools that will transform the learning process into a fun activity.
Notella is an app that will help you take quick notes at any time.
Brainscape is an educational platform that makes complex subjects easy by relying on cognitive science.
Finally, you should also try Dragon Dictation, especially if you are an audio learner.
Train Your Brain to Accept New Information
Efficient studying is a habit. Your brain needs constant training if you want to improve your focus and complete complex tasks without taking breaks.
One way to achieve this goal is to create a private learning space in your home. You’ll also need a specific time of day that you’ll devote to studying. That will make your brain ready to accept the information it gets, so you’ll notice you’re starting to learn much faster by the day.
Get Some Exercise
You are aware of the fact that physical activity is good for your body, but your brain needs it too!
Light exercise, such as yoga, can help you learn much faster. If you are inactive throughout the day, your body will want to move, so it will be difficult for you to stay focused.
If, on the other hand, you canalize your energy through light training sessions, you will be ready to study productively.
Work on the Ambiance
If you have a noisy neighborhood or a working environment full of distractions, you won’t be able to learn or study no matter how hard you try.
If you want to learn quickly, you need a quiet, distraction-free environment that won’t disturb the mind in any way. Such a peaceful place will set you in learning mode as soon as you find yourself in it.
Take a lot of Notes
Only few people are capable of remembering information as they read it. If you don’t belong to this category of privileged learners, then you absolutely need to start taking notes.
This simple learning method will force you to think about the essence of the material, but it will also give you a nice framework that will help you review the things you’ve learned.
Write down only the most important information. That will help you remember all the other things you’ve learned.
Make Mind Maps
Mind maps are among the best tools to speed up the learning process. Your mind will process information effectively if you create a visual representation of the things you’re about to learn.
You can create a nice mind map in the old-school way: take a large sheet of paper and organize all facts and explanations. Use pictures, note-cards, and other symbols you can think of. Group similar items together and connect them with colorful pens.
Experiment with Memorization Methods
Memorizing is often misused in the process of studying. Some students memorize whole sentences, paragraphs and lectures without grasping their essence.
However, memorization can also be useful when you need to learn definitions and classifications really quickly. Don’t avoid this technique if you want to fill your brain with information without wasting any time.
Find the Right Context
Memorization works solely in times of urgency. If you want to learn in the most effective manner, then you need to have context for information.
Find an aspect that’s interesting for you; try to research for related information, and you’ll discover the joys of learning.
Study Every Day
It will take some time before you get used to a daily studying routine, but your mind will eventually grasp the habit.
The more frequently you study, the less time it will take for you to remember the things you read.
If you start studying as soon as possible after you have learned some new concepts, it won’t take long at all for you to get ready for an exam. Now that sounds really good, doesn’t it?
The Bottom Line
When you apply the science of learning to the skills you want to learn, you increase the chances of succeeding at learning. It also speeds up the learning process as you are naturally developing the parts of your brain that learn the fastest.
Over time as your skills grow, you can deepen the learning by reviewing different ways of developing the skill.
Source: https://www.hiwamag.com/success/how-to-use-cognitive-skills-to-learn-faster/