Is mastering a skill dependent on innate intelligence or genius only? Is traditional rote learning the only technique to learn a skill or obtain knowledge? Is learning just about memorisation of dates, facts and information? Journalist and educator Ultrich Boser presents the new science of learning in the bestselling book Learn Better. The book overturns the traditional approach to learning and recommends a 6-step guide for effective learning. Read on to find out how you too can become an expert...
Learning is easy when you use the correct strategy!
Let's start by taking a look at this simple experiment conducted by Anastasia Kitsantas in the 1980s. The experiment divided the participants of an all-girls school into three different categories. Each group received three different strategies to perfect the game of darts. The first team was called “Team Performance” and participants were told to win just by hitting the bull’s eye. In the second group called the “Team Learning Method”, girls were taught a few learning strategies like keeping their...
Find meaning in what you are trying to learn!
The idea is to invest your time and effort in skills that add meaning and value to your life. If you recognize deep meaning or value in some skill, you'll automatically put more initiative and effort into learning. For instance, you'll be more fired up to learn a new programming language if you dream of building an app versus if you're just doing it for an exam you didn't want to take. Quite natural, isn't it? So, meaning realigns your focus...
Set small and achievable targets!
The second step to improving your learning potential is setting achievable targets. Aim for the moon is a good mindset to have, but let's be real it's more motivational than practical. The useful thing to do is breaking a larger target into small but achievable targets. Not only are the smaller challenges less daunting, but it is also easier to track your performance. Plus, it adds the element of consistency to your learning efforts. It's like establishing little checkpoints on...
Utilise the power of effective feedback!
Okay, story time!! Our author, Mr. Boser loved basketball but was never good at it. Even after spending half an hour on the court daily, there was no significant improvement in his moves or footwork. By chance, he found a basketball instructor while browsing Craigslist. The trainer gave him valuable feedback and helped him see his weaknesses. He also learnt proper strategies and in just a few weeks, his efforts started to pay off. Say he hadn't taken in the...
Practice the art of visualisation to improve your learning!
While it may seem that a specific writer or painter is gifted, no one succeeds without persistence. You see a painter’s masterpiece on display in an art gallery and think that's all there is to it. What you don't see is all the paintings that were before it - the mistakes, the flaws, and the efforts it took to learn and master the skill.So, understand this: learning is a long, long process. It's practically unending. There is no set point...
Make Learning effective by using variation and linkage.
Mastering a new skill is highly dependent on practising it repeatedly. Heard that a billion times, right? But even better is varying how you practise a skill set. Confused? Here's some research to help drive the point home. In a 1993 study one set of participants practised free throws in basketball. Just free throws. The second set followed the variation dimension of effective learning and tried shooting from marks 8 and 15 feet away from the basket. By practising a...
Remove overconfidence and keep on reviewing your knowledge.
Step 6 summed up: Do not catch victory disease!! Victory disease is a military term for when someone starts to overestimate his abilities after he’s won multiple times. History geeks probably know of General George Armstrong Custer and his blunder of leading 200 men against 1,000 Native Americans. With a track record of victories, he simply got overconfident. In the end, only one man of his union survived the defeat. We humans often fall into this trap of overestimating ourselves -...
Summary
The ultimate learning guide, Learn Better has time-tested strategies to master any new skill/ subject. The traditional memorization method just brings short-term gains. The strategies shared here will make learning so much more effective. Just practice the six steps and you will be well on your way to becoming the best version of yourself!
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About the Author
Ulrich Boser is the founder of The Learning Agency. He has been an advisor to many universities, foundations, and companies. His research and writings have been influential, and his work has been featured everywhere from the front page of USA Today to The Tonight Show.
Boser wrote a book on the science of learning titled Learn Better that was featured in many media outlets, including Wired, Slate, Vox, Fast Company, and The Atlantic. Amazon called it “the best science book of the year.”
More on: the-learning-agency.com/our-team/ulrich-boser/
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