Study Less, Study Smart(er) - Extending Marty Lobdell's Study Advice
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, the speaker builds upon Marty Lobdell's popular study techniques by addressing common questions about implementing his advice. The video emphasizes the importance of breaks for cognitive growth, suggesting active, outdoor, or social activities. It discusses study environment strategies, the balance between studying in the same place for consistency and varying locations for better memory. The speaker also touches on effective note-taking, the difference between shallow and deep processing, and the concept of transfer-appropriate processing. Additionally, the video provides insights on structuring study groups for maximum benefit, the pitfalls of highlighting, and the advantages of self-testing over passive re-reading.
Takeaways
- 🔄 Breaks are crucial for learning as they allow the brain to physically grow and integrate new information.
- 🏃♂️ Engaging in physical activity, spending time outdoors, or socializing during breaks can enhance learning outcomes.
- 🛌 Good sleep, facilitated by physical activity and outdoor time, plays a significant role in learning and memory consolidation.
- 🏡 Creating a dedicated study environment can help form positive study associations and improve focus.
- 📚 Studying in varied locations can enhance memory retention, but it's essential to balance this with creating a consistent study routine.
- 👥 Study groups can be beneficial if structured correctly, with members contributing equally and engaging in meaningful discussions.
- 📝 Taking notes should be purposeful, focusing on unexpected insights, conflicts, interesting examples, and open questions.
- 🧠 Deep processing, which involves understanding the meaning of information, is more effective than shallow processing that focuses on superficial details.
- 🔄 Transfer-appropriate processing suggests that how you initially learn information should match how you'll use it in the future.
- 📖 Reading textbooks is an active process of creating knowledge through interaction with the text, not just passively receiving information.
Q & A
Why are breaks important during study sessions according to the video?
-Breaks are crucial as they allow neurons in the brain to physically grow, and research in neuroscience and psychology shows that breaks positively influence learning outcomes.
What type of activities are recommended during study breaks?
-Physically active, outdoor activities, or social interactions are recommended as they benefit brain and body health, improve mood, and promote creative thinking.
Why should you avoid studying in environments where you usually engage in other activities?
-Creating positive study associations is important for setting the right mindset for learning. Studying in environments associated with leisure can confuse the brain and reduce study effectiveness.
What is the benefit of studying in different locations?
-Studying in a variety of locations can enhance memory for the material, although it's important to balance this with creating a consistent study environment to avoid distractions.
How can establishing a routine before studying help with learning?
-A consistent pre-study routine can create a cue that signals the brain to enter study mode, enhancing focus and readiness to learn.
What is the recommended approach to note-taking during lectures?
-Notes should be taken selectively on unexpected, surprising, or conflicting information, interesting analogies, open questions, or references for further exploration, rather than writing down everything said.
Why is deep processing of information more beneficial than shallow processing?
-Deep processing focuses on the meaning of information, which is more effective for long-term retention and understanding, unlike shallow processing that only focuses on superficial details.
What is transfer-appropriate processing and how does it relate to studying?
-Transfer-appropriate processing is the idea that how information is initially encoded should match how it will be used in the future, which helps in choosing the right study strategy for effective learning.
What are the key factors to consider when forming a study group?
-A study group should ideally consist of 2 to 4 members, meet in a focused environment, and have members who have done individual work beforehand to ensure effective collaboration and learning.
How can self-testing strategies improve learning outcomes?
-Self-testing forces the recall and application of information, which is more effective for long-term retention and understanding. It also provides feedback on what is known and unknown, guiding future study efforts.
What misconception does the video address about reading textbooks?
-The video clarifies that reading textbooks is not about passively absorbing information but actively engaging with the text to create knowledge, which may involve non-linear reading and interactive learning strategies.
Outlines
📚 Enhancing Learning with Effective Breaks and Study Environments
Marty Lobdell's lecture, popular on YouTube, is expanded upon to address questions about implementing his study advice. The video emphasizes the importance of breaks for enhancing learning outcomes, suggesting physical activity, outdoor exposure, or social interaction. It also touches on the benefits of studying in varied locations to improve memory and the concept of creating positive study associations by studying in environments dedicated to learning. The video advises against studying in places associated with leisure activities to prevent confusion between study mode and relaxation.
🤔 Deep Processing and Study Group Dynamics
This section delves into the concept of deep versus shallow processing, advocating for a focus on deep processing to understand the meaning of information. It introduces transfer-appropriate processing, which suggests that the way information is initially encoded should align with how it will be used. The video also discusses the effectiveness of study groups, recommending a small group size and individual preparation before group meetings. It warns against the pitfalls of group dynamics, such as some members dominating or not contributing, and emphasizes the value of teaching and clarifying explanations within a group to solidify understanding.
📈 The Power of Self-Testing and Active Reading
The final paragraph addresses the common mistake of confusing recognition with recall, highlighting the importance of output-oriented study methods like self-testing. It argues against passive re-reading and for active engagement with the material through synthesis and organization. The video also challenges the notion of reading textbooks passively, encouraging active interaction with the text to create knowledge. It suggests that reading should be non-linear and focused on understanding, with actions like comparing examples, imagining scenarios, and generating explanations to enhance learning.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Breaks
💡Memory Consolidation
💡Study Associations
💡Deep Processing
💡Transfer-Appropriate Processing
💡Study Groups
💡Note-Taking
💡Recognition vs. Recall
💡Self-Testing
💡Reading Textbooks
Highlights
Breaks are crucial for learning outcomes and should be physically active, outdoors, or social.
Physical activity, being outdoors, and social interaction have positive effects on brain health and learning.
Studying in varied environments can improve memory, but avoid distractions.
Establishing a consistent pre-study routine can create positive study associations.
Note-taking should focus on unexpected, conflicting, or interesting points, not just copying everything.
Deep processing, focusing on meaning, is more effective than shallow processing.
Transfer-appropriate processing matches study strategies to how information will be used.
Study groups should have 2-4 members and everyone should prepare individually before meeting.
Creating a study environment that facilitates focus is essential for effective group study.
Study groups should establish norms for interaction to build trust and effective communication.
Highlighting is not an effective study strategy; consider alternative methods.
Recognition and recall are different; self-testing strategies help bridge this gap.
Balance input and output in studying, with a focus on applying knowledge.
Reading textbooks is an interactive process, not just a passive intake of information.
Engage with the text by asking questions, making predictions, and generating explanations.
Transcripts
Marty Lobdell's lecture is one of the most popular studying videos on YouTube. In this video,
I'm going to extend his advice by answering some of the questions that come up when you start to
implement the stuff he's talking about. Questions like: what kinds of breaks should you take? How
should a study group actually work? What should you do with the fact that it's easy to confuse
recognition and recall? Let's get started with breaks. Breaks are really, really undervalued.
It's not just that breaks can help you feel good or they're generally a nice thing to have,
it's that building breaks into your study schedule will fundamentally improve your learning outcomes.
Neurons in your brain have to physically grow as you learn and there is an immense amount of
research both in neuroscience and psychology that suggest how breaks and rest positively influence
learning outcomes over no resting comparison groups. My recommendation is to do something
that is either physically active, outdoors, or social, or some combination of the three. Physical
activity has loads of benefits both for brain and body health. It also helps you sleep well,
which positively influences learning. Being outside, especially in a natural environment,
is positively associated with better moods and more flexible, creative thinking. Obviously, some
outdoor environments are better than others. I also recommend doing something that is completely
different from what you were just doing, which is why interacting with another human face-to-face
can be a nice thing to do. Because a lot of studying is solitary and isolating. If you're
studying on a computer or screen of some sort, I think taking a break from the the screen can be a
good idea. Shoot some basketball, play some music. Staring at screens for long periods of time does
create eye strain, even if you're not entirely conscious of it. You can even just sit down close
your eyes and do nothing. Recent research suggests that a lot of good memory consolidation comes from
these moments. Professor Lobdell makes a great point about creating positive study associations.
So don't study in environments in which you are used to doing other things. Don't study in your
bedroom, if you can help it. Don't study where you game. Don't study where you mindlessly scroll
through your phone. But there is a trade-off between always studying in the same location
and studying in a variety of locations. Studying in the same place all the time can help you create
these positive study associations, so that when you sit down your brain says, "Yes, I am ready
to study!" But studying in different places has advantages too. Generally speaking, studying the
same material in a variety of locations creates better memory for that material. This effect is
pretty reliable - it's pretty easy to replicate - but it's not that large and it'll be completely
swamped if you're studying in an environment where it's easy to get very distracted. What I suggest
is building good study habits first and then, if you want to kick things up a notch, incorporating
some variety into the settings in which you study. Maybe you don't have a specific room or a special
place that you can dedicate to studying; you can still leverage the idea of positive study
associations by always doing the same thing before you sit down to study. Maybe it's going
for a short walk; maybe it's looking out a window; maybe it's brewing a cup of tea. Whatever it is,
you want to do it reliably before you sit down to study and over time the link between the cue
that you're creating (which is that thing that you're doing before you're studying) and your
brain moving into study mode will become closer and closer. Now I disagree a little bit with
Professor Lobdell's recommendation on note taking and I have a longer video about why I think, in
general, you should be taking relatively few notes during class. But if you are going to take notes,
you want there to be a reason to take a note. What I mean by this is that your attitude going into
the class should not be: "I'm just going to write down every single thing my teacher says." This is
a serious mistake that a lot of students who never learned to take proper notes make. In most cases,
I think this disrupts the sense-making process that you should be engaging in
when you are attending a lecture. What should you be taking notes on? Well, something that
you didn't expect. Something that was surprising to you. Two things that seem in conflict with one
another. An interesting analogy or an example. An open question that you don't seem to know the
answer to. A reference to something that you want to look up later. These are the kinds of notes
that I think you should be taking. This is not not an exhaustive list! There are other things you can
do to maximize how you learn from a lecture, like prepare properly, but that is a topic for another
video. Professor Lobdell makes an important distinction between shallow and deep processing.
Shallow processing involves paying attention to the superficial details of something. So,
for instance, how many vowels a word has or whether a word has capital or lowercase
letters. Deep processing is usually understood in the psychological literature as being about
the meaning of things - especially the meaning of words. This is a good basic idea to keep in mind:
you want to spend more time on the deep end than the shallow end. Here is a slightly more advanced
idea, which I think is also quite helpful which is the notion of transfer-appropriate processing.
So we talked about shallow processing, we talked about deep processing, this is
transfer-appropriate processing. The idea behind transfer-appropriate processing is that how you
initially encode information - how you initially process information that you are reading about or
learning from - depends on how you are going to use that information in the future. To see how
this works, let's look at how people remember words in psychological experiments. So there's
a bunch of experiments where psychologists have people remember lists of paired words. On one side
we have cues and on the other side we have targets and the goal is to remember as many of the targets
as possible. If we push people to pay attention to the link between the cues and the targets - kind
of like a flash card - then they will do better on a cued recall test. If they see the cues,
then they will be able to provide the targets. But they won't do so well on a free recall test,
where we just ask them to remember all of the targets that they saw. On the other hand,
if we get people to pay attention to the structure of the targets - by grouping them into meaningful
categories, for instance- they will do quite well on a free recall test, but they won't be do nearly
as well on a cued recall test. How you want to encode information - how you want to organize
all the stuff that you are learning in your brain - depends on what you are going to do with that
stuff in the future. This is part of the reason why realistic, applied practice early on in the
learning process (in the form of well-designed practice tests or literal practice experiences)
can improve learning. When you get a better idea of what you are going to be doing with all the
stuff you are learning, it helps you to choose an appropriate encoding strategy - an appropriate
study strategy - for that material. Study groups can be extremely helpful to students - if they are
structured properly. If they're not, they can be a complete waste of time. First of all, I would
aim to have two to four people in a study group. Three to four is probably ideal. Five is possible,
but pushing it a bit. My recommendation here just comes from experience structuring student groups
and observing the group dynamics. You want a group where everyone feels like they can contribute
and when you have some of these larger groups, it's easy for people to attend but not really
participate. Before meeting, everyone should do their own individual work. If you're working on
problem sets, for instance, everyone should try solving the problems on their own first,
before they come to the group with any questions or problems that they had. And one of the reasons
for this is that when everyone tries to solve problems collaboratively, it's easy for a group
member to think they understand something really well when they actually don't. Now when you're
working with someone who understands the material really well, it can all seem like it makes sense
to you, but then when you go to do the problem individually by yourself, you might realize,
"oh crap, I don't actually know how to do this!" You want to figure out those "oh crap" moments
much earlier, before you meet with your group. Of course, you want to meet at a place and time
when you can focus on the material. This is the same idea of creating positive study associations
that we talked about earlier. If they're friends, you can go hang out with them at a different time
and place, but don't try to mix the two together. Setting up some basic norms for interaction can
be really, really important. It's good to build trust with your other members, so that you know
that when they give you criticism or feedback or when they say that you're wrong about something
that they are doing it because they are trying to help you and not just because they want to be a
jerk. Sometimes, you end up in these situations where one person is doing all the work and the
other people are just sitting there watching this other person do all the work. This can be
a really dysfunctional situation, but I think it's useful to distinguish two varieties of this. One,
is where the people who are weaker in the subject matter either can't meaningfully participate or
won't meaningfully participate in the group. In that case, I don't think there's any purpose
in having a group in the first place and the group should just disband. But, in some cases,
the less knowledgeable people know enough to ask interesting questions, even if they can't
explain the answers to those questions. In that case, the more knowledgeable person is probably
still getting a fair amount of value out of this study group because they have to answer
these questions and they have to clarify their explanations, which helps them to clarify their
own understanding. A lot of times, teaching others or preparing to teach others leads to beneficial
learning outcomes for the teacher. Highlighting is not a good strategy. I discuss a completely
different approach in these two videos that I have linked In the description below, but the
badness of highlighting also relates to the thing that we are about to discuss right now. One of
the most important points that Professor Lobdell makes is that students often confuse recognition
for recollection. This is usually what happens when you re-read a sentence that you highlighted.
"Oh yeah, I remember this." Being able to recall the meaning of a sentence without any reference
material is a completely different cognitive process. And a much harder thing to do. Naive
study methods tend to be "input heavy". We read a lot and we re-read a lot. More effective study
methods have a balance between input and output, especially output oriented towards synthesizing
and organizing what you are learning. Applying what you know in a test or in the real world is
output. You have to recall information or skills and apply them correctly. Self-testing study
strategies, which force you to recall information and apply it, offer a variety of benefits,
but here are two. The extra effort that it takes to recall information (rather than just re-read
it) leads to large learning benefits in the long run. This is an extremely reliable, robust effect.
I have more references in the description, in case you're interested. Self-testing study strategies
are also informative - they tell you what you know and what you don't know - so that you can make
more informed decisions about what to study in the future. Re-reading as a generic study strategy
like, "I'm going to go re-read chapter five" does not do that. I love that Professor Lobdell talks
about the skill of reading textbooks, which is a completely different skill than say reading
novels or newspapers or something. But I think a lot of people have a misunderstanding about
what that skill entails. They think that they should be sucking up information,
like a vacuum. But that's not what reading a textbook is about your brain is not just
a receptacle for information. Learning from a textbook is about creating knowledge through
interaction with the text. That means that you are not reading it linearly, necessarily. Making
sense of the material is priority number one and every single action flows from that. Sometimes,
you'll be flipping back to an earlier example to compare it with something that you're reading
about right now. Sometimes, you'll be pausing to imagine a hypothetical example. Sometimes,
you'll be asking questions or making predictions or generating explanations about what's going on.
Whatever you do, don't just be a receptacle. That's it. I hope this was helpful. You can
let me know in the comments. Links to a lot of related videos are down in the description below.
Thanks for watching. I'll see you next time!
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