Learn faster and retain more than your friends | E3 Bigger Plate
Summary
TLDRThis video script advocates for a more effective learning approach, particularly for working professionals and students. It critiques the traditional method of learning through rote memorization and suggests adopting inquiry-based learning. This involves starting with a problem, hypothesizing solutions, and then seeking relevant information, which is immediately applied. This method is presented as more aligned with how our brains evolved to learn, making the process more enjoyable, efficient, and effective, leading to better retention and application of knowledge.
Takeaways
- 📚 Traditional learning often involves reading books or watching videos, taking notes, summarizing, and then applying the knowledge.
- 🎓 The method of learning and then writing notes is a product of formal education systems.
- 🕵️♂️ Effective learning starts with identifying a problem or question that needs solving, which is more aligned with how our brains evolved to learn.
- 🧠 Our brains are wired to retain information that is purposeful and helps solve problems, making inquiry-based learning more effective.
- 🔄 The process of inquiry-based learning involves creating a question, hypothesizing solutions, learning what's necessary, and then applying it.
- 🚀 This method flips the traditional learning approach by starting with application and working backward, which enhances retention and relevance.
- 💼 For working professionals, this approach is crucial as it directly impacts job performance and career progression.
- 🤔 It's important to clarify the intention and purpose behind learning to increase its relevance and effectiveness.
- 📈 This learning strategy is not just for academic success but also for real-world problem-solving and skill development.
- 🌟 Adopting inquiry-based learning can lead to significant improvements in enjoyment, retention, and the ability to apply knowledge.
- 🌱 Changing learning habits is challenging but rewarding; it requires patience and diligence to master this new approach.
Q & A
What is the traditional method of learning described in the script?
-The traditional method of learning described is one where individuals first identify a topic to learn, then read books or watch videos, write notes, review and summarize these notes, memorize the material, and finally apply it in work or through past paper questions.
Why is the traditional learning method considered inefficient according to the script?
-The script suggests that the traditional learning method is inefficient because it involves memorizing information through repetition and note-taking without immediate application, which does not align with how our brains naturally learn and retain information.
What alternative learning method is proposed in the script?
-The script proposes an alternative method called inquiry-based learning, which starts with identifying a specific problem or question, hypothesizing solutions, and then learning the necessary information to solve the problem, applying it immediately.
How does inquiry-based learning differ from traditional learning?
-Inquiry-based learning differs from traditional learning by starting with a problem or question and seeking to learn in a way that is directly relevant to solving that problem, rather than learning information in bulk and then applying it later.
What is the significance of starting learning with a problem in inquiry-based learning?
-Starting learning with a problem makes the information learned immediately relevant and purposeful, which helps the brain retain it more effectively without the need for constant revision.
Why is the script suggesting that learning should be more like the way our brains evolved to learn?
-The script suggests that learning should mimic how our brains evolved to learn because it is more natural and efficient, allowing for better problem-solving and retention of information.
What is the role of formal education in shaping our current learning methods?
-Formal education has shaped our current learning methods by introducing a curriculum-focused, structured approach to learning, which is different from the more organic, problem-solving approach that our brains are naturally suited for.
How can professionals apply the concepts of inquiry-based learning in their work?
-Professionals can apply inquiry-based learning by identifying problems they face at work, hypothesizing solutions, and then learning the necessary information to address those problems, integrating the learning with real-world application.
What benefits does the script claim for using inquiry-based learning over traditional methods?
-The script claims that inquiry-based learning leads to more enjoyable and efficient studying, better retention of information, improved problem-solving skills, and faster skill development, which can lead to better performance at work or school.
How does the script recommend transitioning from traditional learning to inquiry-based learning?
-The script recommends transitioning by creating a clear problem or question first, hypothesizing solutions, and then learning and applying information in a way that directly addresses those problems, iterating and deepening the knowledge over time.
Outlines
📚 Traditional Study Methods and Their Limitations
This paragraph introduces the common study habits of individuals, particularly working professionals, who learn by reading books or watching videos on a topic, taking extensive notes, summarizing, and memorizing the material before applying it in their work or studies. It suggests that this method, while prevalent, may not be the most efficient and hints at the existence of alternative, more effective ways to learn. The paragraph sets the stage for a discussion on a more efficient learning method that is backed by research but not widely known or practiced.
🕵️♂️ The Evolution of Learning and the Need for Relevance
Paragraph 2 delves into the challenges faced by professionals trying to learn on the job, highlighting the difficulty of finding time to study amidst work responsibilities. It contrasts the formal education system's structured learning approach with the more organic, problem-solving learning style that humans naturally evolved to use. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of learning with a clear purpose and relevance, introducing the concept of inquiry-based learning, which starts with identifying a problem to solve, making the learning process more meaningful and effective.
🎯 The Power of Inquiry-Based Learning
This paragraph explains the process of inquiry-based learning, which involves starting with a specific question or problem, aiming to make learning purposeful and relevant. It argues that when learning is tied to solving real problems, the brain is more likely to retain the information because it sees it as useful. The paragraph encourages learners to think about the application of knowledge first, to hypothesize solutions, and then to engage in learning to test those hypotheses. This approach is presented as a more efficient alternative to traditional learning methods, particularly beneficial for professionals where learning directly impacts job performance.
🔄 The Cycle of Continuous Learning and Improvement
Paragraph 4 continues the discussion on inquiry-based learning, emphasizing the importance of creating a cycle of problem identification, hypothesis formation, learning, and application. It suggests that learning should be the final step, filling in the gaps when information is needed to solve a problem. The paragraph also addresses the issue of separating learning from real-world experience, which is common in traditional educational settings but less effective in professional environments. It encourages integrating learning with daily work experiences to create a more efficient and enjoyable learning process, leading to better retention and application of knowledge.
👋 Conclusion and Call to Action
The final paragraph serves as a conclusion, summarizing the key points made in the video script about the importance of adopting an inquiry-based learning approach. It encourages viewers to embrace this method, which can lead to more enjoyable, efficient, and effective learning. The paragraph ends with a motivational note, urging viewers to stay efficient in their learning journey.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Inquiry-based learning
💡Formal education
💡Relevancy
💡Problem-solving mentality
💡Hypothesis
💡Application
💡Retention
💡Revision
💡Transferable skill
💡Efficiency
Highlights
The episode discusses a more effective way to learn for both students and working professionals.
Traditional learning methods are contrasted with a modern approach that starts with problem-solving.
The importance of having a clear purpose for learning is emphasized to make information retention more effective.
The concept of inquiry-based learning is introduced as a method that aligns with how our brains evolved to learn.
The speaker suggests that learning should start with identifying problems and then seeking information to solve them.
The brain is more likely to retain information that is purposeful and relevant to solving problems.
The traditional educational system's learning methods are criticized for being inefficient in professional settings.
The idea of creating a hunger for knowledge before feeding the brain information is presented as a more effective learning strategy.
The speaker explains how to turn work experiences into active learning opportunities by anticipating problems and learning to solve them.
The benefits of inquiry-based learning include improved enjoyment, easier retention, and better problem-solving skills.
The speaker shares anecdotes of students and professionals who have significantly improved their learning and performance using this method.
The necessity of changing the learning framework from traditional to inquiry-based is discussed for long-term success.
The process of changing learning habits is acknowledged as challenging but ultimately rewarding.
The episode concludes with advice to stay efficient in learning and a prompt to apply these methods in daily life.
Transcripts
if you study like the following
then this episode is going to be for you
so let me paint a picture of the
type of person that maybe you study like
or learn it you know if you're a working
professional learning on the job
whatever it is
first of all you figure out what the
topic is that you need to learn about
and then you go and you sit down and you
read a bunch of books or watch
some videos on the topic
and then you write notes on it
as you go as you're reading you're
writing notes constantly
and then you've got a version of what
you've read
but now written out in notes
and you go through to read that again
and learn it and maybe summarize it even
more
and you do that until you've basically
memorized the material
and then you then apply that in your
work
or you'd apply that in a past paper
question if you're a student
so this order of sort of learning
everything you need to learn
writing these notes summarizing these
notes and then applying the information
if that's generally the order that you
follow then
you may be quite surprised that there
are actually
vastly more efficient alternatives to
studying that way so
cue the intro music
[Music]
and the topic of today is really about a
more effective way to learn not only if
you're a student
studying at school or university but
also
for working professionals that are
trying to learn
on the job and this is a method of
learning that
there's really a decent amount of
research
on but it's very under the radar not a
lot of people know about this way of
learning and i'm not entirely sure why
but
it may be because a lot of the research
says that it's very dependent
on the ability of the person to actually
teach it to you so if you were lucky
enough to have a really good teacher
who was able to teach you how to
learn in this way effectively and
facilitate this particular process that
i'm about to teach you
then you would probably do a lot better
but then if you didn't then
you would actually do a you you could
actually do worse
and this is an area that i focus in on a
lot
and i feel like i've developed a decent
level of competency and mastery
in teaching and facilitating others
through it and i'm going to try to do
that to you today
so this method of learning that i've
outlined at the beginning
that learn and then write notes and then
revise notes and then apply that
information
this method of learning is actually
relatively modern
in the way that we learn right and it
really comes about from
the creation of formal education in
schools
which is again relatively modern in
human
evolutionary history at least given that
you know the human brain has been
evolving for millions of years
so the only reason that we learn this
way
is because we have something that is
called
formal education where we sit down
and we learn masses of information
usually at a much higher rate than we
would learn outside of school
and we've then assessed on our ability
to recall this information and we're
assessed in
a variety of different ways not only
depending on the subject but depending
on the culture and depending on what
school and depending on what
curriculum and country that you're in
and
we are taught how to learn this way from
a very young age
right we go to school we're five or six
years old when we start school and
when we start we straight away put in
the classroom setting where we're
learning in a very
curriculum-focused syllabus organized
way
and we go through life really learning
this way
all throughout our formal education we
graduate university doing exactly this
and at the end of that what do we
actually
you know do with that information well
we enter into a job we enter into a
career right
and then so that career
doesn't represent itself
in a curriculum or a syllabus it's it's
organic right it's
the learning is everywhere and so for us
who have
been trained by the formal education
system to learn a very specific
structured way
we then feel under-equipped and
we find it more difficult to learn on
the job finding time for the study i
mean
how many of you have found it difficult
if you're working if you're working
professional how many of you have found
that you really should maybe study more
or learn more on the job to get better
at your job or progress through your
career
but you actually struggle to find time
to do the study
right i mean i think that's a very
common problem
especially in areas where the the
knowledge
the actual knowledge is super high that
you need to know like
medical or clinical roles
but even you know in things like you
know business enterprise
marketing things like this there's
always so much to know and then
how fast you can learn is about how good
you get and so
people that have the ability to learn
very quickly
have an enormous advantage not only in
school obviously from a pure grade point
of view as superficial as that
but also later in life where it actually
really starts mattering is that they've
developed a transferable skill
and so we need to think about learning
the way that we our brain is really
meant
to learn so forget about books i want
you to just imagine that books didn't
exist
books were never invented the only
way that you learn is through simply
just experience and gathering
information yourself
you know so if we were to imagine
learning in this way then it would look
extremely
different first of all way back in the
caveman days when our brain was getting
good at this thing called learning that
the human brain is now extremely good at
we were taking in clues from the
environment we were
you know learning in a very organic way
we'd be running
you know along the in the forest or
whatever and we had
we'd hear the sounds around us would see
tracks on the ground we'd see
a type of leaf or a type of berry
somewhere and we'd make a conclusion
about whether or safe or how
we would uh navigate the terrain or or
how to hunt
the particular you know whatever we're
tracking
but the fundamental beginning the
starting point for this whole process
of creating this this mental image of
the environment and
taking in all these clues and you know
being that kind of detective
the fundamental origin of all of that is
that there is a problem to be solved
we don't tend to learn unless we
actually need to learn
to solve a specific problem it's
unlikely that the cave person version of
ourselves
was sitting in the cave next to the fire
one very ancient evening
and then scribbling down and writing
notes on all the different berries that
they
saw that day and trying to memorize the
colors
of them you know it's unlikely that they
were
quizzing each other on the types of
tracks
that you would find so this type of way
that we learn and associate with
learning now where we just have to sit
down and really let's like look at
something and just do it again and again
and
just really put our brain to figuring it
out that actually that type of learning
is actually very artificial
and there is an alternative to doing
that which is to bring it all the way
back to what our
brain evolved to be really good at to
begin with which is
uh some some of the some one aspect of
this at least is called inquiry learning
or inquiry based learning
and the thing with inquiry based
learning is that it starts with the
inquiry
as the name obviously suggests so the
way that inquiry-based learning
actually works is that we start with
creating a specific question or problem
that we're interested to solve
we want to have a purpose for our
learning and when our learning has a
purpose
that means that the information that we
take in is in itself purposeful and our
brain
wants to keep information that's
purposeful it doesn't want to keep
information that's not purposeful
because
there are so many things that you learn
in a day that's not purposeful
you know if you memorized every single
license plate that you saw on your drive
to work you would
just explode by the time you reached the
first traffic light
however our brain does retain stuff that
is really useful for it and it's useful
for it in terms of solving problems that
are relevant for
that you know it deems relevant so the
first step towards effective learning
and fast learning is to increase the
relevancy of
what you're taking in and consuming
without having to go through the
you know process of sitting and just
smashing it into our brain through
repetition and reading it and writing it
again and just
really just you know putting all of our
mental energy into the
learning process actually we can we can
make that a lot easier and a lot faster
purely by saying okay what is the
purpose behind the topic that we're
going to learn right now
why do i need to know this if you're in
school
think beyond just the curriculum and the
exam why do i need to know this beyond
just the curriculum
and the exam how does this help me in
either my life or my career development
and if there is really nothing else then
well how does this help me understand
other parts of the topic that maybe do
have relevance or
how does it just help me get the
particular grade that i need
in order to you know get into the
university degree that i want
and you know if that's relevant enough
for you
the idea is that it doesn't even almost
matter how you make it relevant you just
need to make it relevant
somehow and if it's truly not relevant
to you at all
in any way then why are you actually
learning it
right so at some point
it's definitely going to be relevant in
some way shape or form it's going to be
relevant otherwise
you wouldn't actually learn it to begin
with right there's a reason that you're
not sitting here
probably right now going through uh
you know like your phone contacts and
memorizing every single person's
email birthday and phone number off by
heart you know
like why are you not learning that well
it's because it's just not relevant okay
so what you are learning is probably
going to be relevant if you're working
professional even more so that's you
know directly relevant but before you
actually start learning it
be very clear about the intention and
the goal and the purpose behind it
think about how you want to apply the
information first
and be very clear about how you want to
apply it
how what you are going to learn is going
to change the way that you apply that
information
and the impact that that's going to have
and really be
clear super crystal clear about the
problem and how you're trying to solve
the problem
and all the different components of the
problem and all the variations of that
problem and all the other types of
problems that
you know that are similar that could be
solved like this
after you've thought of the problem then
think of your own hypothesis
how do you think the solution might look
how do you
how do you think that your groups of
similar related problems
might be solved in one fell swoop you
know create a process of that trying to
discover and setting up
basic logic and reasoning to begin with
and then now you have a series of
hypotheses that you're going to test
you can either accept or reject them and
so when you're learning the information
actually comes into your brain and
immediately is consolidated because
straight away it's relevant to solving
one or two or ten
different problems so what we do
normally when we learn is we learn and
bulk first and then
after a series of rounds of revisions we
then start applying that information
through
past questions or practice exams or or
working in real life and you know
getting hands-on experience with it
what we're going to do is we're actually
flipping that on its head we're saying
what type of problems and experiences
and questions
could i put you know do i need to
actually answer do i feel that i'm not
equipped to answer right now
and then we delve on that a little bit
more so that part is super visceral and
clear
and then we work our way backwards to
think about okay well like
let's think about using the knowledge
that i do have am i really sure i can't
tackle this am i really missing the
information
how can i use what i already know to try
to do my best to solve it
and then we're really entering into that
problem-solving mentality
which is a very organic evolutionarily
optimized type of mentality
and now we're ready to learn and then we
can learn
but the differences between learning the
first way and this way is that this
time when we're learning the information
doesn't need to be constantly revised
because we're jumping to a higher level
of learning straight away we're jumping
to the application of that that
information
so we're applying the information
immediately
that means that our brain finds it
relevant and it's going to hold on to
that so we're actually not going to even
forget it so
because we're not forgetting it we don't
need to revise it again and again
okay so this is something that i think
is
important for especially professionals
where your learning actually dictates
how good you're going to get at your job
and how quickly and easily you can
progress through it
and how much sacrifice you need to put
in your life to study
and so often i'll see people who are you
know working and trying to learn and
they're struggling to balance the two of
it
and a big part of it is just because
they're taking that university method of
learning that they got so used to
and just trying to apply that in their
um you know real life
actual workplace environment and it's
just it's so inefficient that
there's no time to do it because you
just you just
know that you don't if you're working
professionally and you're listening to
this i don't need to explain how
inefficient
and time-consuming it is so the the
order needs to be create the problem
identify the problems be really clear on
the problems hypothesize the solutions
and then do the learning and then
iterate on that create the solutions
apply them create the solutions apply
them
and then you your learning is always the
final step it's the thing that
fills in the blanks when you really need
it so you're creating
hunger first you're making your brain
really hungry to know certain types of
information
and then once it's hungry then you're
feeding it the right information
you're not doing it the other way around
where you just feed it mindlessly first
you overfill it it struggles to digest
it it ends up vomiting some out and
diarrheaing the other part of it out and
then what you're left with is this like
very partially digested mess of stuff
that
you don't even know why you ate it in
the first place
and then over time yes you might slowly
digest it but
there's a lot of pain and also you know
you like are now gonna have to
re-eat your vomit and diarrhea so if
that image wasn't
very pleasant for you this is what i
think about you and the way that you
study
so there's a big need to change that
because there are benefits
to your daily life even you know don't
have time to exercise because you're so
stressed out about needing to study
well do the study more efficiently so
think about it this way right like
when you're at work you're constantly
bombarded by experiences you can turn
those experiences into
more active learning opportunities so
the night before you go to work think
about all the problems that you may face
the next day
and think about the ways that you might
try to solve that do a little bit of
learning around
informing you on the way that you might
solve those problems and this might only
take you 30 minutes
okay or 20 minutes or 10 minutes if you
don't have enough time
and then the next day when you're
actually going through the day now you
can
check were these truly the problems that
i faced or not
and then you can apply the learning that
you may
you um consumed and you can try to apply
that solve the problem the way that you
hypo
hypothesized did it work or did it not
and then if it didn't work well that's
learning and if it did work that's
learning too and it's consolidating
and at the end of that day now you have
this experience through which you've
applied the information and then you can
deepen the knowledge more
you can build on a new set of problems a
more advanced more technical set of
problems that you weren't even able to
think of
before the experience but now that
you've had the experience you can think
oh
now i can think of even more specific
questions to ask myself even more issues
that i wasn't able to anticipate and
then you can hypothesize them again and
you can do more learning so
there should always be a cycle of
learning that is based around
a creation and identification of
problems
and that's where it should start but
it's often not
a lot of the time people will say okay
i'm learning the stuff at work but when
i go home what i'm going to be studying
is something that's not even you know
related to that
so the experience and the learning are
actually separated
and it's actively separated purely
because it's always been separated at
school and it's always been separated
in university as well and there are a
lot of different methods and systems
that you can use for studying
that actually incorporate this and most
of the learning systems that i teach
for my students you know as young as 14
years old
all the way through to the professionals
that i work with that are in their 30s
40s and 50s
it's based on this type of inquiry first
truly problem-solving mentality and you
know what my students and clients say is
that they always say
that learning for them has become so
much more enjoyable studying it's so
much more fun it doesn't seem like a
chore anymore
they're able to retain information so
much more easily without even trying
they're finding it easier to get to a
depth of knowledge
they feel that the information is more
connected and it's easier to
recall and use the information and
they're getting better grades they're
getting better
at their skills development they're
getting appreciation from their
bosses and managers who are commenting
on how
quickly they're improving and how much
um you know faster their skills are
developing compared to you know other
people that are normally at that level
uh they're seen as like the study guru
by their friends i've had
students who were interviewed by their
school because the school couldn't just
figure out
how they were doing so well by putting
in so little effort
and this is all the result of just
fundamentally switching that framework
and it's not easy to change straight
away
but it's definitely well worth it and
again it's you know a new skill
so as with any new skill don't expect
that you're going to be great at it
immediately you know this is a reason
why i actually
have coaching clients because people
want to get good at this and they find
it difficult to do it themselves
so it's something that you need to be a
little bit diligent and patient about
don't expect to
bring about this enormous change
overnight slowly
work towards it measure your progress
like i talked about in the previous
episode
in the right ways and just diligently
turn it through
and over time you will you'll be able to
see it from my
perspective and see how much of a
life-changing difference
that this can make so that's a tip for
this episode
until next time stay efficient
[Music]
you
Weitere ähnliche Videos ansehen
My Most POWERFUL Study Trick (Any Subject)
How to REMEMBER Everything You LEARN in School and Hack Your Memory
The Easiest Way To Learn A New Language | Script Method(AK Method)
What is Dual Coding? | InnerDrive Online Academy
How to Note-Take and Remember MORE + Study LESS
Study LESS Study SMART - Motivational Video on How to Study EFFECTIVELY
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)