How to Note-Take and Remember MORE + Study LESS
Summary
TLDRThe video script emphasizes the distinction between learning and studying, highlighting that effective learning involves more than just the physical act of studying. It introduces the concept of higher order thinking skills, which are crucial for deeper understanding and retention of information. The speaker uses the analogy of gym training to illustrate the importance of technique over quantity. The script then delves into the practice of nonlinear note-taking as a method to foster higher order thinking, which involves analyzing relationships between concepts, creating interconnected mental frameworks, and prioritizing quality over quantity in note-taking. The process is outlined in three steps: thinking about the end goal, listing and connecting key concepts, and testing one's understanding through application. The summary encourages embracing the challenge and discomfort of higher order learning for more efficient and meaningful knowledge acquisition.
Takeaways
- 📚 The distinction between studying and learning is crucial: Studying is the physical process, while learning is the mental process that involves retaining and applying information.
- 💡 Effective learning involves higher order thinking skills, which integrate and analyze information, as opposed to lower order thinking that focuses on memorization and understanding in isolation.
- 💪 The importance of technique over quantity is highlighted by the gym analogy, where proper form and understanding of exercises lead to better progress, similar to effective learning techniques.
- 🌟 Nonlinear note-taking facilitates higher order thinking by encouraging the consideration of relationships between different pieces of information, leading to deeper understanding and retention.
- 🚫 Avoiding the trap of lower order learning, which is often characterized by a focus on quantity over quality, and can lead to inefficient studying and poor retention.
- 🔄 The process of nonlinear note-taking involves thinking deeply about the end goal, listing and connecting key concepts, and testing your understanding through application and teaching.
- 📈 Prioritizing quality over quantity in note-taking leads to more meaningful and memorable information retention, as opposed to surface-level, quantity-focused note-taking.
- 🧠 Engaging in higher order learning feels like a cognitive challenge, which is a sign that you are pushing your brain to make new connections and truly learn the material.
- 📈 The Bloom's Revised Taxonomy model is introduced as a way to visualize the different levels of thinking skills, with higher order thinking being more effective for learning.
- 🔗 Making connections between new information and previously learned concepts is key to integrating information and building a comprehensive understanding of a subject.
- 📉 Lower order learning techniques can lead to a cycle of forgetting and relearning, which is inefficient and unproductive for long-term knowledge retention.
- 🎓 Embracing the struggle and discomfort that comes with higher order learning is essential for growth and mastering complex topics.
Q & A
What is the fundamental difference between learning and studying as discussed in the transcript?
-Learning is the mental or cognitive process that allows us to retain and apply information, while studying is the physical process we use in hopes of achieving the cognitive outcome of learning.
Why is it important to differentiate between higher order and lower order thinking skills in the context of learning?
-Higher order thinking skills involve analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, which lead to better retention and deeper understanding. Lower order thinking skills, focused on memorization and basic understanding, often result in less retention and less efficient learning.
According to the transcript, what is the role of technique in effective learning, and how does it relate to the gym analogy?
-Technique in learning is analogous to proper form in the gym. Just as good form leads to better fitness results, a good technique in learning, such as effective note-taking and understanding relationships between concepts, leads to better retention and knowledge mastery.
What are the three steps of nonlinear note-taking as described in the transcript?
-The three steps are: 1) Think about the end goal and maximize learning by focusing on relationships between information, 2) List and connect keywords by creating a mind map that visualizes and prioritizes key ideas, and 3) Test your retention ability by teaching the information to an imaginary person or solving practice questions.
Why is it suggested to avoid taking down copious amounts of notes during learning?
-Taking too many notes can lead to a focus on quantity over quality, which may result in surface-level understanding and less retention. It's more effective to focus on understanding and relating concepts rather than just transcribing information.
How does the concept of 'less is more' apply to note-taking as per the transcript?
-'Less is more' in note-taking means focusing on the quality of notes, capturing the essence and relationships of the information, rather than the quantity of notes. It encourages a deeper, more meaningful engagement with the material.
What is the significance of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in the context of higher order thinking skills?
-Bloom's Revised Taxonomy provides a framework for categorizing different levels of cognitive skills, from lower order (remembering and understanding) to higher order (analyzing, evaluating, and creating). It emphasizes the importance of higher order thinking for effective learning.
Why is it beneficial to challenge oneself and embrace discomfort during the learning process?
-Embracing discomfort and challenging oneself during learning stimulates higher order thinking and deeper processing of information, which leads to better retention and understanding. It pushes the learner to make connections and understand the material more thoroughly.
What is the role of relevance in enhancing the learning process as discussed in the transcript?
-Making the information relevant to the learner enhances the learning process by making the material more memorable and meaningful. When information is connected to something the learner cares about or finds interesting, the brain is more likely to retain it.
How does the transcript suggest one should approach the initial stages of learning a new topic?
-The transcript suggests taking a step back from the details and focusing on the relationships between concepts. It encourages learners to understand and process the information without immediately trying to write down everything, instead of focusing on how different pieces of information connect.
What is the final advice given in the transcript regarding the application of the learned material?
-The final advice is to test the learned material by applying it in complex and unfamiliar ways. Learners should aim to explain concepts and their relationships, not just regurgitate information, ensuring they can answer difficult questions and understand the material deeply.
Outlines
📚 The Difference Between Learning and Studying
This paragraph discusses the misconception that studying and learning are synonymous. It emphasizes that learning is a cognitive process that allows us to retain and apply information, while studying is a physical process aimed at achieving the cognitive outcome of learning. The speaker shares personal experiences of ineffective studying and introduces the concept of higher order thinking skills as a key to effective learning.
💡 Understanding Higher Order Thinking Skills
The second paragraph delves into higher order thinking skills, which involve analyzing, evaluating, and integrating information to understand its relevance and importance. It contrasts this with lower order thinking, which is more about memorization and understanding in isolation. The analogy of gym training is used to illustrate the importance of technique over mere repetition, and how lower order learning can lead to inefficiency and a cycle of forgetting and relearning.
🌟 Nonlinear Note Taking for Higher Order Learning
This section introduces the concept of nonlinear note taking as a method to facilitate higher order thinking. It suggests that instead of passively copying information, one should actively engage with the material by identifying relationships between concepts. The paragraph outlines a three-step process involving thinking about the end goal, listing and connecting keywords, and testing one's understanding. It also emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity in note taking.
📈 Embracing the Struggle for Effective Learning
The final paragraph encourages embracing the challenge and discomfort that comes with higher order learning. It likens the process to working out at the gym, where pushing through the strain leads to better results. The speaker advises learners to test their retention and understanding by explaining concepts in their own words or answering practice questions. The paragraph concludes with a recap of the key points and an invitation to download a PDF for further guidance on nonlinear note taking.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Learning
💡Studying
💡Higher Order Thinking Skills
💡Bloom's Taxonomy
💡Nonlinear Note Taking
💡Lower Order Thinking
💡Technique and Form
💡Quantity vs. Quality
💡Mind Map
💡Retain Information
💡Knowledge Mastery
Highlights
The distinction between learning and studying is crucial for effective knowledge retention and application.
Learning is a cognitive process that enables information retention and application, while studying is the physical act that aims to achieve this cognitive outcome.
Not all forms of studying lead to effective learning; some methods can be counterproductive.
An analogy of gym workouts is used to illustrate the importance of technique over quantity in achieving progress.
Effective note-taking methods are crucial for higher retention and mastery of content.
Higher order thinking skills, as represented by Bloom's revised taxonomy, are essential for effective learning.
Lower order thinking involves memorization and understanding in isolation, which can lead to poor retention.
Nonlinear note-taking facilitates higher order thinking by encouraging the consideration of relationships between information.
Linear note-taking is often ineffective and leads to a regurgitation of information without meaningful processing.
To engage in higher order learning, one must focus on the quality of notes over quantity, emphasizing relationships and understanding.
The process of nonlinear note-taking involves three steps: thinking, listing and connecting, and testing.
Thinking involves focusing on the end goal of learning and maximizing the learning process through relational thinking.
Listing and connecting involves creating a mind map of keywords to visualize and prioritize key ideas.
Testing your retention ability with the new method ensures its effectiveness and provides a means for continuous improvement.
Applying the knowledge in complex and unfamiliar ways is crucial for true mastery and not just memorization.
The video provides a PDF with a summary of the three steps and a checklist for nonlinear note-taking in the description box.
Embracing discomfort and challenge during the learning process is essential for growth and improved learning techniques.
The video concludes by encouraging viewers to start their new learning journey with the insights provided.
Transcripts
you know how there's always that one
student that never seems to study yet
passes with flying colors how do they do
that are they simply just more talented
smarter or do they know something that
the majority don't the good news is that
you can do the same if you simply just
know this one thing and that is the
difference between learning and studying
and just wait a minute I know what
you're thinking you're thinking arer but
when I am studying I am learning to
study is to learn and to learn is to
study except
that's wrong as someone who teaches
thousands of students how to learn and
yes that's learn not just study there is
a fundamental difference that you need
to know when I first began studying I
too didn't understand the difference
between studying and learning I wasted
countless hours of studying without
results and this was me the old Archer
and I remember I would be pouring over
every page of my textbook at midnight
there'd be that subtle yet everpresent
ticking of my bedside clock and with
every tick I could feel that slight
increase of my blood pressure sound
familiar well that pain can be avoided
and I want to help you get started on
your Learning Journey let's start with
the definition of learning what exactly
is learning now bear with me here if you
take a look at this learning is the
mental or cognitive process happening
within our brain it's what allows us to
number one retain that information and
number two be able to use and apply that
information to solve comp problems and
ultimately perform well in our
assessments and our exams however
studying is the physical process that we
hopes achieves the cognitive outcome of
learning we think that all forms of
studying note taking reading on notes
highlighting passages on end all of this
helps us with achieving more effective
learning unfortunately that can't be
further from the truth and we know this
based on the 10 plus years that we have
spent at ion study consolidating the
latest research on learning and
cognitive psychology here's an example
look at these two guys who go to the gym
A and B have both recently started their
fitness journey with similar physiques
and goals we'll call a John the brawn
and John goes to the gym five times a
week for 2 hours at a time and then we
have B Shane the brain and he only goes
to the gym three times a week for less
than 2 hours at a time yet looking at
their progress down the line Shane has
progressed far more than John and
although it may seem that going to the
gym and working out more would lead to
more progress that clearly wasn't the
case otherwise those who go to the gym
the most would be the strongest out
there so what did Shane do exactly well
Shane understood that there was
something much more important than just
working out all of the time Shane
understood that the underlying technique
for the exercises that he was using was
the most important factor for his growth
Shane executed every repetition to
Perfection he would take the adequate
rest time between his sets he'd look
after his sleep and his diet and
ultimately he found that he progressed
very well in a short period of time
however JN was focused on just
mindlessly pumping the weights he
thought that he had good technique but
in reality he didn't really care about
that he was just focused on the quantity
and the number of repetitions because
that was all that his friends had ever
told him about but what John failed to
realize is that poor technique and form
leads to slower progress and even the
potential for injuries this analogy is
very relevant to the exact processes
that students use when studying the very
first step that students engage in when
studying is not taking and just like we
mentioned with the analogy before there
are effective and ineffective methods of
note taking which result in vastly
different outcomes some notetaking
methods just like formal technique are
going to have a lower level of retention
and a lower level of depth or Mastery of
content as well but unfortunately a lot
of people who adopt these less efficient
techniques think that quantity will be
the thing that gets them to their
desired goal but this can't be true
right at the same time some notetaking
methods result in way more effective
learning both in higher retention and in
knowledge Mastery just like Shane
thought working on the technique and the
execution of the technique results in
greater progress in less time so what
makes certain methods of note taking
more effective than others well it comes
to this one key principle that has been
consistently proven to help make
learning and studying in general more
effective and that is called higher
order thinking skills and higher order
thinking skills is like having good
technique or form in the gym like shame
and it can be represented by this model
quite nicely called blooms revise
taxonomy from top to bottom you can see
that it goes through the different
orders of thinking skills from higher
order thinking skills to lower order
thinking skills and a characteristic
feature of higher order thinking skills
specifically at the analyze and evaluate
level is that you're looking at how
information is integrated it involves
comparing ideas against each other
thinking about how they're similar how
they're different you'll trying to find
those relationships that exist between
the two and there's always this bigger
picture idea or concept you're trying to
connect it to in order to establish its
importance within the grand scheme of
things and what this does for you is it
makes the information far more relevant
to your brain so that it's worth
retaining and then that leads to the
higher retention and knowledge Mastery
on the other hand lower order thinking
is very isolated lower order thinking
and learning is much like having poor
technique and form in the gym just like
John and a characteristic feature of law
order thinking when we look at Bloom's
taxonomy is that you often just try to
memorize and just understand something
there's a lot of emphasis on looking at
information in isolation rather than
thinking about how all connects together
now memorization is still a very
necessary part of the studying process
but if it is the primary thing that you
are doing without having those higher
order learning techniques alongside then
it can be detrimental a lot of
unnecessary time will then just be spent
relearning the same thing again and
again when you could have just learned
properly in the first place also if you
mainly use lower order learning
techniques you'll often find that the
learning is often quite irrelevant and
that's what leads to lower retention and
knowledge Mastery it leads to this
painful cycle that Loops over and over
again of you forgetting and then
relearning and it never ends a classic
example is when you can't remember the
notes that you just took down 2 minutes
ago and then now you feel like this need
to rewrite them out again or check over
them yet again because you want it to
stick or maybe it's that you're studying
and 5 minutes in you feel this tsunami
of sleepiness come your way and you
already feel like you're going to nap if
you have had these experiences these are
telltale signs that your learning is
more likely to be lower order than not
because it doesn't require a very high
level of brain power to do and
inherently becomes boring it is
convenient and easy to do it feels like
you're getting a lot of stuff done but
in reality it's not that effective and
this is very similar to what John was
doing when you use lower order learning
techniques the information isn't very
related to many things and so when your
brain sees that it's like oh that's not
very relevant well I'm just going to get
rid of that and this is why you forget
and forget again let's take a look at an
example of some linear notes so in this
example you can see that this has no
real connection between the different
ideas that are represented here it's
just blocks of text so it's very
isolated the information itself is not
really processed as well it very much
looks like a regurgitation of the
information that was presented in class
so you're almost like a human
photocopier at this point and then as a
result the information is often
forgotten because the information is not
represented in a way that's very
meaningful or memorable this is usually
referred to as linear note taking and it
is the usual and primary way that people
take notes using notes like this though
is like it's like trying to cut a steak
with a spoon or rocking up to a Ferrari
race in a horse fundamentally no matter
how good you are at low order learning
it is still inefficient so how can we
engage in higher order learning so we
can have more interconnected processed
and memorable notes how can we cut that
steak with a knife how can we transform
our horse into a Ferrari well we can do
this by using a process that is called
nonlinear note taking very briefly
nonlinear note taking is about taking
notes in a way that facilitates the
certain thinking process that allows you
to deeply consider the relationships
that exist between the information
you're learning to think about which
information is more important than
others and then finding a way to
represent and organize this information
in a way that makes the most sense to
you and so often this means that you'll
have to abandon the set order that
information was presented to you in a
classroom environment or in a textbook
so that you can learn in the order that
is most optimal for you the opposite of
nonlinear notetaking is linear
notetaking as we've discussed before and
hopefully by this point we're clear on
the fact that we want to be doing more
nonlinear not taking if so that's great
and if you've been enjoying this so far
and following along make sure to leave a
thumbs up on this video because what
we're going to do now is we're going to
dive a little bit deeper and show you
how this is exactly done for
demonstration purposes we're going to
use a chapter from some random geography
textbook on some rocks and so your
contents page of that chapter might look
something like this there's the type of
rocks the weather SL erosion processes
relating to those types of rocks and
then the land forms based on the
different types of rocks that there are
here is a set of notes following the
contents page of the textbook or the
outline my question is is this something
that you do too because if you do if
this looks familiar that's okay that's
fine but this is still linear not taking
and it is the usual starting position
for many of the students coming into our
ion study program but this is still
going to lead to wasted time
inefficiency and the need to relearn and
reread your notes again and again so how
can we engage in higher order learning
with nonlinear note taking well this can
be done using three steps so number one
we're going to think number two we're
going to list and connect and then
number three we're going to test step
number one is to think about the end
goal with your learning and to maximize
your learning it's all about thinking
about what you're specifically doing and
again it's not about the quantity of
notes that you write otherwise those who
take the most notes would get the best
exam result but we know that simply
isn't the case so if you want to be able
to use your knowledge in a fluid way
where you can retrieve information with
a lot of complexity a lot of nuance you
can adapt it to any question that comes
your way way because you're thinking
about it super relationally well then
you have to be doing this exact type of
thinking in the first place when you're
learning it initially don't be driven by
the insecurity to write as much as
possible you really want to strip back
here and not add more and you want to
avoid taking down copious amounts of
notes very often those students who take
the most notes actually get worse
results and really if you wanted to
capture everything so you missed nothing
then just get an audio recorder press
record and put it through an audio
transcription that is going to allow you
to actually sit in the class and focus
on learning rather than just being a
human typewriter but if you want to
learn at this higher order then you need
to think about this in a much more
relational manner so draw those
relationships between the information
that you're learning and when you're
exposed to something with a lot of big
chunks of information like this whether
it be about like rocks or certain
landform processes whatever it may be
you want to take a step back and just
focus on the relationships that exist
between those Concepts themselves
understand and process the information
that you're taking in without furiously
copying down your notes so always think
about how the information relates back
to the stuff you just learned 5 minutes
ago and how it relates to the stuff that
you're going to learn in the future in
the next chapter or your next class so
step number two is to list and connect
so whether you're hearing words in class
or reading it from a textbook any
keyword that seems important list that
down then connect all the keywords that
you've collected and build a simple mind
map in the way that it makes the most
sense to you so you want to make sure
that you're visualizing and prioritizing
the certain key ideas if you see certain
key words that would be better as a
group then you can go ahead and
visualize that as well now if you type
your notes this is also not going to be
an ideal way of note taking this is just
another form of linear note taking and
it's just simply not going to be able to
represent the multifaceted nature of the
relationships that you're dealing with
so the best case to deal with this is to
have a pen and paper and treat it like
an infinite canvas so as soon as you get
to the edge of the page just stick
another page on with some sticky tape
and you can continue that mind map on
for Simplicity sake with this example
I'm going to just use the headers here
because they seem like important words
for this topic that I'm learning but
there's definitely going to be many more
keywords that you hear within a class or
and then the paragraphs that you're
reading inside of your textbook so what
we can see here is that I've got the
types of rocks the weathering SL erosion
processes relating to different types of
rocks and then land forms based on those
different underlying types of rocks as
well following so far great so now we
need to find a way to connect all of
this information to create those
relationships between the Big Ideas in a
way that's going to make the most sense
for me this is forming a large mental
framework for all the Minor Details to
fill into you can think about it as like
a foundation that you can then build off
of so during this step I am thinking
about number one number two and number
three and I'm thinking how are they
related to one another I'm looking at
this and I'm thinking how are the
different physical characteristics of
specific rocks in one related to the
kind of processes in number two I'm
thinking how are the certain land forms
determined by the types of rocks needed
to create them and there's also this
link that's here between number one and
three do you see how transformative and
intuitive this process is we're going
through right now the most boring Topic
in this chapter right now and we're
providing providing meaning to it and
connecting it together now let's take it
one step further maybe let's say you're
interested in caves as a land form this
is going to now serve as an anchor for
our mup because it provides relevance to
the first section that we were learning
about which was the types of rocks we
can start to connect why there are
particular types of rocks found in caves
as opposed to just memorizing all the
rocks that are found in caves what we
are doing is we are relating this back
to the formation processes that created
these types of rocks in the first place
so now it's more meaningful and
connected and as you go through this
process it almost feels like it's fun
and that's what higher order learning is
meant to be like so one thing you'll
notice as you do this is you'll feel
like your brain is on overdrive it's in
this higher gear and it's working very
very hard and if you feel this this is
actually a really important feeling it
means you're doing it correctly and in
fact if you're not feeling this more
likely than not you're engaging in that
lower order learning again because it
doesn't require a very high level of
brain power to do so it's very important
to not hold yourself back here when you
feel that strain embrace it and so many
students they get this wrong when they
feel this fear of the unknown they run
away from it right when I speak to
students who have tried this for the
first time they're like ah this doesn't
feel right and then they go back to
using the low order learning techniques
that they know is not going to help them
as much and that is how you never
improve this is really like going to the
gym imagine that you go to the gym you
LIF 1 kg and then you call it a day of
course you're never going to get a good
outcome and similarly if you study and
as soon as you feel that strain you quit
then you're never going to get the level
of retention and knowledge Mastery that
you need put yourself in that slightly
uncomfortable position challenge
yourself and those marginal gains they
will add up as you Embrace this
discomfort this sense of overwhelm and
even confusion as you're trying to piece
this together and put the relationships
with one another
that is what true learning feels like
and our last step is number three which
is to test so you want to prove to
yourself that this technique works and
this is good for two reasons number one
you're going to ensure that you're doing
it correctly and number two this is a
way for you to continue improving with
it so test your retention ability by
using this new method and see if this is
working better for you you can do this
by either teaching this to an imaginary
person or just doing some of your own
practice questions that you're creating
for yourself ask yourself are you better
at able to explain why different types
of rocks exist and the importance of
that information and how this relates
back to the formation processes that
unpend why these types of rocks existed
in the first place if you're able to do
this then you have now proven to
yourself that you have an effective
learning method of note taking so what
have we learned here today let's do a
quick recap we've learned the difference
between higher order learning and lower
order learning and then we should engage
of higher order learning much more than
lower order learning when we do that
that's going to get us a high level of
retention a high level of knowledge
Mastery it's going to be more efficient
save us some time and we can achieve
this by doing nonlinear note taking and
second is less is more don't focus on
the quantity of your notes quality over
quantity I want you to focus on finding
those big relationships and to take this
slow and struggle with it as you get
started with it and I know that it will
be a little tough in the beginning but I
trust that you've got this and lastly is
to apply it test yourself make sure that
you can apply this knowledge in complex
and unfamiliar ways to answer the
hardest curable questions that come your
way do not just test yourself and
regurgitating this information like
you've just memorized it from the
textbook if you have made it to this
part of the video so far congratulations
not because this is the end but because
this is the start of a new Learning
Journey for you now just make sure to
download the PDF in the description box
below it's going to summarize these
three steps and also provide your a
checklist for your nonlinear note taking
and as always remember to like comment
and subscribe and until next time
[Music]
[Music]
bye-bye
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