Study More Efficiently With These 2 Basic Steps
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, Dr. Justin, a medical doctor and learning coach, introduces effective encoding techniques for long-term memory retention. He emphasizes the importance of moving beyond rote memorization to higher-order learning, which involves deep processing and clear organizational structures in the brain. Dr. Justin discusses Bloom's and SOLO Taxonomies to understand the levels of learning and stresses the need for cognitive load tolerance. The video promises future content on specific encoding techniques, aiming to help students develop skills for better memory and learning efficiency.
Takeaways
- 🔍 Understanding encoding: Encoding is essential for long-term memory and goes beyond just memorization or rote learning.
- 💡 Higher-order learning: Focus on higher-order learning, such as analyzing and evaluating, to improve encoding.
- 🧠 Cognitive load: Encoding involves cognitive load, which naturally feels uncomfortable but is necessary for effective learning.
- 🏋️ Cognitive load tolerance: Gradually increase your tolerance for cognitive load to handle more information at once.
- 🌐 Big picture thinking: Always relate new information to the bigger picture and organize it in a meaningful way.
- 🗂️ Non-linear note-taking: Avoid linear note-taking. Use methods like mind mapping to better organize and encode information.
- 🔄 Immediate encoding: Encode information as soon as possible after learning it to prevent it from being isolated or forgotten.
- 📈 Progression of learning: Move from basic understanding to applying, analyzing, and evaluating concepts to improve retention.
- 🕰️ Patience and practice: Developing effective encoding skills takes time and practice, similar to training muscles or learning an instrument.
- 🔗 Connecting ideas: Continuously compare and relate new ideas to existing knowledge to enhance understanding and retention.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video by Dr. Justin?
-The main focus of the video is to teach the principles of effective encoding for better long-term memory retention, and to discuss the importance of cognitive load tolerance in the learning process.
Why is it important to understand the difference between encoding and retrieval when learning?
-Understanding the difference between encoding and retrieval is important because it helps in organizing information in a way that makes intuitive and logical sense, which is crucial for long-term memory retention.
What are the two fundamental aspects of effective encoding that Dr. Justin discusses?
-The two fundamental aspects of effective encoding discussed are increasing encoding tolerance and cognitive load tolerance, which are essential for better learning and memory retention.
Why does Dr. Justin emphasize the importance of not relying solely on memorization for learning?
-Dr. Justin emphasizes this because relying solely on memorization can lead to information being isolated and not well-integrated into a larger understanding, which is less effective for long-term retention and application.
What is Bloom's Taxonomy and how does it relate to the video's content?
-Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework that categorizes different levels of cognitive learning, from basic knowledge recall to more complex analytical and creative thinking. It relates to the video as it helps illustrate the higher orders of learning that are necessary for effective encoding.
Can you explain the concept of 'cognitive load' as mentioned in the video?
-Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort being used in working memory during learning. The video suggests that increasing one's tolerance to cognitive load is essential for better encoding and learning.
What does Dr. Justin mean by 'isolating information' in the context of learning?
-Isolating information means learning or processing details in a disconnected manner, without relating them to other concepts or the overall context. This approach is discouraged in the video as it is less conducive to effective encoding and long-term memory.
What is the significance of 'organizational structure in the brain' when it comes to encoding?
-The significance of having an organizational structure in the brain is that it allows for intuitive and logical navigation of information, which is essential for deep processing and higher-order learning, leading to better encoding.
How does Dr. Justin define 'higher order learning' in the video?
-Higher order learning, as defined by Dr. Justin, involves deep processing and encoding, where information is not just memorized but is understood in relation to other concepts and the bigger picture, often involving analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
What is SOLO Taxonomy and how does it differ from Bloom's Taxonomy mentioned in the video?
-SOLO Taxonomy is another framework that categorizes levels of cognitive learning, focusing on the structural organization of learning outcomes. It differs from Bloom's by emphasizing the relational and contextual understanding of concepts, rather than just the type of cognitive process.
Why does Dr. Justin suggest that students should not write notes immediately after reading or listening to new information?
-Dr. Justin suggests this because immediate note-taking can reduce cognitive load too quickly, preventing the brain from organizing the information in relation to other concepts and the bigger picture, which is crucial for effective encoding.
What is the role of 'chunking' in the learning process as alluded to in the video?
-Chunking is a learning technique where information is broken down into smaller, more manageable 'chunks' that are easier to process and remember. The video implies that chunking can be incorporated into advanced encoding techniques once the basic principles of effective encoding are mastered.
How does Dr. Justin propose to deal with the feeling of being overwhelmed by too many connections and relationships between concepts?
-Dr. Justin suggests starting with applying the information to simpler problems before moving on to more complex analysis and evaluation. This step-by-step approach can help build cognitive load tolerance and make the process of encoding more manageable.
Outlines
📚 Introduction and Basics of Encoding
Dr. Justin introduces himself as a medical doctor and learning coach, explaining the importance of encoding in learning. He suggests watching his previous video on active recall and spaced repetition for better understanding. He emphasizes that encoding involves cognitive load, which feels uncomfortable and confusing at first, but it's a normal part of the learning process.
🧠 Understanding Cognitive Load and Higher Order Learning
Dr. Justin discusses the challenges of encoding and the misconception that immediate results are achievable. He compares the process to training muscles or learning an instrument, requiring consistent effort over time. He outlines the importance of higher-order learning, deep processing, and having an organizational structure in your brain to effectively encode information.
🔍 Bloom's Taxonomy and Higher Order Thinking
Dr. Justin explains Bloom's Taxonomy, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond memorization and understanding to higher-order thinking levels like applying, analyzing, and evaluating information. He highlights the significance of analyzing relationships between concepts and the need for a clear, logical organizational structure in the brain for effective encoding.
🗂️ SOLO Taxonomy and Relational Learning
Dr. Justin introduces SOLO Taxonomy as another framework for understanding learning levels. He stresses the importance of relating new information to existing knowledge and the bigger picture. For effective encoding, it's crucial to focus on higher-order thinking, which naturally incorporates lower-level processing without isolating information.
📝 Effective Note-Taking and Cognitive Load Tolerance
Dr. Justin advises against linear, wordy note-taking, which reduces cognitive load but hinders encoding. He suggests practicing retaining information before taking notes and gradually increasing cognitive load tolerance. This skill is fundamental for advanced encoding techniques and enhances retention, making the learning process more efficient and effective.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Encoding
💡Cognitive Load
💡Bloom's Taxonomy
💡Higher Order Learning
💡Sensory Memory
💡Working Memory
💡Organizational Structure
💡Relational Learning
💡Cognitive Load Tolerance
💡Rote Learning
Highlights
Dr. Justin, a medical doctor and learning coach, introduces the concept of encoding for effective learning and long-term memory retention.
Encoding techniques are inherently challenging due to the cognitive load involved, which is a normal part of the learning process.
The importance of understanding the difference between low and high orders of learning for effective encoding.
Bloom's Taxonomy and SOLO Taxonomy as frameworks to understand higher order learning and encoding.
The necessity of relating new information to existing knowledge and the bigger picture for successful encoding.
The automatic filling in of lower order thinking by the brain when higher order thinking is the focus.
The benefits of delaying note-taking to increase cognitive load tolerance and enhance memory encoding.
The comparison of learning to training muscles or learning an instrument, emphasizing the time needed to develop encoding skills.
The process of moving from memorization and understanding to higher levels of thinking like analyzing and evaluating.
The role of chunking and non-linear note-taking in facilitating the encoding process.
The importance of building an organizational structure in the brain for intuitive and logical navigation of information.
The potential for high retention rates of 80-90% with effective encoding techniques.
The upcoming release of videos providing examples and addressing common mistakes in encoding.
The significance of practicing and gradually increasing cognitive load to improve encoding skills.
The potential for advanced encoding techniques to become more accessible with the development of cognitive load tolerance.
The upcoming exploration of interleaving, microlearning, and effective use of flashcards in the encoding process.
The promise of future videos to cover memorization techniques that complement encoding for filling knowledge gaps.
Transcripts
okay so um encoding and uh increasing
that long-term memory not being over
reliant on space repetition and active
recall here's how you do it for those
that are new my name is dr justin i'm a
medical doctor a learning coach and i
help students learn to learn if you
haven't watched my video on the problem
to do with active recoil and space
repetition and this thing called
encoding versus retrieval and the idea
of cognitive load and all of that sort
of stuff you definitely want to check
that out first otherwise this video
isn't gonna make as much sense for those
of you that have seen it okay let's dive
into some of the basics
hey it's um future me and someone said
that i should do a quick introduction
about the points i'm gonna cover and i
forgot to do that so in this video i'm
going to talk about uh the basic
principle behind how you can do encoding
and then i'm going to talk about the
second point which is to increase your
encoding
tolerance and cognitive load tolerance
because those are two like fundamental
fundamentals it doesn't get more
fundamental than that they're like the
step zero of starting to do effective
encoding what you'll find is that i
don't talk about specific like
techniques like step one step two step
three do this like write your notes like
this so you're probably going to have
questions like how do i write my notes
or what do i do for this subject or what
i do for this subject and the reason
that i didn't cover that is because
there's like literally hundreds of
different variations of this and so it's
better for me to just teach you the
principle if it abides by the principles
that i talk about in this video it's
probably gonna be okay-ish if it doesn't
abide by these principles then it's
definitely not okay but again i've got
other videos that i'll post up about you
know more specific techniques and
examples and this is really just that
first step introduction into the basics
of encoding which i hope to just build
on in future videos anyway back to the
actual thing before we really start uh
it is important to realize that encoding
techniques are not
easy by nature like literally by
definition right encoding involves
cognitive load and cognitive load
naturally feels uncomfortable naturally
feels confusing so if you are using an
encoding technique especially a new one
that you haven't tried before and you're
finding that it's hard to wrap your head
around and you're just like generally a
little lost that's actually completely
normal in fact if you didn't feel that
it probably means you're doing it wrong
so a lot of students will use an
encoding technique the first time
they'll give it a go and they feel this
and then they back off they will give up
they'll say hey it's not working for me
i'm not getting those results the
results do not come immediately it's
kind of like training your muscles it's
kind of like learning to play an
instrument it takes time to develop the
skill for some people that's only a few
days for some people it's only a few
hours but for most people that that's
around a month to two months and that
that can be a little bit daunting but i
do promise that the the result pays off
so how do we do this whole encoding
thing there are a lot of different
techniques that you can use to encode
but every single encoding technique has
to sort of follow a few basic principles
and i'm gonna
drive them down to just two okay so the
first step is understanding about
different orders of learning there are
low orders of learning and there are
higher orders of learning deep
processing higher encoding this happens
a lot more when we're at the higher
order of learning so encoding is really
only happening when you have clear
organizational structure in your brain
what that means is that you not only
know what the information is but you
know how it fits in there is a way of
navigating this information in your
brain that makes intuitive and logical
sense there usually isn't a lot that
relies on you having memorized things
like memorize different groups of
anything it's usually pretty logical and
so someone that has done a high level of
encoding when they explain something it
sounds very simple and you can often
get that feeling of like wow i never
thought of it that simply before and
then you can do the classic kind of
explaining it to a five-year-old or
explaining it to a 10 year old and that
is a sign
generally of someone having a higher
order of learning so how do we know what
higher order learning is there are two
different frameworks that we can use to
understand this the first one is called
bloom's taxonomy and as you can see the
lower order learning is really the stuff
at the bottom levels the remembering and
the understanding a lot of people will
say that just memorizing something is
not real learning understanding is when
you're getting real learning that's not
true because understanding something is
still very isolated when we're doing
good encoding we never want information
to be isolated every single thing that
you consume every information that comes
into your sensory memory that you shunt
into your working memory again if this
is foreign to you check out that other
video that i mentioned before all of
that stuff in our working memory that's
gonna be forgotten in seconds we've got
seconds so in the in the seconds that
that information is in our working
memory that's our opportunity to encode
it into our long-term memory if we miss
that window we're wasting time so we
can't just consume information first
and then settle on it and then
consolidate it and then try to encode it
afterwards by then it's already late
we've already put it into kind of like a
a memorization box we're already sort of
looking at it in terms of stuff to wrote
learn through repetition and what i
found is that students that are
generally pretty heavy with the rote
learning or the memorization if they
don't follow this right order then they
are so pulled into their previous habit
of just rote learning that it's it's
very very very difficult to break out of
and certainly will waste a lot of time
so step number one as soon as possible
we want to just jump to higher order
learning and that is something like
applying but more so things like
analyzing and evaluating the ideas
so here's how we work up the ladder and
i want you to think about where you
spend most of your time thinking again
we want to be at those higher levels not
just in general but as early as possible
okay that's that's the key so the lower
level is about remembering this is just
like recalling facts and individual
details
the next level is about understanding if
you understand it you can explain it the
next level above this is applying so
this means solving problems but the
problems are usually pretty
concept specific like isolated problems
testing on just individual concepts and
then we have analyzing so analyzing is
the first point at which we're starting
to take ideas and bring them together
and comparing them against each other so
it's not just about having one idea and
then just understanding that idea really
really well
and focusing on understanding that idea
and you'll hear me talk about this in a
lot of other videos as well it's about
taking that idea and then looking at it
in relation to another idea and
comparing and contrasting between them
but not just one or two but multiple
different ideas and seeing their
relationships between them and then the
next step evaluating this is about not
just comparing and contrasting the ideas
but it's about figuring out how we can
judge them how we can prioritize them so
we might know that we have three
concepts that are related to each other
concept a concept b concept c and we
know that there is a relationship here
evaluating would be saying okay which of
these relationships is actually the most
important is it this one here or is it
is it this relationship that's the most
important or is it kind of like okay a
that leads to b and then a and b
together combined lead to c is that the
nature of the relationship so when
you're analyzing you may have an
understanding that there is a
relationship you may get an idea that
they are connected that they are related
to each other that they exert some kind
of influence but when you're evaluating
it means that you understand it much
more deeply you're very explicit you're
very clear about what the nature of that
relationship is and how important it is
in the in the big picture in the grand
scheme of things so i want you to start
trying to find the similarities
essentially doing that level five
thinking of uh evaluating or analyzing
the information with this next part so
another taxonomy that we can use apart
from blooms is solo taxonomy and i
personally like this one a little bit
more so if you think about this one this
part where we're actually saying that
the ideas don't exist in isolation
anymore but we actually sign a c the
connections between them
we're getting this in this kind of
relational type of learning but then
when we actually start implementing the
bigger picture we have an understanding
of its significance with the bigger
picture that's now activating higher
order learning so in order to do correct
encoding we always need to try to relate
the information to each other
and to the bigger picture
so we're always trying to relate the
information to each other
and to the bigger picture now for some
people this is actually an automatic
process that they'll do
students that are already pretty good at
encoding they will naturally do this but
i found that
a lot of the time this process goes
sort of subconscious and they will sort
of flick in and out of this method of
thinking what i'm saying is that it's
actually possible very possible like
this is legitimately kind of one of the
core principles of a lot of the
techniques that i teach
is the idea that you don't actually need
to
really spend much time at all on the
lower levels of thinking you don't
really need to try to memorize or try to
understand something now you're thinking
justin how am i going to evaluate and
analyze and get an understanding of the
big picture of something without even
knowing what it is like how without
understanding something how will i be
able to do that and the answer is that
you can't you can't do that and that's
the point your brain will automatically
will automatically fill in
the lower order levels of thinking so
the idea here is that you set your goal
your focus your objective is to do the
higher order thinking as early as
possible by doing that your brain will
automatically do the memorizing and the
understanding and the application of it
on the way there without you even trying
to do that and the benefit of this is
that because you have the big picture in
mind the information naturally becomes
more organized because if you were to do
it step by step if you were to take each
individual piece of information sensory
memory into your working memory you say
okay i'm gonna memorize this okay now
i'm gonna try to understand it more
deeply okay now i'm going to try to
apply this and then i'm going to try to
see how it fits in the big picture
if you were to do that then each piece
of information is being consumed
individually and it's isolated and at
that point remember we've got seconds to
encode it from our working memory to our
long-term memory at that moment we have
decided that we are going to look at it
in isolation first and already our
organizational structure is starting off
on the wrong foot so now we have to
spend time to unlearn the way that we
had organized it and then find another
way to organize it afterwards so it's
kind of like if you have a really messy
room it's like putting all of your stuff
in there first and then going into your
messy room and saying okay let's clean
it up it actually makes more sense to
take each individual item look at all
the other items you need to put into
your room think okay i can see that i've
got a lot of stationery i probably need
to find a way to organize that station
area in my room so if you're thinking
about this to begin with when you pick
up your pencil then you know where it's
going to go so it's organized to begin
with it takes a little bit longer to
process through the information the
first time around but it's
it's much incomparably faster and it
saves you a lot of time because that
information is encoded straight away and
you'll find that retention can be 80 90
i mean i've got some of the students on
my course that are saying that their
retention is like 90 plus after two
three weeks of not even having looked at
it again and that's
far above the uh what the research says
is is the just generally accepted norm
of around forty to sixty percent sort of
fifty percent area so that's the first
thing okay that's the first thing so let
me just really quickly summarize that is
that in order to do coding you have to
you have to try to organize the ideas in
relation to the big picture and you do
this by comparing the ideas against each
other and against the big picture and
creating an actual organizational system
so each piece of information knows where
to fit so every technique that you use
should
try to leverage off that that means
you're not just reading something and
just writing notes on it you shouldn't
be doing that if you read something and
just write notes on it straight away
then you're not letting your brain
figure out how to organize it first you
should never really be committing
anything
you know into your notes or anything
like that
until you've figured out a way to
organize it in relation to other
concepts and in relation to the bigger
picture right so we're always looking
for those relationships we're always
looking to build big picture relevance
now
it sounds simple and for some of you it
truly will be simple and for those of
you you're probably already a pretty
good academic achiever yourself this
part of the message is really for those
students that are listening that will
struggle with this and this is the
statistical majority vast majority of
students even some high achieving
students especially in the high school
level they're high achieving because
they're relying on repetition
but this is a completely different
method of thinking so you could be a
very high achiever
but you may actually still be not that
good at encoding uh and then what you'll
find is that as the information gets
harder and harder this repetition-based
learning becomes less and less
sustainable like like i talked about in
my last video so for those of you that
are struggling with this method of
thinking just remember what i said
before is that it is a skill you do need
to
you know practice it and that confusion
of thinking how does this fit how does
it come together where does it connect
can i organize it this way or maybe i
can organize it this way instead all of
that is good that that's learning that's
good cognitive load being used and
that's actually directly contributing to
improving your memory and i'll be
releasing several videos coming up as
well where i go through actual examples
of subjects where i go through and and
you'll see what i mean
by this comparison and the relationship
and you'll see the areas where you might
struggle so i've got a bunch of videos
coming up on that let me say it again
i've got videos of examples coming up
all right i'm doing my best to try to
cover the material as best as i can in
this format but youtube is honestly not
a great format for delivering stuff that
is like pretty sequential and uh like
has you know a pretty specific structure
in terms of how i need to teach it so
that's the first thing the second thing
is a much uh smaller point and this is
just something that's going to help you
do that first thing which is you need to
start training your cognitive load
tolerance you need to start becoming
more and more familiar with the idea of
keeping information in your brain
when you when you're writing notes you
will get the sensation that as soon as
you've written notes about it there's a
sort of burden that's been lifted from
your mind you can kind of breathe a
little bit easier you can probably
relate to this feeling that's not
necessarily a good thing and this again
is pretty nuanced because it can be good
sometimes and it might not be and again
i've got videos on that coming up as
well but as a rule of thumb if you're
someone that generally writes notes in a
very linear format
and by linear what i mean is that your
notes kind of just look like this you
might have some bullet points in there
as well but they're pretty pretty linear
you might be typing them you might be
using an app like notion or something
the idea is that all of these ways of
writing notes are linear and they're
usually quite wordy so this method of
writing notes is not very effective for
a number of different reasons and if
you're doing it that way already you
probably
have a habit of
reducing your cognitive load and
offloading it into your notes and that's
that's not a good thing because it means
that yes you've got a record of it but
you're not actually encoding it so that
again is going to create future work for
yourself and repetition is going to end
up wasting a lot of time what you want
to do is you want to get into the habit
of slowly increasing your cognitive load
capacity so if you're finding it really
really difficult if you tending to write
a lot of notes just practice
reading something or listening to
something and instead of writing notes
straight away get into the habit of just
holding on to that information a little
bit more
taking in a little bit more information
and asking yourself the questions how
does that relate to what i just learned
and then how does that relate to the big
picture
ask yourself these questions
and as you do this more and more you
will start to be able to hold on to more
and more information at a time
to a certain point where you'll be able
to really
read for 15 20 30 minutes without
writing any notes at the end of it you
can put down a very highly organized
beautifully processed set of notes and
people will look at you and think man
how did you actually do that and that
takes time and it takes practice but
slowly graduate gradually just trying to
expand your tolerance for cognitive load
is very very important skill
most of the more advanced encoding
techniques
require you to be able to have require
you to tolerate a certain level of
cognitive load uh to be able to do it at
all if you don't have a certain level of
tolerance a lot of these techniques are
just completely impossible so this is
something that you're going to need to
develop as like a very fundamental skill
for any and
reasonably even intermediate encoding
techniques from this we'll be able to
build on this we'll be
able to incorporate things like chunking
we'll be able to use non-linear note
taking like mind maps we'll be able to
bring them together into something that
i call chunk mapping which is a very
specific variation of mind mapping that
facilitates this chunking process
optimally we'll be able to start
layering in
a lot of other techniques like more
interleaving micro learning we'll see
how flash cards can fit into this system
we'll see how we can do our space
repetition in a healthy and productive
way we'll learn how to add on
memorization techniques that
supplement this just like rote learning
techniques to fill in any other gaps we
can look at revision techniques all of
these things we can start layering on
but we can't do any of that unless we
patch the hole in the bucket right we
can't we can't do anything else until
that hole in the bucket is already at
least reasonably patched and that means
we need to start getting a system where
our encoding is relatively high and
we're not forgetting things quite as
quickly the first time we learn it and
this is a process that again it will
take you some time but i also promise
that it will contribute uh and help you
and and benefit you for those of you
that struggle with the idea of like
comparing and thinking about the big
picture if you find that you've got way
too many relationships way too many
connections and it's just overwhelming
then what i'd suggest is that you take
it down a notch first think about
applying the information first so we
know that applying the information is
not quite as good as that high level
evaluation where we're comparing and
contrasting and prioritizing different
ideas but it's still a lot better than
just the memorization and understanding
so if you think about taking information
in and just thinking how can i apply
this how can i apply this and you focus
on that that will increase your
tolerance a little bit when you're good
at that then you can bring it up to the
next level all of the stuff that i've
just talked about that i've only briefly
mentioned i have plans to make videos on
all of that and i've got a lot of
examples that i can work through stuff
that my students have sent me
where there are very common mistakes and
issues that are found that i think
you'll find very helpful i've got all
this footage i just need to sit down and
edit them because again youtube is not
my full-time thing the the teaching
students how to learn that's my
full-time thing this is just something
that i do when i have the time and space
to be able to do it so that stuff is
coming out if you do want to see again
that step-by-step process then feel free
to check out the course that i've got
where i go through all of this sort of
stuff and more and all the examples all
of that stuff you can learn a little bit
more about that if you check the link in
the description as well or you can just
simply wait for my next big batch of
videos to come out hopefully you enjoyed
this if you did please leave it a like
if you have any questions anything you
want to clarify as always leave a
comment do my best to try to answer them
as long as they are relatively
respectful anyway thanks for listening
and i'll see you in the next one
[Music]
you
Ver Más Videos Relacionados
The 10-minute memory method
Learning Coach Reacts to TikTok Studying Advice | Part 2
5 Ways to Train Yourself to Be a Genius (3 Short-term, 2 Long-term)
How I Built an Evidence-Based Learning System in 312 Weeks
What are the BEST apps for Learning? - Q/A (Youtube comments edition)
What I Learned After 5000 Hours of Revision
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)