What are the BEST apps for Learning? - Q/A (Youtube comments edition)

Summary

In this educational video, Dr. Justin, a former medical doctor turned learning coach, addresses a variety of learning-related questions. He discusses strategies for selecting study materials, leveraging apps like Short Form for comprehensive learning, and choosing effective note-taking tools. Dr. Justin also shares insights on preparing for medical school, enhancing study techniques for technical subjects, and the importance of understanding cognitive load. He emphasizes the value of conceptual understanding in mathematics and provides tips for deep work and effective studying. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to engage in a Reddit community for further Q&A.

Takeaways

• 🔍 When looking for study materials, start with broad sources and then find additional resources. Avoid relying on a single source.
• 📚 For a comprehensive understanding, use apps like Short Form that summarize and link contents across various books.
• 🎨 Dr. Justin prefers using 'Concepts' for personal studying and 'Explain Everything' for teaching due to their non-linear note-taking features.
• 🚫 Dr. Justin advises against using Notion for learning purposes as it lacks the relational and non-linear aspects necessary for effective learning.
• 🧠 Understanding the difference between declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge is crucial for effective learning in technical subjects like engineering.
• 🎓 Before choosing med school, consider alternatives and understand your personality's non-negotiables to make an informed career decision.
• 🎵 For focused studying, Dr. Justin recommends using white noise, especially matching the type of noise to the environment for better concentration.
• 📈 Practice retrieval techniques at different knowledge levels to identify and address weaknesses in learning.
• 🕒 The timing of priming before a study session depends on the available time; aim for broad but shallow understanding to create a good scaffold for learning.
• 📝 It's okay to start with linear note-taking and gradually transition to more effective non-linear methods as you become comfortable.
• 🧮 In math, understanding the conceptual reasoning behind formulas is as important as learning the procedural aspects for effective problem-solving.

Q & A

What are the factors a student should consider before going into medical school?

Students should consider looking for alternatives to medicine, understanding their personality and non-negotiables, and gaining life experience to truly understand their values and needs before committing to medical school.

How does Dr. Justin recommend finding study materials outside of a set curriculum?

Dr. Justin suggests finding the broadest possible source of information on a topic, using that as a springboard for additional resources, and not starting with a single source but having at least two to five different sources.

What is the role of short form apps like Shortform in learning according to Dr. Justin?

Short form apps are useful for summarizing book contents and linking them to other related books, providing a broad reach of information and a springboard for further learning.

What online whiteboard apps does Dr. Justin recommend for studying and teaching?

Dr. Justin recommends using Concepts for personal studying and Explain Everything for teaching due to their features, but also mentions the potential of Apple's recently released Freeform app.

Why does Dr. Justin advise against using Notion for learning purposes?

Dr. Justin believes that Notion is not designed with learning in mind due to its linear and clunky relational aspects, and suggests alternatives like Obsidian for better learning experiences.

How can one practice for technical subjects like engineering effectively?

One should understand the different types of knowledge—declarative, procedural, and conditional—and focus on varied practice, interleaving, and mastering the basics rather than seeking advanced encoding techniques.

What does Dr. Justin suggest for training oneself to do deep work?

Deep work can be trained like any other skill or habit, but it's more about setting up an environment or structure that facilitates deep work rather than focusing on individual psychological techniques.

What does Dr. Justin recommend listening to while studying?

Dr. Justin recommends listening to white noise, especially matching the type of white noise to the distracting sounds in the environment, instead of music to maintain focus.

How can one revise for upcoming tests without redrawing the entire mind map?

One can use retrieval practice, past papers, creating questions for each other, or recreating the mind map in a different structure to emphasize different connections, depending on the level of understanding and time available.

What is the ideal scenario for priming before a study session according to the script?

The ideal scenario for priming is to have as broad and shallow an understanding as possible, focusing on concepts to create anchor points for later learning, with the depth and breadth depending on the time available.

Is it okay to start with linear notes when learning new concepts?

Yes, it's okay to start with linear notes and gradually transition to more advanced note-taking forms as comfort and proficiency increase.

How can one study math effectively according to Dr. Justin?

One should focus on understanding the conceptual aspects of math in words before diving into formulas and equations, and practice procedural and conditional knowledge through interleaved retrieval and problem-solving.

How can one differentiate between cognitive load and simply being tired?

Cognitive load is associated with engaged and controlled learning processes, while tiredness reduces the ability to tolerate mental exertion. The sensation of being in control and making connections is indicative of cognitive load, whereas tiredness feels like a lack of capacity to continue the process.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Finding Study Materials for Self-Directed Learning

Dr. Justin, a former medical doctor and learning coach, discusses strategies for finding study materials when not provided with a set curriculum. He suggests starting with broad information sources and then branching out to additional resources. He emphasizes the importance of using multiple sources to gain a comprehensive understanding. Dr. Justin also highlights the utility of apps like Short Form for summarizing book contents and linking to related resources, which can be particularly helpful for self-directed learners.

05:02

📝 Navigating Alternatives to Notion for Note-Taking and Learning

The paragraph addresses the misuse of Notion as a note-taking tool for learning, as it was not designed with learning in mind. Dr. Justin recommends alternatives like Obsidian and Rome Research, which he believes are more suited for learning due to their ability to handle relational aspects of information in a more organic way. He also shares his personal preference for using Google Docs and the app 'Concepts' for studying, and 'Explain Everything' for teaching due to their non-linear note-taking capabilities.

10:03

🧐 Factors to Consider Before Entering Med School

Dr. Justin tackles the significant decision of entering medical school by suggesting that students first explore alternatives and understand the realities of the medical profession. He stresses the importance of self-awareness, understanding one's personality, values, and non-negotiables. He advises gaining life experience to inform this major career decision, rather than rushing into it for the sake of certainty.

15:05

🔍 Techniques for Mastering Technical Subjects

In this section, Dr. Justin explains the importance of understanding different types of knowledge: declarative, procedural, and conditional. He suggests that mastering technical subjects like engineering involves not just advanced encoding techniques but also a deeper level of skill with basic encoding techniques. He recommends varied practice, interleaving, and problem-solving at different mastery levels to address challenges in understanding and applying technical knowledge.

20:07

🎓 Balancing Deep Work and Study Techniques

Dr. Justin discusses deep work, its complexity, and the prevailing theories around it. He suggests that deep work can be trained like any other skill or habit, and emphasizes the importance of creating an environment conducive to deep work. He also touches on the effectiveness of different study techniques, such as retrieval practice and interleaving, depending on the individual's weaknesses and the complexity of the subject matter.

25:10

🤔 Addressing Cognitive Load and Study Efficiency

The final paragraph addresses the distinction between cognitive load and mental fatigue. Dr. Justin explains that cognitive load is an indicator of the learning process and should involve engaging in the right type of thinking. He differentiates the sensation of good cognitive load, which is about being in control and engaged with the learning process, from the feeling of being tired, which reduces one's ability to tolerate the mental exertion required for effective learning.

Keywords

💡Medical School

Medical school refers to the educational institution that provides the necessary training and education for individuals aspiring to become medical doctors. In the video, Dr. Justin discusses factors to consider before entering medical school, emphasizing the importance of understanding the demands and realities of the medical profession. He suggests exploring alternatives and understanding one's personality and values to make an informed decision about pursuing a career in medicine.

💡Learning Materials

Learning materials are resources used to facilitate the educational process, including textbooks, research articles, and online platforms. Dr. Justin advises finding a broad range of sources to study a subject effectively. He mentions using AI tools like chatGPT for recommendations and Short Form apps for summarizing book contents and linking to related resources, which can be particularly useful for self-directed learners outside a formal curriculum.

💡Cognitive Load

Cognitive load refers to the mental effort involved in processing new information. In the context of the video, Dr. Justin distinguishes between cognitive load and mental fatigue, explaining that cognitive load is about engaging in the right type of thinking process, which naturally involves more mental exertion. He suggests that when one is tired, the cognitive load doesn't increase, but the ability to tolerate the exertion decreases, affecting the learning process.

💡Deep Work

Deep work is a concept that describes the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Dr. Justin discusses techniques for training oneself to do deep work, suggesting that it involves not just individual effort but also setting up an environment that facilitates focused work. He notes that the impact of deep work on productivity is often overshadowed by the efficiency of the wider system or structure one operates within.

💡White Noise

White noise is a type of sound that is produced by combining different frequencies of sound waves at equal intensity. In the video, Dr. Justin mentions using white noise to study, as it can help to mask distracting sounds and create a more conducive environment for concentration. He recommends adjusting the type of white noise to match the background noise in one's environment for optimal effectiveness.

💡Encoding Techniques

Encoding techniques refer to methods used to convert information into a format that can be stored and retrieved from memory. Dr. Justin discusses the importance of understanding the different types of knowledge (declarative, procedural, and conditional) and how they relate to encoding techniques in learning. He suggests that mastering basic encoding techniques is more beneficial than seeking advanced ones, as the issue often lies in the application and retrieval of knowledge rather than the encoding process itself.

💡Retrieval Practice

Retrieval practice is a learning strategy that involves actively recalling information from memory to strengthen memory traces and improve long-term retention. Dr. Justin recommends various forms of retrieval practice, such as flashcards for lower-order retrieval and past papers or creating questions for mid to higher-order application. He emphasizes the importance of using a mix of techniques based on one's weaknesses to effectively revise for tests.

💡Priming

Priming is a concept in psychology where exposure to a stimulus influences a response to a later stimulus. In the video, Dr. Justin talks about priming as a study technique, suggesting that it should be broad and shallow, focusing on concepts to create anchor points for later learning. He advises on the practicality of priming, depending on the time available before a study session or lecture.

💡Note-Taking

Note-taking is the act of recording information during a lecture, while reading, or during any learning activity. Dr. Justin discusses the effectiveness of different note-taking methods, recommending a transition from linear to non-linear note-taking as one becomes more proficient. He suggests starting with what one is comfortable with and gradually moving towards more advanced techniques to enhance learning and understanding.

💡Conceptual Understanding

Conceptual understanding refers to the ability to comprehend the abstract or theoretical aspects of a subject. Dr. Justin emphasizes the importance of understanding the 'why' behind mathematical concepts before delving into the procedural aspects. He suggests using resources like AI to gain a deeper conceptual understanding, which can aid in problem-solving and applying mathematical formulas effectively.

Highlights

Dr. Justin emphasizes the importance of considering alternatives to medical school and understanding the non-negotiables in one's life before making a career decision.

For learning outside of a set curriculum, Dr. Justin suggests starting with broad information sources and using them to find additional resources.

Short form apps like Shortform are recommended for summarizing book contents and linking to related sources.

Concepts and Explain Everything are Dr. Justin's preferred apps for personal studying and teaching due to their non-linear note-taking features.

Dr. Justin advises against using Notion for learning due to its linear structure and lack of organic relational aspects.

Understanding the different types of knowledge—declarative, procedural, and conditional—is key to effective learning in technical subjects like engineering.

Deep work can be facilitated by setting up an environment that makes it easier to achieve, rather than solely relying on individual psychological techniques.

Dr. Justin recommends using white noise matched to the background noise level to enhance focus while studying.

Retrieval practice should be tailored to an individual's weaknesses, with a mix of lower, mid, and higher-order techniques.

Priming should be as broad as possible to create a wide conceptual net for later learning to connect to.

Starting with linear notes and gradually transitioning to more effective note-taking methods is a practical approach for those not yet proficient.

In mathematics, understanding the conceptual reasoning behind formulas is as important as learning the procedural aspects.

Dr. Justin differentiates between cognitive load and mental fatigue, suggesting that the former is about engaging in the right learning processes.

The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to join a subreddit for further Q&A and engagement with Dr. Justin.

Transcripts

this video is sponsored by short form

what are the factors that a student

should consider before going into med

school and this person also asks

that's such a big question okay

everyone it's Dr Justin here I'm a

former medical doctor and full-time

learning coach today we are answering

questions that you have posted in the

comments we've got Anna here behind the

camera that's going to be asking me

these questions I haven't heard them

before I'll be answering them fresh

let's go shakiroji asks when you're

trying to learn something how do you

find the right materials to study that

subject when you're letting it outside

of school whether materials are not

provided to you these are like a set

curriculum or course there are a lot of

different ways and it depends a lot on

the context of what you're trying to

learn one of the ways that I would do it

is find the broadest possible source of

information that you can around that

topic and then use that as a springboard

for finding additional resources okay

the old school way that you would

normally do this is you just find a book

that kind of summarizes it because books

are usually written to be a little bit

more Layman friendly than like hardcore

research articles or you know I'd look

for systematic reviews on a certain

topic or something but honestly look in

the Modern Age today if I was doing that

now I'm gonna Chuck couldn't like chat

GPT or an AI I'm just going to ask what

are the main things I need to think

about and then recommend me some books

as long as you have a basic starting

point that's fine one pro tip that I'd

recommend though is never start with a

single Source you want to have at least

at least two but up to five different

sources of information you want that

broad reach I mean I feel like reluctant

to say this because

this video is not sponsored by short

form but short form is actually really

useful for this so

uh you can use you can use apps like

short form which tell you what other

books that you can look for and all the

sort of sources that you might not have

thought about originally they look at

that stuff for you instead you know in

fact actually I changed my mind this

video is sponsored by short form the

Segway was just too good the transition

was too good for me to miss okay so

short form apps like short form and

short from particular what they're

really good at is summarizing the

contents of books and then also linking

it to other books that might talk about

a very similar topic I think a really

really good example of this is a book

like principles by Ray dalio so A Book

Like principles by Ray dalio is really

really dense they talk the book talks

about a lot of different concepts around

personal development and business

management and all these different

things the book itself for those of you

that have read it actually

contradicts itself inside their own book

and it also contradicts or contrasts or

supplements the commentaries that other

quite prolific authors talk about in

related domains what short form would do

is it actually calls out the

contradictions and then it also provides

additional context by relating it to

what other books have said so it allows

you to have that springboard very

efficiently

so

if you want to use short form then you

can check the link in the description

below and you get five days unlimited

access and a discount on your annual

membership shortform.com Justin Sun

all right next question the quick file

one David a Geraldo asked what online

whiteboard do you use okay so I have

typically used an app called Concepts

this is not sponsored by Concepts I ask

questions to sponsor me and it's refused

actually then I have they don't have an

affiliate program but I I normally use

uh concepts for my personal studying and

I use an app called explain everything

for teaching because they have different

features but Apple has recently released

a free form I think is the name of the

app and it's I haven't tested it yet but

it's looking promising but really what

I'm looking for is infinite canvas

non-linear note taking as long as it's

got non-linear note taking Infinite

Canvas and personally I like to make

sure I'm able to draw as well because

having non-verbal expression of

information is is efficient if you know

how to do it correctly so those are the

things I look for there are some apps

that sort of do that but I kind of don't

recommend because the user experience is

a little bit laggy and I feel that it's

not so good so a prominent example will

be like good notes I don't really like

look using good notes because not

Infinite Canvas I don't have any

students that continue to use good notes

really they all move away from it

because it's very limited

I think people that don't drop those

apps probably don't realize how much

benefit Infinite Canvas provides also

one note uh purely because one note I

feel is quite clunky to use actually so

I just don't feel like it's a great user

experience and this is like a very minor

thing but if you're doing a lot of

studying

you're gonna be using this app all the

time having a nice user experience just

makes that process a lot more enjoyable

so yeah those are these Concepts explain

everything and I think free reform is a

great one I know that there are other

apps out there there's not a definitive

list there's some good ones out on

Windows and stuff like that as well but

it's just what I use what other similar

apps can we use instead of notion so the

problem is probably that notion is not

being used in the right way notion is a

great

um reference software it's great for

just putting information in that you

don't need to learn as a reference

source I mostly see students using

notion as a literal like note-taking

tool for the purposes of helping them

learn that information but it's not very

good because the relational aspects of

it very very clunky and the relational

aspects are actually not organic like

your brain doesn't create those

relationships in the same way as notion

Traxxas relationships the representation

of the information is very linear it's

very clunky it's nothing about it really

feels like it's designed with learning

in mind because it's not it literally

isn't like notion was designed for

startup entrepreneurs and people that

have Team flows and just personal

Knowledge Management type things and

it's great for that

it's just not good for learning it's

just I have beef with the fact that they

started just marketing it for like

students this is the app for learning

it's like it's kind of not not from an

actual cognitive science perspective it

doesn't doesn't make sense

so depending on how you're already using

notion that makes a difference if you

are using it the way that it was

intended to be used then there are a lot

of good Alternatives um like obsidian uh

Rome research even I probably lean more

towards obsidian I think is actually a

better app

um in a lot of ways than the notion is

if you're using it just for literally

like taking documents you could use any

app really I don't use notion anymore I

am someone that used to use notion

extensively within my business and my

personal life I should not use it

anymore I use a combination of obsidian

and just good old Google Docs and then

for my actual learning stuff I have

those other apps according to you and as

per your personal experience what are

the factors that a student should

consider before going into med school

and this person also asks how do you

know if med school is right for you

that's such a big question okay

factors to consider

I think the first thing is that

you're probably not going to know enough

about medicine

before you actually do the job I would

recommend first of all look for

Alternatives as well a lot of people get

very fixed on medicine medicine and they

don't think about the Alternatives they

don't think about it realistically look

for Alternatives try to find reasons

that you actively wouldn't like medicine

we often do that for the fields that we

don't want to think about like oh I know

all the reasons I wouldn't want to be a

lawyer an accountant or whatever do that

for the ones that you feel like you do

want to do as well there's always going

to be reasons it's better to understand

the reasons you wouldn't want to do

something and balance and consider that

realistically because what's important

is not for you to just have the security

of being like yes I finally picked a

career I want to go down what's

important is for you to make a

legitimately good decision for your

career so that's one thing the other

thing I'd say is really get to know your

personality what is and is not

acceptable for you what are the

non-negotiables and negotiables in your

life you're probably not going to know

that unless you have enough experience

under your belt so game life expect

variants do lots of things be involved

in lots of things start understanding

where your values are what you really

need to have in your life and then what

are the things that you think you need

to have but you probably don't need to

it might not be as important as you

thought it was

so very very big answer I will probably

have an entire video on this at some

point anyway but that's as concise as I

can make it for now so this question is

by runesola Knight D6 Justin is there

any advance including technique which we

can practice for technical subjects like

engineering stuff I think to answer this

there has to be an understanding of the

different types of knowledge in terms of

the difference between declarative

knowledge procedure or knowledge and

conditional knowledge

in a very very concise nutshell

declarative knowledge is a concept the

knowing what procedural knowledge is

being able to obser the how being able

to do it and conditional knowledge is

knowing when it's appropriate to do it

so for something like engineering the

the declarative knowledge is knowing

about the concepts and formulas or

whatever depending what type of

engineering you're doing the procedure

and all is being able to use the right

formulas in the right way actually

executing on them and using them

correctly and the conditional knowledge

might be knowing what approach to use or

what type of situation or application

so it depends on where the difficulty is

if you're having difficulties and

understanding the concepts then it's not

really about having more advanced

encoding techniques it's it's more about

just having good Mastery and skill at

whatever encoding technique that you're

using if the issue that you're

understanding it but then forgetting it

very quickly afterwards that that would

still fall under issues with declarative

knowledge it probably means the way you

encoded it was too isolated but if what

the issue is is not remembering the

information and understanding the

information but it's applying it

especially in complex situations or out

of context applications then that's

going to be more something that you can

address with varied practice uh

interleaving at different types of

Mastery levels different types of

problem solving it's a very very big

question the short answer is no it's

probably not about having a more

advanced encoding technique it's either

about a different type of technique

testing retrieval or it's going to be

about having a deeper level of skill

with the more basic encoding techniques

it's by Blaze and he says how do you

train yourself to do deep work deep work

is very very complicated phenomenon and

we don't really even know exactly what

it is there are a lot of theories but

one of the prevailing ones is that deep

work can be trained in essentially any

way that any skill or habit can be

trained anything that's going to help to

improve your focus anything that's going

to help to expose you to Greater levels

of immersion figuring out what allows

you to enter deep work states and then

facilitating that as much as possible to

gain more exposure into it

but one of the things about deep work

that seems to be a recurring pattern is

that it's not so much about how you can

just train yourself into deep work but

it's more about how you can set up your

environment or your structure in such a

way that deep work becomes easier to do

in the first place what's very

interesting is that research at larger

scales has shown that the impact that

deep work has on your productivity is

almost completely overshadowed by how

efficient The Wider environment or

system you're operating is so if you're

able to do really really focused work in

a single go yes that's okay in that

instance but if you're not able to

create those opportunities for yourself

sufficiently it's kind of irrelevant so

it's a different type of priority and

that's actually interesting because um

that's kind of a slightly more recent

finding and so the shift is now that

more people are focusing on how to

create the structures that enable deep

work to be easier and there are less

people really doubling down on how an

individual like psychological level you

can enter into like this mythical deep

work Flow State so much because it

apparently not as mythical as we have

all hoped it would be and trust me I

really hoped that it would be you know

magical but it just it just as a human

brain it's not only so good I guess okay

cool Ty Sam says what do you listen to

while studying uh I basically only list

the white notes oh I've got my laptop

right here so I'm going to show you

really yeah so I've just got this uh app

here yep yep but um yeah so it's just

called White Noise light

you can also use whatever White Noise

app that you want

um I don't like listening to music when

I'm really trying to focus

there's been some research on this

generally speaking it feels like the

research is pending towards the fact

that listening to music probably doesn't

help it can't help with certain types of

procedural tasks that don't require like

deep work but when you really need a

focus it seems like it's not very

helpful I know that there's all the

stuff around like classical music and

whatever but actually it's sort of been

busted now I listen to White Noise one

thing a pro tip if you're going to use

White Noise try to find a white noise

generator where you can adjust the type

of white noise so for example if you are

just at home like I might just have like

thunder or rain sounds but if you're

working in like a cafe where there's

people talking around you you can play

like thunder or rain sounds but you need

to crank that volume up way too high to

drown out the speaking so what makes

more sense is that you play like Cafe

sounds like people speaking so their

sound just murmurs in and then you play

other sounds like you could play rain on

top of that so you want to match the

White Noise with the distracting sound

alternatively if you're somewhere where

there's like a lot of traffic noise just

add way more traffic noise onto that and

then some like brown or white noise on

top of it yeah yeah so the idea is that

you want to make whatever is distracting

you feel just homogeneous

conferences

basically

if it's what's a better way to revise

for his upcoming tests without redrawing

the Mind map you can retrieve do

retrieval practice in many many

different ways and it depends on your

weaknesses so if you have weaknesses in

the lower order retrieval aspects the

simple you know I'm gonna say it flash

cards are great for that I think people

feel like I'm on like a personal mission

against flashcards I'm really not you

know in fact in my program I teach

people to use flashcards I just teach to

use appropriate I don't misuse it or

abuse it

um so if you're struggling with a lower

order levels then anything that's

testing at the lower order so flash cars

just direct retrieval direct testing uh

just creating explanations linear brain

dumps these are all great techniques if

you're struggling with mid-level

application simple past

papers just

um just testing yourself creating friend

groups where you're creating questions

for each other and quizzing each other

based on that

um you can also end them with the high

levels you can also take an existing

mind map that you've done and then you

can also redraw but you don't redraw it

the same way because that would be a

lower order just to retrieve exactly

what you had what you can try to do is

you can try to recreate the same

knowledge but in a completely different

structure so instead of creating the

same mind map you actually create a

completely different mind map for the

same topic but emphasizing different

networks and connections and so that's a

great one for higher level

higher order learning that would be like

a you know a mind map brain dump in a

form of interleaving there so it really

depends on your weaknesses there are

like hundreds of different interleaving

techniques that you can use it depends

on where you see your weaknesses as

being but you really should be using a

mix of all of these and this is also a

reason why uh you can only gain so much

benefit when you're cramming really

really late because you just simply

don't have time to do all these

different levels if you're in that

situation where you don't have too much

time left I would opt for that mid to

high level one because if you do the

mental high level really well you can

usually guess the lower level ones and

you increase your guess rate from like

25 like 50 and that might be the best

that you can do and the limited time

you've got available

but if you don't do the high level ones

when it comes to questions that require

you to have high level knowledge you're

just screwed and you lose more points

that way

just like a personal experience

so this year

objects biology was a subject I gave up

on and what that meant was at the end of

term three I gave up on the subject did

not study at our group and in class for

Bio I will do other subjects and I did a

total of three exams uh for buyer like

practice exams and my initial my proper

study for my Bio exam was the day after

my English exam which was the day before

the buy exam and I ended up storing 90

on bio just by doing admit to Hype like

I just didn't study the details powerful

yeah so one of my papers when I was in

medical school I had to study basically

like that because I kind of forgot that

the entire paper existed

it's a long story but anyway yeah it can

be more effective than than you realize

just it and yes there's like insecurity

and missing these details but I mean if

you're in a position where you're either

going to do terribly or you're at least

have a chance to maybe do slightly less

terribly you're gonna do the best that

you can yeah like with me and I buy my

whole mentality was I just want to get

me majority of the mocks like I know I

know like I didn't study so I can't

expect but yeah just focusing on those

higher level that would have been way

more beneficial and was way more

beneficial than if I just memorize the

facts there's a lot of my friends did

yeah Roswell Morgan says this is a

question on priming should you prime a

couple days before or a couple of hours

before your main study session or

lecture like what's the ideal scenario

there's not really an ideal scenario to

be honest

um if you're doing your priming at all

that's that's already a good thing I

guess it really depends on how much time

you have ideally when you're priming

something you want to be able to create

a pretty good scaffold but you want to

have a good big picture understanding of

the entire topic that you're studying to

create lots of anchor points for

Relevant if you kind of Imagine like a

fishing net you want a very wide fishing

net and it can be the gaps between the

neck can be very large but when you

throw it into the ocean you're still

going to catch like a lot of those big

fish whereas if you prime very very

small and your knit is like very very

tight but it's it's very small like you

know yes you'll catch like the Plankton

or like amoeba in the sea but you're not

really gonna be able to catch too much

it's the idea you should have for your

priming so I would always aim for as

broad as possible but very very shallow

focusing on the concepts and the points

that you feel allow your later learning

to be more relevant and have more things

for you to connect it to if you've only

got like 10 minutes before a lecture

you'll only be able to maybe say okay

well here are some of the main Concepts

and just get a very very very general

gist of it if you've got like an entire

hour that you're able to spend on it the

night before you can obviously go a

little bit deeper into that or a bit

broader uh or if you've got an entire

weekend then you should actually study

like the entire week's worth of material

and prime it in advance so it's more of

a logistical decision than what is ideal

because I guess ideal is as wide as

possible and as as high quality as

possible it's more of a practical

constraint

here says hi Justin is it okay to begin

with writing linear notes for Concepts

that we understand if we're not yet

proficient in other forms of more

effective note-taking okay I like this

question because it's recognizing that

there are more effective forms okay but

with any learning technique it's always

okay to start with where you're

comfortable and then gradually

transition to the forms that are more

advanced you don't want to ever and I

see this on my program all the time

because we teach so many techniques in a

short period of time people are like oh

I'm just gonna like scrap my entire

system and it's building entire new one

from scratch and it's inevitably gonna

fail because it's just too many things

to keep track of you'll be spending so

much time trying to do the right

technique that you won't have any

cognitive resources left to actually

think about the literal thing that

you're meant to be learning so it's kind

of like when you're trying to read very

quickly so you're so focused on reading

fast that you don't actually have enough

Reserve to process and interpret the

information always start with where

you're comfortable and just push that

limit step by step by step you can start

with linear you can then start to

process little parts of it the typical

progression that I introduced in my

program is if you're really struggling

to go from linear to non-linear then you

do a crush step in between where you

basically have part of it linear and

then you process and make it as

non-linear as possible piece by piece

and then you eventually get to the point

where the non-linear Parts become

default and you can just completely drop

the linear aspects of it so there's a

there's a series of transitions you can

go through Alberto says that first stick

is a very big family us and secondly

he's really struggling with Calculus and

trying to apply your methods to map

because he feels like that's a bit

different so basically could you

provided me with some advice on how you

can study math effectively okay two

things the first thing is that math has

a lot of procedural components but

procedure and conditional components to

it so a big part of maths will be

dependent on being able to do good

interleaved retrieval so having the

problem solving being able to use the uh

the rules and the the equations and

things correctly and then knowing in

what situations to use that in okay

however

there is is another big part that's

challenging for mass is that mass is

typically taught with only a procedural

Focus procedure and conditional Focus

the declarative aspects of maths are

often either not taught at all or like

very very understated but if you go like

literally just like go on YouTube and

like listen to these math prodigies and

and establish professors of mathematics

talk about the best way to learn math

they all say that before you learn how

to use the equation formulas you should

understand in in words what it is that

you're learning and why you're learning

it the difficulty is that when you first

receive the information when it's taught

to you it's taught you in a way that is

far removed from that level of

conceptual understanding and that's

where the effort comes in

but again in the modern era you can

literally just ask an AI bot like I'm

learning this topic tell me why it is

relevant and important and what are the

other connections and Concepts that it's

related to

build that

non-numerical like verbal understanding

about what you're learning why you're

learning it how it's connected how it's

relevant spend a bit of time doing that

and what you'll find is that you know

the equations of things that you know

you still have to do the procedural

Parts but when you go to solve problems

you'll have a better idea about what

approach you can use

I see this often in um like mostly in

secondary school I don't see it so much

in my people that are doing like math

majors at University a common approach

to solving questions and maths is do you

kind of just span all the different

formulas that you think will fit and you

just find the one where like it just

fits like oh there's this letter here

and I see this letter here as well like

I'm just gonna use every possible you

know and that's why there's so many

instances where there might be one

formula that has a specific letter but

it's like lowercase compared to like an

uppercase but they don't realize that's

actually like a different concept

completely a big part of being able to

solve complex problems like a lot of

stuff in calculus is understanding

conceptually how to approach the problem

before you even think about the numbers

and the formulas as part of it I'm not

an expert mathematician but I teach

expert mathematicians and they say this

works great so you know last question

for the video and it's by Snippets he

says how do you know when a cognitive

load isn't just you being tired like how

do you find that balance between you

knowing that you're tired and that this

is not you being tired it's actually

you're calling to load

I think it should be fairly fairly

straightforward to know the difference

between the two so that that probably

comes around from not understanding

where the cognitive load is going to

come from uh a misunderstanding with

cognitive load is that what we're trying

to do when we're learning effectively is

not directly increase the cognitive look

like that's not the point if our point

was to just increase cognitive load we

would like study you know like balancing

on a ball was like one eye closed you

know having our friend like Snap Us in

the face while we're studying but that's

that's not the point the point is to

engage in the right type of thinking

process and that right type of thing

process naturally involves more like

mental exertion which is perceived as

cognitive load the cognitive load is an

indicator of the process

when you're mentally tired the cognitive

load is not increasing right so if you

imagine you're like working out the

weights are not getting heavier as you

are getting tired what's changing is

your ability to tolerate that exertion

and that may seem quite nuanced but it's

actually a very different sensation when

you're using the right type of cognitive

load right type of process and you feel

the good cognitive load then you know

that you're trying to do this back and

forth comparative learning you're using

those higher order learning principles

that I talk about in all my other videos

we're constantly going back and forth

and there is this idea that I'm in

control and engaged with this learning

how I'm forming this network and schema

of knowledge and that's where our

attention and our brain power is whereas

if we're trying to do that but we're

tired we're still trying to do that but

we'd find that we're not able to do it

for as much information or it's taking

us longer to find those relationships

and build those networks and build those

structures so it's still on understand

that the form is correct you just feel

that you're not able to

tolerate it and and just keep going with

it for as long so it's quite a different

sort of sensation great so thanks for uh

your attention and going through these q

and A's if you've got questions of your

own then you can either leave them in

comments or what we actually introduced

is a subreddit so you can go to Reddit

the subreddit is called Dr Justin sung

and what we'll be doing is we'll be

using that as a platform to have a

little bit more conversational

engagement you'll be able to ask some

questions and we'll be going through the

subreddit and reacting and answering

questions from there because it's a

little bit hard to just draw through

like hundreds of YouTube comments to

find all of these comments and the

upload system redditors are here very

handy for that so we've set that up you

can feel free to check it out the links

in the description and we'll do another

one of these q a videos very shortly

thanks for watching and we'll see in the

next one

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thank you

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