The Layering Method: Study Smarter, Faster and Better (Guaranteed)

Summary

In this video, third-year medical student Zay shares an effective study method for mastering complex topics quickly. The key is learning in layers, starting with skimming and creating a mind map to understand the basic concepts and how they interconnect. This is followed by a deeper dive into general concepts, visualizing processes, and simultaneously crafting recall questions to reinforce memory. Zay emphasizes the importance of active recall and self-testing as primary revision tools. The final layer involves tackling complex details and continuously refining recall questions based on understanding. This structured approach not only aids comprehension but also makes the study process more manageable and less overwhelming.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Layered Learning**: Zay emphasizes the importance of learning in layers, starting with the easiest foundational information and gradually moving to more complex details.
• 🔍 **Initial Skimming**: The first step is to skim through the material, look up keywords, and watch basic videos to get a general understanding of how topics are interconnected.
• 💭 **Mind Mapping**: Creating a mind map helps in linking big topics and visualizing how they work together, which is crucial for understanding the progression of diseases.
• 📝 **Recall Questions**: Zay suggests creating recall questions while studying to test memory and understanding. This method aids in active recall and revision.
• 🔄 **Active Revision**: After creating recall questions, Zay actively revises by answering them, then referring back to the material to correct any misunderstandings.
• 📈 **Progressive Building**: Learning is compared to building a house, where you start with the basic structure (first layer) before adding details (second layer) and finishing touches (third layer).
• 🎨 **Color Coding**: Zay uses a color-coding system for recall questions to quickly identify and focus on areas of difficulty during revision.
• 🤔 **Active Engagement**: The process of learning involves actively engaging with the material, not just passively reading, to ensure deeper understanding and retention.
• ⏱️ **Time Efficiency**: Zay demonstrates that by using this method, complex topics like liver diseases can be understood and detailed questions created in a short amount of time.
• 🔗 **Interlinking Activities**: Reading and question answering should not be separate; they should be interlinked to form a cohesive learning experience.
• 📈 **Iterative Improvement**: The quality of recall questions improves over time as Zay continually refines them based on self-testing and understanding.

Q & A

What is the main issue with reading for hours without actually taking anything in?

The main issue is that the reader is not reading effectively, possibly due to a lack of structure or strategy in processing the information.

What is the name of the speaker and what is his educational background?

The speaker's name is Zay, and he is a third-year medical student.

What is the concept of 'learning in layers' as described by Zay?

Learning in layers involves organizing the way information is taken in, from the easiest foundational layer to the more complex details, similar to building a house step by step.

What is the first step in Zay's study process?

The first step is to understand the basic concepts of the topic by skimming through the material, looking up keywords, and creating a mind map.

How does Zay create a mind map for a study topic like liver diseases?

Zay creates a mind map by first skimming through various resources, then structuring the information in a way that links the major topics and their progression, such as the stages of liver disease.

What is the second layer in Zay's learning process?

The second layer involves understanding general concepts, visualizing processes, and creating recall questions as he goes through the material.

How does Zay use recall questions to aid his learning process?

Zay uses recall questions to test himself on the material, focusing on what he needs to remember. He answers these questions out loud without looking at resources, which helps reinforce the information in his memory.

What is the method Zay uses to revise and improve his recall questions?

Zay revises his recall questions by actively recalling the answers, checking his understanding against the resources, color-coding the questions based on difficulty, and continuously refining the questions over time.

What is the third layer in Zay's learning process?

The third layer involves going through the complex information and details that were difficult to understand initially, adding to the recall questions as he progresses.

How does Zay ensure that his reading and question answering are interconnected?

Zay ensures they are interconnected by using the questions to guide his reading and understanding, and by revising the questions after reading the material in context to correct any misunderstandings.

What is the final step in Zay's learning process?

The final step is to keep repeating the process of answering questions, going back to the resources, and correcting his understanding, which helps in solidifying the knowledge.

What is Zay's approach to studying complex topics like liver diseases?

Zay's approach involves creating a structured learning process with layers, starting with basic concepts, then general concepts with recall questions, and finally, tackling complex details while continuously refining his understanding and questions.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Effective Learning Strategies for Medical Students

Zay, a third-year medical student, introduces a method for efficient learning that involves reading and understanding complex topics rapidly. He emphasizes the importance of learning in layers, starting with basic concepts, then general concepts, and finally the complex details. Zay demonstrates his approach by studying liver diseases, creating a mind map to understand the progression of diseases, and using multiple resources to deepen his understanding. He also discusses creating recall questions to test and reinforce knowledge, which he believes is a crucial part of the revision process.

05:00

🖌️ Creating Recall Questions for Active Learning

The second paragraph focuses on the process of creating recall questions to facilitate active learning and revision. Zay explains that these questions help him test his understanding when he revisits a topic. He outlines a four-step method involving recalling answers, checking resources for inaccuracies, color-coding questions based on difficulty, and repeating the process to refine the questions over time. This method ensures that he focuses on areas of weakness and continually improves his understanding. Zay also shares his experience of quickly grasping complex medical conditions by building on prior knowledge and using structured thinking.

Keywords

💡Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension refers to the ability to understand and interpret written texts. In the video, it is emphasized that reading should not be a passive activity but rather an active process of learning and understanding. The speaker discusses strategies to improve reading comprehension by structuring the learning process in layers, which is crucial for grasping complex medical topics.

💡Learning in Layers

Learning in layers is a method of studying where information is absorbed in a structured manner, from the easiest to the most difficult. The video uses the analogy of building a house to illustrate this concept, where the foundational concepts are the 'walls and floors,' general concepts and processes are the 'doors and furniture,' and the complex details are the 'decor and paintings.' This method helps in efficiently processing and retaining information.

💡Mind Map

A mind map is a visual tool used to organize information. It is employed in the video to create a structured representation of the topic being studied, in this case, liver diseases. The mind map helps in linking different concepts and understanding how they interrelate, which is a fundamental part of the first layer of learning as described by the speaker.

💡Recall Questions

Recall questions are self-generated queries designed to test one's memory and understanding of a subject. The video emphasizes the creation of these questions during the learning process to facilitate active recall during revision. They serve as a personalized study guide, tailored to the individual's learning needs and help in focusing on areas of difficulty.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a learning technique where one attempts to remember information without looking at the material. In the video, the speaker uses active recall by trying to answer the recall questions out loud, which strengthens memory and aids in long-term retention. It is a critical component of the revision process described.

💡Revision

Revision is the process of reviewing previously learned material to reinforce memory and understanding. The video outlines a specific revision method involving answering recall questions, checking resources, and color-coding questions based on difficulty. This iterative process helps in solidifying knowledge and addressing weak areas.

💡Liver Diseases

Liver diseases are the specific medical conditions being studied in the video. They serve as the context for demonstrating the learning strategies discussed. The progression of liver diseases, from fatty liver to inflammation and fibrosis, is used to illustrate the layering technique, where understanding the basic concept is the first step.

💡Complex Information

Complex information refers to the more difficult aspects of a subject that may require deeper understanding or memorization. In the video, the speaker addresses complex information in the final layer of learning, after having established a foundational understanding. This approach makes the complex details more manageable by building on prior knowledge.

💡Effortful Learning

Effortful learning is the idea that putting in more effort during the learning process leads to better retention and understanding. The video emphasizes the importance of effort, particularly when formulating answers to recall questions without referring to resources, as this active engagement with the material enhances memory.

💡Information Structuring

Information structuring is the process of organizing information in a way that makes it easier to understand and remember. The video demonstrates this through the creation of a mind map and the layering of information, which helps the learner to see how different concepts are connected and to build a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

💡Active Processing

Active processing involves engaging with the material in a way that promotes understanding and memory. In the context of the video, active processing is used when the speaker creates recall questions, actively recalls information during revision, and corrects misunderstandings by referring back to the learning resources. This approach is contrasted with passive reading, which is less effective.

Highlights

Zay, a third-year medical student, shares his effective reading and understanding strategy for complex topics.

The importance of reading and understanding topics quickly is emphasized, regardless of difficulty.

A live demonstration of studying a medical school topic in real-time is presented.

The concept of learning in layers is introduced to efficiently process information.

Layering involves organizing information intake from easiest to hardest.

Students are encouraged to structure their knowledge rather than relying on textbooks or teachers.

The first layer of learning involves understanding the basic concepts and creating a mind map.

A mind map for liver diseases is used as an example, showing the progression of liver conditions.

The second layer focuses on general concepts, visualization, and creating recall questions.

Recall questions are created during the learning process to facilitate active recall and revision.

Active recall is emphasized as the primary method for revision and understanding.

A method for using recall questions effectively is outlined, including self-testing and correction.

Color-coding of recall questions helps in focusing on areas of difficulty.

The final layer involves delving into complex details and guidelines, adding to the recall questions.

The process of creating and refining recall questions improves with each revision cycle.

The entire process is designed to be fluid, iterative, and adaptable to the learner's understanding.

Zay's approach to learning is demonstrated through a time-lapse, showing the efficiency of his method.

The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to follow along in future live studying sessions.

Transcripts

if you're the person who reads and reads

and reads for hours on end without

actually taking anything in is because

you're doing it all wrong my name is Zay

oif I'm a third-year medical student and

in this video we are going through the

exact steps one by one everything that

you need to know to read and understand

your topics very very quickly regardless

of how difficult they are and as

requested this is a live demonstration

so I'll be studying a med school topic

right in front of you and I swear no one

does this but I will literally be

showing you how I go through information

how I create recall questions my entire

process all of it in real time so let's

get into the second video of the live

studying series most of you just start a

topic and start reading through it line

by line word by word and then end up

getting stuck 2 minutes in trying to

read the same things 10 times over

trying to force it in somehow but the

key to actually getting through a ton of

information very quickly and

understanding it effortlessly is

learning in layers this means that when

you're studying a topic very very

consciously organize the way you take in

the information easiest to hardest and

the fact is that no textbook so no

teacher actually teaches the information

in this way you're the one that actually

has to structure the knowledge that you

need to understand you're the one that

has to First figure out and think

through what the topic is actually about

that's the first layer only then do you

go on to reading the general concepts

visualizing the processes that's the

second layer and after you've spend time

understanding 80% of it that's when you

now go back through all of it and look

at the complex 20% details the 20% of

things that were actually difficult to

understand of the first go through but

now that you've done all of this work

it's not as hard that's the third layer

that's all layering is literally think

of taking in the knowledge like you're

building a house the walls and the

floors are the first layers then come in

the doors and the furniture that's the

second layer and then you end up with

the third layer of the stuff the decor

the paintings the house has to be

constructed in a layer by layer fashion

you can't just put in paintings and

stuff when there's no walls the same

applies to learning anyways enough

foreplay let's get started with the

actual studying today we are doing liver

diseases the first layer is the basic

concepts as soon as you start learning a

topic the first step is only to take in

the easiest foundational layer of

information this means skimming through

the entire chapter looking up keywords

that you don't know watching basic

videos very generally making sense of

how each big topic links together in our

study process we do this by first

skimming through a bunch of resources

and then creating a mindmap instead of

just reading through different concepts

one by one and then afterwards trying to

connect them and make sense of them what

I do is I start with creating a mind map

a structure that helps me link the big

topics and see how they work together

this is the Mind map I made for liver

diseases firstly you see that it has a

very clear flow it's very visual as you

can see so I'll remember it but the Kik

key thing with this is that I found a

memorable way to connect both of these

conditions through one central idea

which is the progression of how bad the

liver gets as the as both the diseases

worse in it first says fat then it

becomes fat and inflamed then it ends up

being fibrosed and sosed or at least

that's what I think it is from the

minimal work I've done so far the reason

making this initial mind map is actually

very very useful is because right from

the start it forces me to think about

how everything that I'm going to be

learning about out actually works which

is way better than just normally

skimming through the topic and glancing

over the stuff in the beginning anyways

I really suggest watching the previous

live video I made of me making the Mind

map it's linked here it shows my entire

process but overall all I've done so far

is I've skimmed I've read through some

definitions and I've watched a few basic

videos took me around 30 minutes and I

already have such a clear mental model

such an easy way to think about all of

these conditions and now I can start to

study in more detail now I'm actually

going to start going through the topics

in more detail now comes the second

layer this is where I'm going to try and

understand the general Concepts

visualize processes and side by side

create my recall questions as well I'll

talk about how I create those in a

minute after I've actually done some

studying but do note that my aim is not

to read through everything right now

it's just the general concepts ignoring

all the complex stuff the details that I

don't need to know that I will have to

memorize at a certain point my aim is to

get that second layer right anyways

let's get

[Music]

started

[Music]

so as you saw I was using multiple

resources to learn the topic a high

yield textbook online websites um I'm

side by side creating my own recall

questions throughout the entire process

but overall the aim here was to get a

very good gist of all the conditions

that I need to learn to in this case

without looking at that many details and

of course side by side also create myall

questions as I went through the

investigations the management how these

conditions even work I converted

everything that I need to know from my

exams into these recall questions it's

usually a very simple list of questions

that are just divided by the topic and

the conditions that I need to know that

week but the point is every few

sentences I'm thinking okay what's

important here what's important for me

to remember okay how can I convert that

into a question and then per section per

few sentences I'm writing two or three

questions down seeing what is important

seeing what works editing throughout by

this point I've been doing this for

years now so I'm used to understanding

the topic very quickly and and side by

side just making these questions as I go

along but of course if you want to take

your time to understand build the layers

of knowledge first and then do these

questions after you have a bit of

understanding that's fine as well it's

just a bit slower the reason I create

these recall questions is so that when I

come back to revise this topic I can

straight away start to test myself on it

testing yourself should always be the

main form of revision and these

questions become the perfect resource to

then actively recall and force yourself

to remember what did I learn and

understand that last time and there's a

method for it let me quickly explain it

and give you an insight into how I use

these questions step one in my next

revision session when I come back to

look at this topic I will try and look

at those questions and answer them and

try and recall whatever I remember to

the best my ability I'll answer them out

loud I may write them down usually I

don't I usually just answer them out

loud and I do it without using any

resources like honestly I spent several

minutes formulating and thinking through

the answers in my head because frankly I

know the more effort I put into this the

more I will actually end up remembering

for the next time step two once I've

tried my best to actively recall those

two to four question questions or

whatever makes sense for the section

that I need to know I'll then go back to

the resources and fully scan them and

check back with where my understanding

was lacking it's an active process of

Correction I get a few questions semi

right maybe wrong and I go back and look

through the entire resource and read

through in context where my

understanding isn't full isn't full yet

this is important the reading and the

question answering shouldn't be two

separate activities they need to be more

Interlink step three I color code these

questions red orange green depending on

how difficult I found them and that way

when when I come back to revise them for

the next session I can immediately jump

to the red questions the stuff I didn't

know and focus on my weaknesses and

lastly step four of this process is to

keep repeating it keep repeating this

fluid process of answering a few

questions going back to the resources

correcting my understanding for the next

time that I come now to revise this and

also by the way the quality of these

questions isn't final it will improve

after these first revisions because only

after testing yourself will you then

realize okay what have I do I actually

need to recall and test myself on and

what if I just put on the questions just

because it was there in my resources in

my future R Visions I'll constantly be

adding questions I'll constantly be

removing by the end this list will be

completely different based on what I

find is ends up being most important

anyways let's continue to the final

layer the details I'm going to go

through things that I found difficult

the complex information the guidelines

that I haven't gone through yet and I'll

continue to add to my recall questions

throughout the process of

[Music]

course

[Music]

I know it's time lapse but as you can

see I was reading through and getting

through Concepts and all of their

details much much quicker compared to if

I was just linearly reading through the

website understanding entire conditions

creating the Mind M creating all these

questions in less than an hour the sling

is just a lot more chill and easier

because my brain by this point had

enough prior knowledge ready to support

the new difficulty of the knowledge

actually coming in because I had skin

first made a mind map found a good

structured way of thinking about all of

these diseases and how they were was I

then able to easily understand the way

these conditions progress their

investigations how they're diagnosed how

they're treated everything as you saw I

didn't really get stuck at all I didn't

have to repeatedly read anything the

difficult stuff just isn't difficult and

keep in mind I've never genuinely looked

at these conditions nor understand them

properly before the lier was always a

mystery to me anyways that was my

learning process using layers to

understand creating questions side by

side I'll definitely keep on going with

this live studying series I'll show you

how I test myself how I memorize

difficult details and all of this sort

of stuff different parts of my studying

process but for now I really hope this

video has helped leave a like spam the

comments and I will see you in the next

one