Learning how to learn | Barbara Oakley | TEDxOaklandUniversity

Summary

The speaker, a former poor student in math and science, shares her journey to becoming an engineering professor. She discusses the importance of learning effectively, using the brain's focus and diffuse modes for problem-solving. She introduces techniques like the Pomodoro Technique and self-testing, emphasizing that learning is a creative process requiring both understanding and practice. Her talk encourages broadening passions and mastering learning as a powerful life tool.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The speaker overcame a challenging educational background in math and science to become an engineering professor with a passion for their work.
• 🎓 Despite failing in math and science early in life, enlisting in the army and learning a language opened up new opportunities and perspectives.
• 🌍 Travel and adventure can provide external experiences, but internal change requires learning new skills and ideas.
• 🔄 The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning math, science, and technology alongside language and culture in a rapidly evolving world.
• 🧠 After leaving the military, the speaker pursued a deliberate strategy to change their brain's approach to learning at the age of 26.
• 🤝 The speaker discovered shared learning and teaching methods with top professors, which often lacked a clear understanding of why they were effective.
• 🧬 Neuroscience and cognitive psychology research revealed keys to effective learning, including two fundamental brain modes: focus and diffuse.
• 📍 Focus mode is for direct, familiar thinking, while diffuse mode allows for broader, creative thinking and grappling with new ideas.
• 🤹‍♂️ The pinball machine analogy illustrates the difference between focused and diffuse thinking in the learning process.
• 💡 Procrastination can be combated by techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, which trains focus and relaxation as part of the learning process.
• 🏋️ Exercise and self-testing are scientifically proven methods to enhance learning and memory retention.
• 📝 Effective study techniques such as testing oneself, using flashcards, and practicing recall can lead to deeper understanding and mastery of material.
• 🚀 Learning how to learn is a powerful tool that can enrich one's life beyond following initial passions.

Q & A

What was the speaker's educational background in math and science during their early years?

The speaker struggled with math and science from elementary through high school, having lived in many different places and falling behind in the sequential nature of math.

How did the speaker's passion for languages and culture influence their early career choices?

The speaker's love for languages and culture led them to enlist in the army after high school to learn a language, which resulted in them becoming a Russian translator working on Soviet trawlers and later in Antarctica.

What realization prompted the speaker to change their approach to learning?

The speaker realized that while they enjoyed external adventures and gaining new perspectives, they were not experiencing internal change or growth, particularly in areas like math and science.

What did the speaker learn from West Point engineers that inspired them to learn more about math and science?

The speaker was intrigued by the problem-solving techniques and the use of calculus and physics by West Point engineers, which looked like hieroglyphics to them but sparked their interest in learning these 'languages'.

How did the speaker attempt to change their brain after leaving the military?

After leaving the military at age 26, the speaker decided to learn about how to learn effectively by reaching out to top professors, researching neuroscience and cognitive psychology, and understanding effective learning techniques.

What are the two fundamental modes of brain operation described in the script?

The two fundamental modes are the focus mode, where attention is concentrated on a specific task, and the diffuse mode, a relaxed state of neural activity that allows for broader thinking and idea generation.

How does the pinball machine analogy help explain the difference between focus and diffuse modes?

The pinball machine analogy illustrates how thoughts in focus mode move along established pathways (like pinballs bouncing on rubber bumpers), while in diffuse mode, thoughts can range more widely, similar to a pinball machine with spaced-out bumpers allowing for broader movement.

What historical figures were mentioned as examples of individuals who used relaxation techniques to enhance creativity?

Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison were mentioned as examples of individuals who used relaxation techniques, such as holding keys or ball bearings, to transition from diffuse mode to focus mode and enhance their creative processes.

What is the Pomodoro Technique and how is it suggested to be used to combat procrastination?

The Pomodoro Technique involves setting a timer for 25 minutes of focused work followed by a short break. This method helps build the ability to concentrate and relax, making it a tool to manage procrastination by creating manageable work intervals.

How does the script suggest that having a poor working memory can actually enhance creativity?

The script suggests that a poor working memory can lead to greater creativity because it allows for other ideas to 'creep in' as one is not holding onto a single concept too tightly.

What is the significance of testing oneself in the learning process as described in the script?

Testing oneself is crucial in the learning process as it helps solidify knowledge and recall. The script emphasizes the importance of repeated testing over several days to ensure that the solution to a problem becomes as natural as singing a song.

What misconception about learning does the script refer to as 'illusions of competence in learning'?

The 'illusions of competence in learning' refer to the false belief that one has mastered material simply by studying it, without applying effective study techniques or engaging in practices like self-testing and repetition.

How does the script differentiate between the learning experiences of a 'race car driver' and a 'hiker'?

The script uses the metaphor of a race car driver and a hiker to illustrate the difference in learning experiences. While a race car driver (fast learner) may reach the destination quickly, a hiker (slow learner) experiences the journey more deeply, observing details and gaining a more profound understanding.

What is the final piece of advice given by the speaker regarding learning and passions?

The speaker advises not just to follow one's passions but to broaden them, as this can greatly enrich one's life, implying that a diverse range of interests can lead to a more fulfilling learning experience.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Overcoming Academic Challenges

The speaker reflects on their academic struggles with math and science due to frequent relocations during their childhood. Despite these setbacks, they eventually became an engineering professor with a passion for their work. The speaker's journey involved a significant transformation in their approach to learning, which they began to understand better after engaging with top educators and delving into neuroscience and cognitive psychology. They discovered the importance of alternating between focus mode and diffuse mode in learning, which are two distinct neural states that facilitate the absorption and processing of new information.

05:03

🤹‍♂️ The Pinball Machine of Learning Modes

Using a pinball machine analogy, the speaker explains the two modes of learning: focus mode and diffuse mode. In focus mode, thoughts follow established pathways, akin to a pinball bouncing along familiar rubber bumpers. Conversely, diffuse mode is characterized by a wider range of thought, allowing for the exploration of new ideas, much like a pinball with fewer obstacles. The speaker emphasizes the importance of shifting between these modes to effectively learn and solve problems, citing the creative processes of Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison as real-world applications of this concept.

10:04

🛠️ Procrastination and Productivity Techniques

The speaker addresses the issue of procrastination, which can be a barrier to effective learning. They describe the physical discomfort associated with avoiding tasks and suggest two strategies to overcome it: enduring the discomfort until it subsides or using the Pomodoro Technique to manage work sessions and breaks. The speaker also discusses common misconceptions about personal learning traits, such as poor working memory or slow thinking, and posits that these can actually foster creativity and deeper understanding. They caution against the illusion of competence and the importance of using effective study techniques like testing oneself and engaging with material in various contexts.

15:04

🏃‍♂️ Enhancing Learning Through Physical and Mental Exercises

The final paragraph delves into specific strategies to enhance learning capabilities. The speaker highlights the benefits of exercise on learning and memory, as well as the effectiveness of self-testing and varied practice. They advise against relying solely on highlighting and rereading as study methods, instead recommending recall as a more impactful technique. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of combining understanding with practice and repetition to achieve mastery in learning, and encourages learners to broaden their passions to enrich their lives.

Keywords

💡Sequential

The term 'sequential' refers to something that follows a logical or numerical order, one after the other. In the context of the video, it is used to describe the nature of math, where concepts build upon one another in a step-by-step progression. The speaker mentions having fallen off the 'math bandwagon' due to the discontinuous learning caused by moving frequently, highlighting the importance of sequential learning for grasping mathematical concepts.

💡Passionate

Passionate describes a strong emotional connection or enthusiasm towards a subject or activity. The speaker reflects on their current profession as an engineering professor with passion, contrasting it with their earlier struggles in math and science. This keyword illustrates the transformative journey from disinterest to deep engagement with a subject, which is a central theme of the video.

💡Language

Language is a system of communication using words, sounds, gestures, or symbols. The speaker's love for language and culture is a recurring theme, starting from childhood aspirations to learning Russian in the army. Language is portrayed as a gateway to new experiences and perspectives, which eventually led to the speaker's interest in broadening their knowledge to include math and science.

💡Adventure

Adventure is a bold, usually risky activity or enterprise with an uncertain outcome. The script describes the speaker's experiences in the military and at the South Pole Station as adventures, emphasizing the value of seeking new experiences. These adventures symbolize the speaker's pursuit of knowledge and personal growth beyond traditional academic settings.

💡Problem Solving

Problem solving is the process of finding solutions to difficulties or obstacles. The video discusses the speaker's observation of engineers using powerful problem-solving techniques, which inspired them to learn math and science. Problem solving is depicted as a critical skill that can be enhanced by understanding and applying various disciplines, including those outside one's initial area of expertise.

💡Diffuse Mode

Diffuse mode, in the context of the video, refers to a relaxed state of the brain that allows for broader thinking and the generation of new ideas. It is contrasted with the focus mode, which is more about concentrated attention on familiar concepts. The speaker uses the analogy of a pinball machine to explain how diffuse mode enables the brain to explore new neural pathways and tackle novel problems or concepts.

💡Focus Mode

Focus mode is a state of concentrated cognitive engagement where attention is directed towards a specific task or concept. The video script uses the pinball machine analogy to illustrate how thoughts in focus mode move along established pathways in the brain. This mode is essential for learning and understanding, especially when dealing with familiar material or well-practiced skills.

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions. The speaker discusses procrastination as a common obstacle to effective learning, describing it as a physical response to the discomfort of facing an unwelcome task. The video suggests strategies like the Pomodoro Technique to overcome procrastination, emphasizing the importance of managing this behavior for successful learning.

💡Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that involves breaking work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. The video script mentions this technique as a practical tool to combat procrastination, improve focus, and enhance productivity. It illustrates how incorporating focused work periods with relaxation can optimize the learning process.

💡Creativity

Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to produce something new and valuable. The video connects creativity with the learning process, suggesting that the back-and-forth between focus and diffuse modes is essential for creative thinking. Historical figures like Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison are cited as examples of individuals who used relaxation techniques to enhance their creative problem-solving abilities.

💡Mastery

Mastery refers to the state of complete proficiency or expertise in a particular subject or activity. The speaker emphasizes that true mastery of learning material requires not just understanding but also practice and repetition. The video script suggests techniques such as self-testing, reworking problems, and recalling information to build 'neural hooks' that reinforce learning and lead to mastery.

Highlights

The speaker overcame a challenging academic background to become a professor of engineering.

Mathematics is described as extraordinarily sequential, impacting the speaker's early education.

The speaker's passion for language and culture led to a career in the military as a Russian translator.

The realization that external adventures did not equate to internal change inspired a shift in the speaker's approach to learning.

The desire to understand problem-solving techniques used by engineers prompted the speaker to learn calculus and physics.

At 26, the speaker decided to change their learning approach after leaving the military.

The speaker reached out to top professors to understand effective learning and teaching methods.

Neuroscience and cognitive psychology were key areas of research for understanding learning processes.

The brain operates in two modes: focus mode and diffuse mode, crucial for effective learning.

A pinball machine analogy is used to explain the concept of focus and diffuse modes in learning.

Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison used relaxation techniques to enhance creativity in their work.

The Pomodoro Technique is introduced as an effective method to combat procrastination and improve focus.

Perceived weaknesses like poor working memory can actually enhance creativity.

Slow thinking can lead to deeper understanding and mastery of material.

The concept of 'illusions of competence in learning' warns against ineffective study techniques.

Exercise has been shown to improve learning and memory capabilities.

Regular testing is encouraged as a powerful tool for effective learning.

The importance of revisiting and practicing homework problems over several days is emphasized.

Recalling information rather than just highlighting or rereading is a more effective learning technique.

Understanding combined with practice and repetition is necessary for true mastery of material.

Learning how to learn is presented as the most powerful tool one can possess.

Transcripts

Transcriber: Tijana Mihajlović Reviewer: Mile Živković

I grew up moving all over the place.

By the time I'd hit 10th grade, I'd lived in 10 different places.

Math is extraordinarily sequential.

By the time I'd hit 3rd grade, I'd fallen off the math bandwagon.

Basically, I flunked my way

through elementary, middle, and high school math and science.

So it's a little strange looking back now

because today I am a professor of engineering

and I'm passionate about my job.

One day, one of my students found out about my past,

and he asked me, "How did you do it? How did you change your brain?"

And I thought, you know, "How did I do it?"

I mean, here I was, this little kid,

and I just loved language and culture,

and that's all I wanted to learn when I grew up,

but I didn't have the money to go to college,

so I enlisted in the army right out of high school

to learn a language.

You can see me there, looking very nervous,

about to throw a grenade.

(Laughter)

And I did learn a language.

I'd learned Russian,

and I ended up working out on Soviet trawlers, up on the Bering Sea,

as a Russian translator.

So, I just love adventure and getting new perspectives.

So I also ended up in Antarctica, at the South Pole Station.

That's where I ended up meeting my husband.

So I always say -

(Laughter)

I had to go to the end of the Earth to meet that man.

(Laughter)

But I begin to realize something, though.

I was doing all these adventures and seeing these new perspectives,

but somehow they were always external.

They weren't internal; I wasn't changing inside.

When I'd worked in the military,

I worked with all these West Point engineers,

and they had these powerful techniques for problem solving.

I thought, you know -

I'd look sometimes at what they were doing,

and they had these calculus and physics books,

and it looked like hieroglyphics to me.

But I thought, "What if I could get those ideas?"

What if I could learn that language?"

I mean, the world's evolving.

Language and culture are important,

but math, and science, and technology are important, too.

What if I could learn these new ideas

and add them to the ideas I already knew and loved?

So, when I got out of the military, at age 26,

I decided to try and change my brain.

It wasn't easy.

But if I knew then what I know now about how to learn,

I could have learned much more easily and much more effectively.

So, several years ago,

as I begin trying to answer

that student's question, "How did I change my brain?",

I begin reaching out to top professors from around the world,

people who not only had knowledge of their difficult areas of expertise,

but also who could teach effectively.

And I asked them.

I said, "How did you learn?

And how do you teach, so others could learn?"

What I found was the way they learned,

and the way they taught was often similar to the way I learned and I taught.

It was almost like this kind of shared fraternal handshake.

But we often didn't know why we did what we did.

So I begin researching neuroscience and cognitive psychology,

and reaching out to talk to top experts of those fields.

Here is what I found, the keys to learning effectively.

As we know, the brain is enormously complex.

But we can simplify its operation into two fundamentally different modes.

The first is just what I'll call the focus mode.

The focus mode is just like it sounds like:

you turn your attention to something and boom! It's on.

But the second mode is a little different.

It's a relaxed set of neural states that I'll call the diffuse mode.

It's a number of resting states.

So it seems that, when you're learning,

you're going back and forth between these two different modes.

How can we better understand these modes?

Through analogy.

What we're going to use is a pinball machine analogy.

You all know how pinballs work.

You just pull back on a plunger,

and the ball goes boinking out and bounces around on the rubber bumpers,

and that's how you get points.

What we're going to do is we're going to take this pinball

and we're going to put it right on your brain.

So, there it is.

There's the pinball machine on your brain.

If you look, this is the analogy for the focus mode.

When you're learning, you're often thinking tightly,

as you're focusing on something.

It involves thoughts you're somewhat familiar with,

perhaps historical patterns,

or you're familiar with the multiplication table.

So you think a thought, and it takes off, and moves along smoothly,

pretty much along the pathways that you've already laid.

But what if the thought you're thinking

is actually a new thought, a new concept, a new technique

that you've never thought of before?

Well, that's symbolized by this new pattern

towards the bottom of the pinball machine metaphor.

To get to this new place, I mean, at least sort of metaphorically speaking,

look at all the rubber bumpers that are in the way.

How can you even get there?

You need a different way of thinking, a new perspective in a sense,

and that's provided here by the diffuse mode.

Look at how far apart those rubber bumpers are

from one another.

When you think a thought, it takes off, and it can range very widely,

as you're attempting to come up with some new ideas.

So, you can't do that careful, focused thinking

that you can in the focus mode,

but you can, at least, get to the place you need to be in

to grapple with these new ideas.

The bottom line for all of us out of this is this:

when you're learning,

you want to go back and forth between these modes,

and if you find yourself, as you're focusing in on something,

trying to learn a new concept or solve a problem,

and you get stuck,

you want to turn your attention away from that problem

and allow the diffuse modes, those resting states,

to do their work in the background.

How can we actually use these ideas in real life?

If you look at this guy right here, he was Salvador Dali,

one of the most brilliant surrealist painters of the 20th century.

Dali was the very definition of a wild and crazy guy.

You can see him there.

He's got his pet, Ocelot Babu.

What Dali used to do when he was kind of stuck

as he was solving some problem related to his painting

was he'd sit down and he'd relax in a chair,

and he'd have keys in his hands.

He'd hold those keys, and he'd relax, kind of letting his brain noodling away.

Just as he'd relax so much that he'd fall asleep,

the keys would fall from his hands, the clatter would wake him up,

and off you go: he'd take those ideas

from the diffuse mode over to the focus mode,

where he could work with them,

refine them, and use them for his painting.

You might think, "That's great! It's good for an artist.

But I'm an engineer.

So how can I use these ideas?"

If you see this guy right here, he was Thomas Edison,

one of the most brilliant inventors in history.

What Edison used to like to do, at least according to legend,

he'd sit in a chair with ball bearings in his hand.

He'd relax away, kind of thinking about the problem, loosely,

that he was trying to solve related to his inventions, relaxing.

Just as he'd fall asleep,

the ball bearings would fall from his hands,

and off you go: he'd be woken up,

and he'd take those ideas from the diffuse mode

back into the focus mode.

He'd use them to refine and finish his inventions.

The bottom line for all of us out of this is this:

whenever you're sitting down

to solve a new problem or analyze a new idea,

even if millions of other people have thought the same thoughts,

or solved the same problems,

for you, it's just as creative

as it was for famous people like Dali and Edison,

and you want to use some of these creative approaches.

But you might say to me, "Yeah, but I've got a problem, though.

You know, I just love to procrastinate.

This back and forth stuff is great, but I don't have time.

I cram at the last minute. That's just me."

So, let's talk just a little bit about procrastination.

What seems to happen when you procrastinate is this:

you look at something you'd really rather not do,

and you actually feel a physical pain

in the part of your brain that analyzes pain.

So, there are two ways that you can handle this.

The first way is you can just kind of keep working a way through it.

And research has shown

that within a few minutes it actually will disappear.

But the second way is you just turn your attention away, and guess what?

You feel better, right, right away.

(Laughter)

So, you do this once, you do this twice; it's just not that big a deal.

But you do this very often, and it's actually like an addiction.

It can really cause problems in how you lead your life.

So, how can you handle it?

A very simple way: using the Pomodoro Technique.

The Pomodoro technique, as it turns out, all you need to do is you get a timer.

Any timer will do.

Then you just take it and set it for 25 minutes,

and make sure everything else is turned off

- so, no instant messengers, nothing like that -

and you work with focused attention for 25 minutes.

Anybody can do 25 minutes, virtually anyone.

When you're done, you do something fun;

just a little bit, a few minutes of relaxed fun.

What this seems to do is this:

you are enhancing, you're practicing in some sense

your ability to have focused attention,

and you're also practicing your ability to relax a little bit.

Now you understand that relaxation

is also an important part of the learning process;

there are things going on in the background.

The only thing is this: when you do the Pomodoro,

you want to make sure that you don't sit there

and say, "I'm going to do my entire homework set

in these 25 minutes." No.

You just sit and say, "I'm going to work with focused attention for 25 minutes",

and that's the key.

Students sometimes make the mistake

of thinking that some of their absolute best traits

are their worst traits.

What do I mean by this?

Let's take the idea of memory.

Let's say that you have a poor working memory.

You can't seem to hold things in mind very well.

You watch these other students

and they're able to grasp all these ideas and kind of manipulate them,

but you can't.

Well, what this means is: surprisingly, you are more creative.

Because you can't hold these ideas in mind so tightly,

other ideas are often creeping in.

If you have problems with the tension,

you're always kind of diverting off into some other idea, it's similar:

you are often more creative,

because these new ideas are slipping in instead.

There's another thing, and that's slow thinking.

Some students compare themselves to other students

and say, "You know, I'm really slow by comparison.

These other students, they are like race car drivers;

they go past me so fast."

But, think of yourself as a hiker.

Yes, a race car driver gets there much faster than you ever can,

but a hiker has a completely different experience.

A hiker can smell the pine air, they can reach out, touch the leaves,

they see the rabbit trails.

In many ways, your experiences are deeper and more profound,

and you don't jump to conclusions.

So if you are a slower thinker,

yes, you may have to work harder in order to grasp the materials,

but the trade-offs in many cases are well worth it;

you gain solid mastery of what you're studying.

So, there is something called "illusions of competence in learning".

What this means is you can study all day long

and you can be spinning your wheels

because you're not using effective study techniques.

There is such a thing as test anxiety,

but in many cases, surprisingly many,

it arises because you've just come face to face with the scary bear,

(Laughter)

and that is that you have just learned that you are not a master of the material.

Researchers, with both critters and people,

are finding powerful insights into how we can learn most effectively.

One of those ways is simply through exercise.

Exercise within a matter of a few days

can increase our ability to both learn and to remember,

and researchers are beginning to understand

the neurophysiological pathways that allow this to occur.

Tests. Tests are the best.

Test yourself all the time. Give yourself little mini tests.

Make flash cards, even in math and science,

mix them up, study them in different places,

and this brings me to homework.

When you do a homework problem, never just work at once and put it away.

Would you ever sing a song once and think you knew that song? No.

Test yourself, work that homework problem several times over several days

until the solution flows like a song from your mind.

Recall.

When you're looking at a page

as you're trying to learn something in a book,

people's tendency is to highlight, right?

There's something about the motion of the pen on a page

that makes you think that it's actually going into your brain,

but it often isn't.

Often times, people will just reread,

but that too is simply spinning your wheels.

The most effective technique is simply to look at a page,

look away, and see what you can recall.

Doing this, as it seems, helps build profound neural hooks

that help enhance your understanding of the material.

And finally, don't be fooled by the erroneous idea

that understanding alone is enough to build the mastery of the material.

Understanding is truly important,

but only when combined with practice and repetition

in a variety of circumstances

can you truly gain mastery over what you're learning.

So, in closing, I would like to say

that learning how to learn

is the most powerful tool you can ever grasp.

Don't just follow your passions;

broaden your passions, and your life will be enriched beyond measure.

(Applause)