You're not stupid: My study formula for learning anything in less time

Summary

In this educational video, the speaker shares her journey from a rigorous Chinese education system to attending Columbia University, emphasizing the importance of efficient learning over long hours of study. She introduces a two-part study system focusing on learning new concepts from the big picture to core basics and then details, followed by active revision through self-testing and using tools like the Theia study app. The speaker debunks the myth of long hours equating to good grades and advocates for a more strategic approach to studying.

Takeaways

• 🏫 The speaker began their educational journey at a young age, attending a rigorous military-style boarding school in China, which emphasized long hours of study and frequent exams.
• 🌐 Despite the intense study schedule, the speaker did not initially get into their dream college in China, which led them to pursue education abroad, eventually attending Columbia University.
• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the importance of efficient learning methods, rejecting the notion that good grades solely come from long hours of study.
• 🔍 They advocate for starting with a broad understanding and core basics of a subject before delving into details, drawing a parallel to the effectiveness of concise YouTube videos over lengthy lectures.
• 📈 The speaker introduces the 80/20 rule, suggesting that mastering the core basics (the 20%) often leads to 80% of the desired outcomes.
• 📝 They recommend using the table of contents or section headlines to structure the learning process and to answer basic questions about a topic in simple language.
• 🧠 The speaker highlights the effectiveness of active recall and self-testing as a means to improve long-term memory and mastery of a subject.
• 📱 They introduce 'Theia Study', an app that uses active recall and gamification to aid in learning and testing, which the speaker found particularly helpful.
• 📅 The speaker suggests that the best time to review and test material is soon after learning it, rather than right before an exam, based on research findings.
• 📈 The speaker outlines an ideal learning system that includes understanding core concepts, engaging in self-testing shortly after learning, and comprehensive revision before exams.
• 🎓 Lastly, the speaker reiterates their endorsement of Theia as a tool that encapsulates the learning strategies discussed and is accessible to all students for free.

Q & A

Why did the speaker start attending math Olympiad competition classes at the age of six?

The speaker began attending math Olympiad competition classes at six not because they were good at or liked math, but to earn extra credits for the gaokao, China's college entrance exam, which is known as one of the toughest exams in the world.

What was the daily routine like at the military-style boarding school the speaker attended?

At the military-style boarding school, the speaker studied 14 hours a day with no weekends. They would wake up at 6 a.m., run half a mile, and study until 10:30 p.m., only going home once every 40 days.

How many exams did the speaker take in one year at the boarding school?

The speaker took over 200 exams in one year at the boarding school.

Why did the speaker decide to study abroad?

The speaker decided to study abroad because they did not get into their dream college in China.

What is the speaker's perspective on the relationship between good grades and the time spent studying?

The speaker believes that the idea that good grades come only from long hours of study is a myth. They emphasize that how one studies matters more than how long one studies.

How does the speaker approach learning a new concept?

The speaker starts with the big picture and core basics before diving into the details. They learn by understanding the core basics first and then move on to more advanced materials.

What is the 80/20 rule as applied to learning according to the speaker?

The 80/20 rule in learning, as mentioned by the speaker, suggests that 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort, and those important 20% are usually the core basics.

Why does the speaker not reread or rewatch lectures after the initial exposure to the material?

The speaker does not reread or rewatch lectures because mastering information is not about the number of times one is exposed to the material, but about testing oneself and recalling information from memory, which leads to long-term memory and mastery.

What is the speaker's recommended time frame for reviewing material after learning it?

The speaker recommends reviewing the material the same day or relatively soon after learning it, as research shows that this leads to better performance compared to reviewing right before an exam.

What is the speaker's ideal optimized Learning System?

The speaker's ideal Learning System involves understanding the core basics from lectures, diving into details, asking and getting answers to questions promptly, doing homework or self-testing the same day or the day after learning, and reviewing and doing mock tests before exams.

How does the speaker feel about the Theia study app and its features?

The speaker is very impressed with the Theia study app, appreciating its incorporation of efficient learning techniques and strategies, and its features that help students study more efficiently. They also value the app's accessibility as it is currently free.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Learning Efficiently: The Journey from Traditional to Optimized Methods

The speaker begins by recounting her rigorous educational background, starting with math Olympiad classes at a young age and moving to a military-style boarding school with an intense study schedule. Despite the grueling routine, she didn't get into her dream college in China and decided to study abroad. She eventually got into Columbia University, her dream school. She emphasizes that her focus is on efficient learning rather than just getting good grades. She introduces her study system, which is divided into two parts: learning and revision. For learning, she advocates starting with the big picture and core basics before diving into details, drawing a comparison with the effectiveness of concise YouTube videos versus traditional lectures.

05:01

🔄 The Power of Active Recall and Effective Revision Techniques

In the second paragraph, the speaker discusses her revision strategy, which involves active recall and self-testing rather than passive re-reading or re-watching of materials. She introduces 'Theia Study,' an app that facilitates active recall through flashcards and games, and emphasizes its utility in enhancing learning efficiency. The speaker also touches on the psychological aspect of testing, explaining that while it might make students feel less confident due to the直面 of mistakes, it is actually more effective for long-term retention and mastery of topics. She suggests that the best time to review material is soon after learning it, supporting this with research findings. The speaker concludes by outlining her ideal learning system, which includes starting with core basics, engaging in active recall through homework or self-testing, and doing mock tests before exams.

10:02

🌟 Empowering Education with Technology: Theia's Role in Efficient Learning

The final paragraph serves as an endorsement of 'Theia,' highlighting its comprehensive features that align with the learning strategies discussed throughout the video. The speaker appreciates Theia's use of technology to make education more accessible by offering its services for free. She encourages viewers to try the app and reiterates the importance of having a structured and enjoyable study plan. The speaker wraps up by thanking the viewers for watching and expressing hope that the video was helpful.

Keywords

💡Math Olympiad

The Math Olympiad is an international mathematics competition for pre-college students. In the video, the speaker mentions starting a Math Olympiad competition class at the age of six, not because they were good at or liked math, but to earn extra credits for the gaokao, China's highly competitive college entrance exam. This keyword is significant as it sets the stage for the speaker's journey in education and their pursuit of efficient learning strategies.

💡Gaokao

The gaokao is China's national college entrance examination, which is known for its high level of difficulty and competitiveness. The speaker refers to the gaokao as one of the toughest exams in the world, highlighting the intense academic pressure faced by students in China. The gaokao is central to the speaker's narrative as it influenced their early educational experiences and motivation to seek out better learning methods.

💡Military-style boarding school

A military-style boarding school is a type of educational institution that emphasizes strict discipline, rigorous schedules, and often a focus on academics. The speaker describes their experience at such a school, where they studied for 14 hours a day with no weekends and only one home visit every 40 days. This keyword is crucial as it exemplifies the extreme learning environment that the speaker endured, which contrasts with the efficient learning methods they later advocate.

💡Columbia University

Columbia University is an Ivy League institution located in New York City, known for its academic excellence. The speaker mentions getting into Columbia University as their dream school after initially attending a liberal arts college. This keyword is significant as it represents a milestone in the speaker's educational journey and serves as a testament to the effectiveness of the learning strategies they developed.

💡Efficient learning

Efficient learning refers to the ability to acquire knowledge and skills with minimal time and effort. The speaker emphasizes that their most valuable skill is learning efficiently, which is the central theme of the video. They argue against the common belief that good grades come from long hours of study, asserting that how one studies is more important than how long.

💡Big picture

The 'big picture' is a term used to describe a broad overview or general understanding of a subject before delving into the details. The speaker explains their learning approach by starting with the big picture and core basics, which contrasts with traditional methods that often present information in a detailed but potentially overwhelming manner. This keyword is essential to understanding the speaker's philosophy on learning new concepts.

💡Core basics

Core basics are the fundamental principles or elements that form the foundation of a subject or skill. The speaker advocates for learning the core basics first, using the example of linear programming where they suggest understanding the definition and basic components before moving on to more complex details. This keyword is integral to the speaker's learning strategy, which prioritizes foundational knowledge.

💡Active recall

Active recall is a learning technique that involves actively trying to remember information without looking at the material, which is known to enhance long-term memory. The speaker mentions using active recall through testing and quizzes as a more effective method than passive rereading or rewatching of lectures. This keyword is key to the speaker's discussion on effective revision strategies.

💡Theia Study

Theia Study is an app mentioned in the video that offers learning tools such as flashcards, games, and mock tests to facilitate active recall and improve study efficiency. The speaker praises Theia Study for incorporating the learning techniques they discuss, such as active recall and spaced repetition, and for making education more accessible. This keyword is significant as it represents a practical tool that aligns with the speaker's advocated learning methods.

💡Passive learning

Passive learning refers to学习方法 that involve minimal cognitive effort, such as rereading notes or watching lectures without active engagement. The speaker contrasts passive learning with active learning strategies like testing and self-quizzing, arguing that the latter leads to better retention and understanding. This keyword is important for understanding the speaker's critique of traditional study habits and the benefits of a more active approach.

💡Spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique where review of material is spread out over increasing intervals of time, which has been shown to improve long-term retention. While not explicitly mentioned in the script, the concept aligns with the speaker's advice on reviewing material soon after initial learning and using tools like Theia Study for effective revision. This keyword is relevant to the overall theme of optimizing study habits for better retention.

Highlights

Began math Olympiad competition class at six for extra credits in China's college entrance exam.

Attended a military-style boarding school with 14-hour study days and no weekends.

Took over 200 exams in one year to prepare for the rigorous Chinese college entrance exam.

Did not get into the dream college in China, leading to a decision to study abroad.

After getting straight A's in a liberal arts college, transferred to Columbia University.

Developed a valuable skill in efficient learning through extensive research and personal experience.

Learning is more about using the right tools than the amount of time spent.

People can only do about 4 hours of deep work each day for maximum productivity.

The myth that good grades come from long hours of study is debunked.

Learning starts with the big picture and core basics before diving into details.

Short YouTube videos can sometimes be more effective than long lectures.

The 80/20 rule applies to learning, focusing on the core basics for maximum results.

Testing oneself is a more effective learning tool than passive rereading or rewatching lectures.

Active recall through apps like Theia Study can enhance learning and memory.

The best time to review material is the same day or soon after learning it for the first time.

Homework is effective because it involves testing and applying what has been learned.

An ideal learning system includes starting with core basics, asking questions, and self-testing.

Theia Study incorporates techniques and strategies for efficient learning in one platform.

Theia Study is recommended for its features that support efficient studying and is currently free.

Transcripts

I think you've been taught to learn in

the wrong way when I was six I started

my first math Olympiad competition class

not because I was good at math or even

liked math but for extra credits in the

gal Cal China's college entrance exam

which is also known as one of the

toughest exams in the world at 17 I

transferred to a military Stout boarding

school we studied 14 hours a day every

morning we will get up at 6: a.m. in the

morning and then we'll run half a mile

together and then we'll study until

10:30 p.m. and there were no weekends

and we can only go home once every 40

days just in one year I took over 200

exams at the end of the year we followed

the brutal cycle of taking two days of

exam studying for one day and then take

another exam for two days despite all

that I actually didn't get into my dream

College in China so I decided to study

abroad and I went to a liberal art

college first and after a couple years

of quizzes exams and essays where always

get straight A I finally applied and got

into Columbia University which is my

dream school and where I got rewarded

for more quizzes and exams hi welcome to

my channel my name is Han as someone who

spent nearly her entire life in

education the single most valuable skill

I developed is how to learn more

efficiently I've also done extensive

research on this topic and in this video

I'm going to share all that with you

before I dive in I want to clarify that

when I'm going going to share with you

is not just a shortcut or a trick to get

better grades on your exams without

putting in any time or effort the way I

think about it it's more like oh say if

you want to travel 100 miles walking

would take more than 40 hours but

driving only takes about an hour and 40

minutes the right tool makes all the

difference in fact research has showns

that people only can do about 4 hours of

deep work each day and for maximum of

productivity we shouldn't work for more

than 72. hours a day so I believe the

idea of good grades only come from

really long hours of time and effort is

a myth how we study matters way more

than how long we studied so now let's

actually get into my study system

there're broadly two parts learning and

revision so the way I learn a Brand New

Concept is quite different from how we

traditionally taught in school or

presented in textbooks I start with the

big pictures and core Basics and then

dive into the details later let me

explain this I've always wondered why I

sometimes learn way more from a 15

minutes YouTube videos than like an hour

and a half lectures taught by my IV

League degree Professor well the short

answer is probably the YouTube videos

just explain things better but after

digging a little bit deeper I actually

come to this conclusion of why this

happens lectures usually present

Concepts or subjects in order they will

cover every single details around this

topic or even complicated variations no

matter whether they're important or not

before they moving on to the next

subject while YouTube videos are usually

quite the opposite each video only

provide the core Basics there's no fluff

it's just everything that you needed to

know for the basics and if you want to

learn more details or more Advanced

Materials there's usually a separate

videos for them so the way I learn is

that I will start with the big picture I

will kind of ask myself what I'm a

what is this thing about I will try to

use one sentence where like the simplest

language to summarize and describe what

I'm learning for example for linear

programming is about finding the maximum

and minimum values so you may have no

idea what linear programming is but we

can have a very very basic understanding

of what this thing is kind of in my mind

there is immediately a familiarity if I

ever get lost in the details I can

always come back back after that very

quick first step now I will actually

start learning all the core Basics the

backbone of everything the way I do this

sometimes is that I can look up the

table of content or they're usually like

subsections or headlines and I will try

to use those as my structures to try to

understand each of those topics on the

very basic level for example for linear

programming I have this table of content

and I will just start going through this

list and ask myself questions like what

is the definition of linear programming

what are the basic components of linear

programming and I will try to answer

those questions by like either looking

up at textbooks or just found it online

yourself and try to answer it in a very

simple language there's the 8020 rules

means 80% of the results come from 20%

of effort and those important 20% are

usually the core Basics and then I will

move on to learning more details and

in-depth materials and not just because

of the 020 rules but also because I'm

already familiar with the topic and I

have a foundation in my mind it's going

to be easier for me to make connections

based on those fundamental concepts and

understand the more complex information

faster now for the second part revision

after being exposed to the materials or

like learn it once I never reread or

rewatch the lectures again because

mastering information and make it stick

to your mind is not about how many times

you're being exposed to the material

it's about being exposed to it once and

then you can test yourself and recall

that information from your mind testing

as a learning tool is what actually

leads to long-term memory and the

Mastery of a specific topic I'm actually

really surprised to learn this data is

that after we learned the material

testing it once actually improve the

correctness of that information by 50%

there are so many amazing apps out there

that can help you do this and I recently

actually discovered this app called

theia study it's completely for free and

honestly hands down I think it's one of

the best learning tool out there they

actually not only have flesh cards but

also have games that also use active

recall you can use Thea to study any

subjects like even math to get started

you create a study kit and input the

subject you're studying as you can see

the smart study feature can just

generate a bunch of questions for you to

answer they also have detailed

explanations there's another feature

that can help you create a study guide

so this feature is just so useful cuz

before sometimes I create my own study

guide and this just will save me tons of

time they also have this mock test

so you can understand your pace which

will be so helpful during your actual

exam and can also just help out with

test anxiety I really wish I have had

this when I was in high school or

college it basically incorporate all the

strategies and SCI based techniques that

I talked about in this video so I really

recommend you to check it out it's

completely for free right now and I

genuinely think it will be so helpful in

you're studying the link is in my

description and thank you so much Thea

for sponsoring this video and back to

testing is best learning tool funny

thing is that actually students that do

more passive learning which is like

rereading or like rewatching or like

highlighting copying notes those

students actually feel more confident

before their exams compared to the

students that do more testing and know

like rereading the materials um those

students actually don't feel as

confident because they tested themselves

and sometimes they get things wrong and

they're like oh I'm actually not ready

but the results are exactly the opposite

so testing is really the best way to

learn please don't waste any time on

passive learning even though they may

make you feel good and in terms of when

to review the material and when I say

review I mean like testing I usually do

the same day or relatively soon after I

learn the material this is also research

backed as we take two groups of students

and expose them to the same material but

one group of student review it the same

day they learned the material and the

other group review the material the day

before their assessment test and it's

very surprising that even though the

second group review the material right

before the exam you would think you know

like the memory is the freshest like you

know it's the next day the first group

performed way better so the best time to

review your material is relatively soon

after you learned it the first time this

is why homework is actually very

effective in our ideal Learning System

so in the ideal world my ideal optimized

Learning System is like this I

understand almost everything from the

lectures start with the core Basics and

then dive into details and if I have

questions I will ask them and they

should be answered pretty quickly then

the same day or like the day after I

learn the material I will do homeworks

or assignments or like some self testing

to help me put what I learned into

practice and before the exam I will

reveal everything and then do like more

mock testing it's not possible to always

have the best teachers but this system

also works really well if you're just

like teaching yourself for most of the

things and the key to be more consistent

is really have a plan and make studying

as easy as enjoyable as possible which I

actually have a whole video on how to

make study more enjoyable here if you

want to check that out at the end of the

video I actually want to adore Thea one

more time as I mentioned earlier in the

video I'm genuinely very impressed with

Thea they're incorporating all the

techniques and strategies that I talked

about in this video and have all the

features in one place which just help

students to study more efficiently I

also really appreciate the fact that

they are using technology to make

education more accessible as they're

completely for free right now so

definitely check them out I really hope

this video is helpful and thank you for

watching to this point I hope you have a

wonderful day and I will see you next

time bye-bye