6 Keys to Rapid Learning | Jim Kwik

Summary

In this Quick Brain Podcast episode, host Jim Quick shares six keys to rapid learning, emphasizing that learning is an active process, not a spectator sport. He introduces the '6 R's' of active learning: Read, Reflect, Record, Relate, Retrieval, and Review. These methods encourage personal engagement with the material, from reading and reflecting to teaching others and using spaced repetition for long-term retention. Jim Quick encourages listeners to be the pilots of their learning journey, taking responsibility for their own knowledge acquisition and application.

Takeaways

• 📚 Learning is an active process, not just passive consumption of information.
• 🧠 The human brain learns better through creating, co-creating, and active engagement rather than just absorbing knowledge.
• 💪 Knowledge is potential power that becomes actual power when applied and implemented.
• 🔄 Six 'R's for rapid learning: Read, Reflect, Record, Relate, Retrieval, and Review.
• 👀 Read actively by asking questions and using a visual Pacer to stay involved.
• 🤔 Reflect on the material to make it personally meaningful and to gain deeper understanding.
• ✍️ Record your learnings through writing, which helps in deepening knowledge and comprehension.
• 🤝 Relate the learned material to others, which enhances learning through the explanation effect.
• 🧐 Retrieval involves active testing of what you've learned to ensure retention and understanding.
• 🔄 Review material using spaced repetition to consolidate short-term memory into long-term memory.
• 🚀 The 'R's are a tactical approach to become a more active and rapid learner.
• 🌟 Learning is a journey where you are the pilot of your brain, not just a passenger.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the 'Quick Brain Podcast' episode mentioned in the transcript?

The main theme of the episode is 'six keys to Rapid Learning', which emphasizes the importance of active participation in the learning process rather than passively consuming information.

What does Jim Quick mean by 'learning is not a spectator sport'?

Jim Quick means that learning requires active engagement and participation from the learner. It's not enough to just observe or consume information; one must actively create, apply, and implement knowledge to truly learn.

What is the significance of the 'six R's' mentioned by the host?

The 'six R's' are a set of tactical strategies for active learning that include Read, Reflect, Record, Relate, Retrieval, and Review. These steps are designed to enhance understanding, retention, and the ability to recall information.

How does Jim Quick suggest improving reading efficiency?

Jim Quick suggests joining the 'Quick Reading Program' to triple reading speed, which in turn increases comprehension, focus, understanding, and retention.

What is the purpose of the 'purposeful pause' technique used by Jim Quick during live programs?

The 'purposeful pause' technique is used to encourage active learning by giving participants time to summarize what they've learned in their own words, thus reinforcing the information and making it personally meaningful.

Why is it beneficial to teach what you've learned to someone else?

Teaching what you've learned to someone else is beneficial because it solidifies your understanding of the material, allows you to learn it twice, and leverages the 'explanation effect' to deepen your knowledge.

What is the role of 'active retrieval' in the learning process as described by Jim Quick?

Active retrieval involves testing oneself or being tested by someone else on the material just learned. This method is crucial for determining if the information has been truly understood and internalized, and it helps to strengthen memory.

Why is 'review' considered an essential part of the learning process?

Review, especially through spaced repetition or interval training, is essential because it helps to consolidate information from short-term to long-term memory, making it easier to recall and apply the knowledge in the future.

What is the 'Limitless' book mentioned by Jim Quick and what is its relevance to the podcast?

The 'Limitless' book is presumably a resource related to the podcast's theme of enhancing brain function and learning capabilities. It is mentioned as a giveaway to one individual from the community as a token of appreciation.

How does Jim Quick encourage listeners to engage with the podcast content?

Jim Quick encourages listeners to take a screenshot of the episode, share it, and actively participate in the learning process by remembering and typing out the 'six R's', which also serves as a form of active retrieval and review.

What is the ultimate goal of the 'Quick Brain Podcast' according to Jim Quick?

The ultimate goal of the 'Quick Brain Podcast' is to help listeners build better, brighter brains with the aim of 'no brain left behind', emphasizing a community-driven approach to learning and personal development.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Embracing Active Learning for Rapid Knowledge Acquisition

The first paragraph introduces the 'Quick Brain Podcast' with Jim, the host and brain coach, who emphasizes the importance of active learning over passive consumption of information. He introduces the concept that knowledge alone is not power but becomes so when applied. Jim outlines six tactical 'R's for active learning to enhance rapid learning. He also encourages participation in live programs and the practice of summarizing and teaching newly learned information to others as a way to solidify understanding. The paragraph concludes with the first 'R', which is to actively read or consume material, and the suggestion to join the quick reading program for improved reading efficiency.

05:01

🤔 The Power of Reflection, Recording, and Relating in Learning

In the second paragraph, Jim continues to detail the remaining 'R's for effective learning. After reading, he advises to reflect on the material to deepen personal understanding and comprehension. The third 'R' is recording, which could be through writing or audio, to express and organize thoughts. The fourth 'R' is relating, where sharing what has been learned with others enhances learning through the explanation effect. The fifth 'R' is retrieval, which involves self-testing or being tested by others to reinforce memory and understanding. Jim highlights the importance of active retrieval over passive re-reading for better learning retention.

10:01

🔍 The Importance of Retrieval and Review for Long-Term Learning

The final paragraph concludes the discussion on the 'R's for active learning with the sixth 'R', which is review. Jim explains the benefits of spaced repetition and interval training for consolidating information from short-term to long-term memory. He encourages reviewing material after a period to strengthen memory retention. The paragraph also includes an interactive element, asking listeners to recall the six 'R's as a form of active retrieval. Jim wraps up by reiterating the importance of being an active participant in one's learning journey and invites listeners to share the episode and engage with the community.

Keywords

💡Rapid learning

Rapid learning refers to the ability to acquire new knowledge or skills in a short amount of time. In the video, the theme revolves around six key strategies to achieve rapid learning, emphasizing the importance of active participation in the learning process rather than passively consuming information. The script mentions 'six keys to Rapid learning' and 'be a more active learner so you can learn rapidly,' showcasing the video's focus on efficient learning techniques.

💡Spectator sport

The term 'spectator sport' is used metaphorically in the script to illustrate that learning, like life, is not something one should merely observe but actively engage in. The host repeatedly states 'learning is not a spectator sport,' emphasizing the need for active participation in the learning process to enhance knowledge acquisition and retention.

💡Active learning

Active learning is a teaching method that involves students in doing things and thinking about the things they are learning. In the context of the video, active learning is contrasted with passive learning, where the host encourages viewers to 'get off the bench and doing something' and to 'take agency' in their learning process, such as summarizing and teaching others what they have learned.

💡Agency

Agency, in the script, refers to the autonomy and control individuals have over their learning process. The host mentions taking 'agency' and 'taking responsibility' when explaining to someone else, which indicates that learners should own and actively engage with the information they are learning to deepen their understanding.

💡Co-creating

Co-creating in the script is mentioned as a method of learning where individuals collaborate and generate new ideas or knowledge together. The host suggests that the human brain learns better through 'creating and co-creating,' which implies that shared learning experiences can be more effective than solitary ones.

💡Knowledge

In the video, 'knowledge' is discussed as something that, by itself, is not power but becomes powerful when applied. The script states 'knowledge by itself is not power it's potential power,' highlighting the importance of not just acquiring information but also using it effectively.

💡Metacognition

Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. The script refers to 'reflect' as a form of metacognition, where learners think about their own thinking after reading, which helps in making the learning personally meaningful and enhancing comprehension.

💡Spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time, which helps to move information from short-term to long-term memory. The script mentions the 'power of spaced repetition based review,' suggesting that reviewing material at spaced intervals is crucial for effective learning.

💡Active retrieval

Active retrieval is the process of recalling information from memory without the help of cues, which strengthens memory and understanding. The script describes active retrieval as a method where learners test themselves on what they have learned, such as quizzing oneself or being quizzed by someone else.

💡Concept map

A concept map is a diagram used to organize and represent knowledge, ideas, and concepts, and show the relationship between them. In the script, the host suggests creating a concept map as a form of 'recording' the information one has learned, which helps in organizing and understanding the material more deeply.

💡Limitless

The term 'Limitless' in the script is used as a book title and as a metaphor for the potential of the human brain to learn without limits. The host, Jim Quick, encourages viewers to 'be Limitless,' which is a call to action to unlock and utilize the full potential of one's cognitive abilities.

Highlights

Learning is not a spectator sport; the human brain learns better through active creation and participation.

Knowledge itself is not power; it becomes power when applied and utilized.

Six tactical strategies for active learning are introduced to enhance rapid learning.

Active learning involves summarizing and teaching new information to solidify understanding.

The 'six R's' of rapid learning are presented as a method for effective study.

The first 'R' is to read actively, questioning and engaging with the material.

The second 'R' encourages reflection, making the information personally meaningful.

The third 'R' is recording, which deepens knowledge by expressing it in writing or other forms.

The fourth 'R' is relating, sharing what you've learned with others to reinforce learning.

The fifth 'R' is retrieval, actively testing yourself to ensure information retention.

The sixth 'R' is review, using spaced repetition to consolidate short-term into long-term memory.

Active retrieval is more effective than passive re-reading for learning retention.

Questions direct the learning process, making them a crucial part of active retrieval.

Teaching others what you've learned helps you learn it twice, reinforcing your understanding.

The importance of reviewing material at spaced intervals for better memory consolidation.

The host, Jim Kwik, encourages sharing and applying the 'six R's' for active learning.

The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to share their learning experiences.

The Quick Brain Podcast aims to build better, brighter brains with no brain left behind.

Transcripts

[Music]

welcome back to the quick brain podcast

I am your host and your brain coach Jim

quick and in this episode I'm going to

share with you six keys to Rapid

learning now if you're watching this on

a video you might be subscribed to our

YouTube which I encourage each and every

one of you to do that if you haven't

done that now it says learning is not a

spectator sport and I've been saying

that a lot for the past 20 plus years

learning is not a spectator sport

learning like life is not a spectator

sport because the human brain doesn't

learn best just by consuming information

the human brain learns better through

creating and co-creating and being

active getting off the bench and doing

something because we know knowledge by

itself is not power it's potential power

it becomes power when we utilize it when

we exercise and when we apply and we

implement it so I'm going to give you

six different things that are very

tactical that you could do to be a more

active learner so you can learn rapidly

now if you join any of our live programs

whether they're streaming or in person

person I'll do something like a

purposeful pause where I'll teach

something for about 15 minutes and then

take a little break and say okay take a

few minutes now and summarize what I

just shared with you you know in your

own words take a couple minutes and

summarize what you just learned and then

I'll say okay after they do that I'll

say okay now turn to a partner and for

the next five minutes teach them

something that you learned or share in

your own words something that you

learned these are examples of turning

passive learning into more active

learning and when you do so you take

agency you take responsibility and you

own that information when you're

explaining to somebody else you're right

now you're using your own words so you

have this original awareness and it

deepens the grooves of your learning

you're connecting things that you don't

know yet the things that you already

know and this is all part of the active

process so let me give you six R's that

you could apply right away to be able to

be a more rapid learner so the first R

is going to be read now when I say read

this is where you're actually learning

the material I like to go to reading

because I think you read to succeed but

it could be listening to an audiobook it

could be listening to a lecture it could

be listening to a podcast having a

conversation with somebody but you're in

taking information now obviously if you

are reading definitely if you haven't

yet join our quick reading program

because that'll help you to Triple your

reading speed and get more comprehension

and more focus and more understanding

retention and enjoyment out of it so the

method definitely matters okay so the

first R is you read that information

that's being more active but you're

actively reading it you're asking

questions you're using a visual Pacer

you're very involved now the second R

after you read is I want you to reflect

and this is kind of like the

metacognition you're thinking about what

you just read you're thinking about your

own thinking because it's not just about

about rapid reading rapid learning it's

about taking time to reflect and making

it personally meaningful to you getting

new nuances from the information

learning new levels of comprehension new

levels of understanding so you're

reflecting on the information that's a

way of being more active now after you

do the reading and after you do your

reflection the third R is I want you to

record so what does record mean it could

be what I talked about earlier taking

two minutes and just writing in a

journal or your notebook the things that

you learned right because now the

information is coming in but in order to

express it out in the form of physical

writing you have to what you have to

deepen that knowledge your understanding

you have to be able to to comprehend it

at a new level in order to be able to

put it out because it comes in through

your eyes right it gets processed by

your nervous system and to be able to

put it out and express yourself you need

to be able to to understand to organize

the information that's part of The

Learning Journey learning all right so

you're reading you're reflecting and

then you're recording some people would

prefer to audio record there are many

different ways of recording information

the fourth R I would say is after you

did that I want you to relate what does

that mean well we know that learning

doesn't have to be so low it could also

be effective being social and you're

talking to somebody else you're relating

to somebody else so often at an event or

maybe if we're doing online training

we'll put people into breakout rooms and

they'll share five minutes on what they

just learned because you take advantage

of the explanation effect when you teach

something you get to learn it twice

you're relating to somebody else what

you just learned so again as a review

you first read it you reflect on it you

record and then what then you relate to

somebody else about it you share the

ideas with that person and the fifth R

is retrieval and they call this active

retrieval this is where you test

yourself or have somebody else test you

about what you just learned so imagine

you're reading a section of a book and

then you're relating to somebody

explaining maybe you do the writing the

reflecting you know the Nuance of what

you what you would is happening in that

specific situation and then you relating

and then that person quizzes you you're

doing active retrieval or maybe you're

asking questions of yourself you're

quizzing yourself with the book closed

for instance and not looking at your

notes how much you actively remember

they call it active retrieval and I

honestly would rather have somebody read

something and do active retrieval than

read something twice because the act of

going inside and trying to pull

information out is the purest test in

terms of whether or not you really had

that information right so active

retrieval asking questions we say

questions are the answer it helps you to

direct your particular activating system

so when you have those questions and

you're reading again you're just like oh

there's an answer there's an answer

there's an answer there's the answer

even when we're doing test preparation

and we teach people to go look at the

questions at the end before they do the

reading comprehension because then when

they go through it they see oh that's

what the author was looking for that's

what they deemed was important right so

you read it you reflect on it you give

it personal meaning you record your

ideas you relate to somebody else and

then you do active retrieval you quiz

yourself and you test yourself to see

how much information is really inside

and finally the last R the 6r if you

will for Rapid learning or Active

Learning is going to be review the power

of spaced repetition based review that

if you spread information out maybe uh

let's say you go through this process

and you read it and you did everything

you read it and you reflected on it you

recorded it you know related to somebody

else you did all these different things

maybe the next day before you start

studying and you pick up where you left

off in that textbook or in that lecture

or what have you you review what you did

the day before right because when you

spread out information they call it

spaced repetition or interval training

what it allows you to do let's say you

study it and then you review it an hour

later maybe a day later maybe a week

later maybe even a month later it helps

you to consolidate and transfer that

short-term memory and make it more

long-term memory so that review is

absolutely key so you can review what

you read you could review your notes

maybe you made instead of record instead

of summarizing you made a concept map

right or you did the capture create that

we teach in our programs as well but you

get the main principles behind this do

you even remember the six R's by the way

this is active retrieval right this is

an example of active retrieval what's

the first star you read good after that

then what are you doing you're

reflecting on what you just read great

after that what are you doing maybe you

record you take some notes a concept map

mind map whatever after that what are

you doing you are relating it to

somebody else very good and after you

relate what are you doing active

retrieval you're testing yourself and

then finally the 6r do you remember what

it was we just did it we're doing the

review so we're actually doing this

we're doing active retrieval and we're

doing review all in one so whatever

subject you want to be able to learn you

can learn it better and faster more

rapidly with these six R's for active

learning remember learning is not a

spectator sport you are the pilot of

your brain you are not the passenger you

are the pilot of this Learning Journey

right you're not just a passenger so be

active and when you do and you take

personal responsibility you have the

ability to respond you have the power

hour to make things better and brighter

and so I'm your brain coach Jim quick if

you enjoyed this quick episode make sure

what I want you to do right now is take

a screenshot of this take a screenshot

and share it remember we're relating

this to somebody else and we're passing

it on and so and share the six R's if

you remember them type them out because

that'll be part of your recording and

your review and your active retrieval

and you're teaching somebody else also

because when you teach it you get to

learn it twice I as always every single

week we repost some of our favorites and

then we also randomly send our copy of

our book Limitless to one individual

around the world just as a thank you for

being part of our community I want to

encourage you again if you've enjoyed

this share it and please leave a review

that's the best thing you know we

purposely we don't have sponsors for our

shows being our goal is to build better

brighter brains no brain left behind and

it takes an army right it takes a

village so I want to thank you for your

time thank you for your attention make

sure you subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

and YouTube so you don't miss the next

episode and until then I'm your brain

coach Jim quick be Limitless