I have spent the past few weeks taking a course on learning. I imagine that some people are confused by the notion of learning how to learn. It is not that I do not know the basics of learning. However, I refuse to believe that the way I go about learning is the best and only way to learn (especially when I struggle with memorization and recalling information.) Why limit myself when there are so many experts that have ideas and techniques that could really help me to improve, learn and grow?

Lets back up for a moment

Much of my life has been spent going over IEP's with my parents and teachers. They were always trying to figure out new ways to help me succeed in my classes with learning disabilities. In middle and high school, I was able to get by. It was a completely different story when I went away to college. I no longer had my support system there to encourage me when I became overwhelmed or to point out when I had started comparing myself to others.

I would look around the classroom and see everyone else grasping the concepts or easily remembering things that had been taught earlier during that class. While I sat there completely confused with no idea what key points had been taught only an hour ago. I tried to take notes but only found myself more confused, falling behind and missing everything since I was only transcribing and not actually hearing what was being taught and just trying to catch up. I would study and find myself slowly learning, but because I was not picking things up as quickly as my peers, I would become frustrated. I knew the basics of studying (read the material, take notes on key points, then make flash cards to go over.) But that did not seem to be enough. Eventually I would become so overwhelmed, frustrated, and tired of watching everyone else succeed that I would stop trying as hard and putting things off. Which led to more frustration and becoming even more overwhelmed. This then led to dropping out of college... three times. I have repeated this cycle three times!

Breaking free from the Fixed Mindset

A few months ago I was online watching a Ted Talk. This video lead to more videos that I found interesting which in turn led to even more videos. The more videos I watched the clearer it was to me that I had given up on my dreams. It helped me realize that I was a 30 year old woman who was had settled for a tolerable career. It was a job I enjoyed, but it was not my dream. It was as though I were stuck in a room that was comfortable enough but I did not wish to be in. Rather than pushing through and trying new techniques to help me succeed, I had, in a sense, continued bashing my head against a wall trying to get into the next room and given up. I was stuck in what is known as a "fixed mindset." I deeply believed that I was never going to be able to learn. That I had to accept myself as I was and that I could never be anything more. If only I had just looked around I would have seen that there were doors all around me that I could have tried. In reality, I could have gotten online to see what other techniques experts suggested. I could have talked to people who understand how frustrating it is to struggle with memory and recollection. The list is long with ways I could have helped myself succeed. But that is ok, because it is not too late. This realization really helped me break free from the "fixed mindset" and realize that I have the potential, the ability, and the intelligence to achieve any goal I set for myself.

A new beginning

I wanted to prove to myself that I could break the cycle of doubting myself. I needed to push through and succeed. I was incredibly excited when I discovered classes are sometimes offered online. Granted most are not credit courses and would not get me closer to earning my degree and getting my dream job. It did not matter though. The point was to continue growing, succeeding, and gaining knowledge. I signed up for a few courses and pushed through the frustrations. I found the more I learned and the more I practiced ignoring the negative thoughts, the easier my classes became. While I continued to struggle through my classes, they were not nearly as difficult when I believed in myself and supported myself.

Learning how to learn

I'm sure you can imagine my excitement when I discovered a class titled "Learning How to Learn." I signed up immediately and flew through the lessons. I was surprised to learn that learning did not only take place during the active process of reading, listening to new information and studying, but also during what is called the "diffuse mode." The diffuse mode is that moment when our brains are no longer focusing on anything and are at long last, relaxing. This mode gives our brains the ability to look at what is being learned from a broader perspective. While using the "focus made" and having all of our attention on what is being learned is important, it is not the only time that we learn. Not only does learning take place in focus mode and diffuse mode, but also while we sleep. During sleep the less important information is erased and cleaned up while the important things and neural patterns for any information we are trying to learn are strengthened.

Studying or reviewing information over time helps to gradually strengthen our neural patterns. Its similar to painting a wall. With each thin, well applied coat of paint the colors become stronger, more full and more concrete. Applying a ton of paint at once does not work very well and usually has poor results. As time passes, the colors fade a little. In order to keep the paint strong and bright we need to go over it once in a while. I had occasionally, in the past, had more of a procrastinate and then cram for a day or two style of study. I was not surprised to learn that this method was not very effective. Studying bit by bit over time allows our minds the ability to go into the diffuse mode before again returning to the focus mode. This creates strong, clear, solid neural patterns.

This brings me to the rather popular habit, procrastination. Everyone procrastinates to some extent. This had been one of my favorite ways of dealing with being overwhelmed and frustrated. It has been shown that when we work on something that we would rather not do, the same areas of our brains that associate with pain are activated. Human instinct is generally to not do the things that cause us pain. So naturally, if that area of our brain is being activated we put off doing that activity. We instead direct our attention elsewhere to get rid of the sensation. The key to dealing with procrastination is to push through the activity we are putting off. Shortly after we start, the feeling of needing to put off a task tends to subside and neurodiscomfort disappears. It is important to focus on the process of doing what we do not wish to do rather than focusing on the product or end result. It is generally much more overwhelming to think of all the things that add up to help us complete the activity than it is to just focus on a small part of the process in getting there. A good technique that can be used when battling procrastination is the Pomodoro. In order to utilize this technique we need to eliminate all distractions and set a timer. Once we have found a quiet place to focus, turned off our phones and anything else that may take our attention away from our task, set the timer for 25 minutes, press start and focus on the task. After 25 minutes, stop. We need to allow our minds to relax and do something enjoyable for a short time. We can go for a walk, turn on a favorite show, eat a little piece of chocolate, relax with a hot cup of coffee or tea, or chat with friends. Then repeat this process.

Learning is most effective when we have a place without distraction. While, I have always known that going somewhere quiet to focus is important, I never truly grasped how vital it is to eliminate distraction. Even the smallest temporary distraction can make a difference in our learning. It takes time for our minds to fully regain focus. The part of our memory that is used when we are focusing on learning a topic is known as our working memory. It is believed that our working memory can only hold around four chunks of information at a time. We can compare our working memory to an Etch A Sketch. Each time new information is added its as though we shake the Etch A Sketch gently. With every shake more of what is in our sketch or working memory is removed to make room for new information. With our working memory only holding around four chunks of information at a time, any distraction will take up some of the vital space we need to learn. This is why when we try to remember an address or directions we will repeat it over and over to ourselves. Sometimes we might even turn off the music or shut our eyes for a moment. Even though we may not be consciously aware of our reason for doing so, we do these things to keep other items from taking up one of our few valuable slots of our working memory. In order to move information from our working memory to our long term memory we need to go over the information repeatedly over an extended period of time. While sitting down for an hour and studying for a final exam will help us to learn the information, we will retain our knowledge of the material much longer by sitting down and studying for 10 minutes each month over a semester. This means that cramming all evening the day before a test may help us take the test the next day, however, strong, solid neural patterns have not had the chance to form, so the material we were hoping to learn will quickly be forgotten. However, once we have mastered the material to some extent, our brains compact or chunk the information together so it takes up less space when we recall the information at a later time.

On track at last

I have not yet finished the "Learning How to Learn" course taught by Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski, yet I have already noticed this knowledge as well as other techniques they discuss have made a difference in my ability to learn new material. While I still have some difficulty, I am much less frustrated and have seen progress when trying to memorize and retain information. I am finally on my way to achieving my goals and turning my dreams into reality.

Journal by

Kate Doolittle

04/28/2018

Course Reference

Oakley, B., Sejnowski, T., & Walker, L. (n.d.). Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects. Retrieved April 28, 2018, from https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn