How the Top 0.1% Learn in Lectures

Leverage cognitive load theory for better lecture note-taking.

Every week, I distil what really works for improving results, memory, depth of understanding, and knowledge application from over a decade of coaching into bite-sized emails.

=== Paid Training Program ===

(Designed for busy students and professionals aiming to achieve top results without endless studying. 77% of our students cover the same amount of study material in 30% less time within 1 month.)

=== Timestamps ===

00:00 Intro
03:36 The skills you NEED for learning in lectures
06:09 Learn to manage your cognitive load
09:15 What should I do before the lecture?
12:35 The best questions to ask during the lecture
17:12 Filtering information during the lecture

=== About Dr Justin Sung ===

Dr. Justin Sung is a world-renowned expert in self-regulated learning, certified teacher, research author, and former medical doctor. He has guest lectured on learning skills at Monash University for Master’s and PhD students in Education and Medicine. Over the past decade, he has empowered tens of thousands of learners worldwide to dramatically improve their academic performance, learning efficiency, and motivation.

[JustinSung]

Every week, I distil what really works for improving results, memory, depth of understanding, and knowledge application from over a decade of coaching into bite-sized emails.

[ReflectionOcean]

00:09:00 Priming yourself before a lecture by familiarizing with key terms and concepts can reduce cognitive load.
00:10:00 Asking non-obvious questions and exploring relationships between seemingly unrelated concepts can enhance learning and memory retention.
00:17:00 Filtering and screening information critically to focus on what is suitable for your current level of understanding is crucial for effective learning.
00:18:56 Understand fundamental concepts before diving into advanced topics.
00:19:02 Build your knowledge like building blocks, starting from a strong foundation.
00:19:42 Simplify information to a level where you can easily understand and retain it.
00:20:02 Filter out what is easy to learn now and what can be revisited later for better efficiency.
00:20:07 Take notes or use reminders for skipped topics to revisit them later.
00:20:20 Don't try to learn everything in detail at once; revisit complex details when your foundation is stronger.
00:20:31 Prime yourself before lectures to grasp the appropriate level of detail.
00:20:54 During lectures, focus on understanding content at the right level for you, skipping overly detailed parts for later review.
00:21:19 Record lecture timings when you find content too detailed to revisit them later effectively.
00:21:41 Watching lectures at a faster speed doesn't necessarily equate to faster learning; focus on comprehension over speed.

[Mariaetrs....]

I don't know if you will ever read this Dr. Sung, But I have been following you for a while now. I started back in grade 11 am now a 3rd year medical technologist student (from the Philippines by the way). I was able to pass a difficult scholarship exam due to your techniques(which had monetary benefits) And I am still using them to this day, I struggle still but if there's anything I learned from you is that you can always choose to act and improve your methods because that is how you get better. Currently, in midterms and not doing so well. But overall, thanks for the lessons and tips they are truly helpful for students like myself.

[MissEugeniaS]

Out of all Justin's videos this one is a pure gem. It's a roadmap and summary of the basics.

[CheshtaBeniwal]

For the very first time, these 20 minutes just flew by and felt like 7 minutes.. Thanks Justin! You rock

[siggy]

Finally Justin's giving more example now

[kmaizena]

It is a posibility that people that uses techniques for studying get better results not for the technique itself but because it's people that are actively willing to learn and improve.

[artificialneuron]

The use of examples was beneficial to understanding concpets in a wat allowing to apply. It seemed to me that it was missing before, it is much clearer now! Nice!

[AJIBOYEMOHAMMED]

love ya Justin
Been seeing improvement in my learning so far

[bearyblue]

Basically, do your required readings before a lecture, ask yourself “non-obvious” questions by trying to relate two seemingly unrelated topics together, and filter information critically—if you can’t simplify it now, go back to it later once you’ve mastered the fundamentals.

[retishe]

Pls can u make a video on math based and procedural learning like coding etc .

[maryj]

Your content is great. The fact that your thinking is clear and organised shows in the way you explain, in fact I can follow you all the time, even if the video is dense of info and as you say, the topic is complicated.
When I started looking for studying techniques I was afraid I would drown in tons of unproved hacks and feel like an idiot watching geniuses speak of what works for them. This is my second day watching and I've already learned that some of my strategies are great, some I thought I had to learn are useless, that it's possible for me to improve in a mindful way, because I understand what you explained about how leaning works. I never thought it could be possible. Mostly I understood why I had issues in learning, I feel smarter already, because I thought I was dumb and doomed.
I'm super grateful ❤

[DanielKamau-kucs]

This is the most comprehensive of all your videos i hv watched

[BrianDarrisaw-dd]

This ai perplexity thing is excellent. Decreases cognitive load. Can easily remember facts. Can download lectures and slides. Can generate flashcards. Can generate terms with definitions. I am a senior doctor. Not much ai hallucinations as data bases are from legitimate sources such as pub med. this ai puts me into hyperfocus. No more brute force learning. I have used this ai application for the Harvard course for review for internal medicine board review. Simply in love with this app

[MasterBrain]

Astonishing content Justin 💯💯 Thanks to share your knowledge with us.

[zharriott]

The way you share knowledge on this subject is very inspiring and I appreciate it. I'm working on an app that incorporates some of the things that I've learned from your content. Thanks Justin 👊🏽

[mayankparnami]

Thank you sir from the bottom of my heart for giving such value content on yt consistently.
❤ from india 🇮🇳

[chuotlyn]

Could you design a social experiment where you showcase two distinct groups? One group implements your strategies, potentially excelling at a given task, while the other group neglects these strategies, resulting in more average outcomes. I believe it's vital for your channel to stimulate greater demand for the skills you impart. Justin, I've been an avid fan of your videos since you had 19, 000 followers, and while I deeply admire your content, I sense a repetitive pattern emerging. Perhaps incorporating more creative methods to generate demand by demonstrating highly desired results could be beneficial. It's not always about achieving the highest grades; sometimes, it's about presenting intellectual challenges that captivate viewers. Take, for instance, Korean TV series like "The Devil's Plan" and "University War, " reality shows that piqued my interest and motivated me to learn more. Maybe integrating a similar approach could be advantageous for your content.

[esther_lolll]

Notes from this video

### self discipline

self discipline has more influence than IQ

self discipline also refers to consistency in improving your study techniques and skills!!

: u need to be disciplined in working on a new study method to replace one that does not work well for you

### skills to use in lectures: ultimate goal is managing cognitive load

: don’t just copy what others do

you need to be aware of

- what is your level?
- what are your weaknesses?
- what are your strengths?

: don’t be overloaded, also don’t make it too low (passive learning etc)

### Strategies to make your brain not overloaded during lecture

: 1. priming 2. ask non-obvious questions 3. filter & screen info much more critically

1. priming
- : can be: write down a list of question u want to prompt urself during lecture
- : e.g. question - how are [keyword A] and [keyword B] **related** to each other, and you represent the relations in some non-linear notes
- : e.g. question - what is the **def** of [keyword C] (that comes w a long complicated def) - and you write down the def in **simplest** words
- then in lectures, use the questions as milestones
- elaborating on a concept
- : to figure out **how the concept is shaped**, **what are the edges**. **where does it apply**, **where does it not apply**, **what are the relationships that are less obvious**

→ it is like precisely positioning it in a bigger picture, finding connections and conditions

1. ask non-obvious questions
- **obvious questions** - factual and discrete, answers rel. simple → so you **will learn it even if you do not ask** those questions
- **non-obv questions** - like interleaving - try to relate things that do not seem to related to each other at first glance. force yourself to **ask how a concept is related to *any* other concept**
- that is forcing yourself to make hypotheses and determine which path works; you can hit that topic from multiple different angles
- there is no obv answers to those questions, **it is your trying to answer those questions that is valuable**
- e.g. PPT talks about *authentication header* in network security,
- obvious questions e.g. What is an authentication header? / what is the signif of an authentication header? / what is the advantage of an authentification header?
- non-obv questions e.g. how is it related to [concept that is tens of slides away]?
1. filter and screen information more critically

be **highly selective** about **what** to learn and **when** to learn it

don’t study everything at full depth at the beginning

criteria: ask yourself at a concept / slide “**do i know enough about this to make it simpler while staying accurate**”

if the answer is no, maybe even you consolidate it it will still fade away

→ u better start with a building block or something that underpins that concept / slide instead

result / goal of the filtering process:

: determine which of them i shall learn now, which of them i shall skip for now and come back later

: keep a list of what you skipped

: it is acknowledging there are things you cannot comprehend at the first go, and you can learn those much more efficient coming back later when your foundation is stronger

→ if you have primed yourself before the lec, you already have a mid-level foundation, and lecturer likely provide an extra layer of detail - you want yourself to be able to filter (whether that detail i shall grasp it now or come back to it later)

***tip***: record the lecture yourself, take down the timestamp when there is one thing you want to revisit later with a stronger foundation

that is better than going to the for-all-students recording

[rachit]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:16 *🧠 Importance of natural intelligence and self-discipline in learning*
- Natural intelligence and IQ have an association with academic performance, but self-discipline can be a stronger influencer.
- Lack of self-discipline can hinder reaching one's intellectual potential, while consistent effort can lead to significant academic improvement.
- Students can improve significantly compared to their baseline by adopting effective learning methods and consistent discipline.
03:29 *🔍 Effective techniques for learning in lectures*
- Effective learning techniques focus on managing cognitive load to optimize mental effort.
- Techniques such as priming, asking non-obvious questions, and filtering information help in cognitive load management.
- Understanding the principles of learning and evaluating personal strengths and weaknesses are crucial for optimizing learning methods.
16:12 *📚 Strategies for reducing cognitive load and enhancing learning efficiency*
- Priming involves simplifying complex information before learning to reduce cognitive load during lectures.
- Asking non-obvious questions encourages deeper thinking and enhances memory consolidation.
- Filtering information allows learners to focus on digestible chunks of knowledge, building a strong foundation for deeper understanding.

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