Learning how to learn | Barbara Oakley | TEDxOaklandUniversity

She know firsthand how it feels to struggle with math. Dr. Oakley flunked her way through high school math and science courses, before enlisting in the U.S. Army immediately after graduation. When she saw how her lack of mathematical and technical savvy severely limited her options—both to rise in the military and to explore other careers—she returned to school with a new found determination to re-tool her brain to master the very subjects that had given her so much trouble throughout her entire life.

Barbara Oakley, PhD, PE is a professor of engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Her research focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior, and has been described as “revolutionary” by the Wall Street Journal. Oakley’s books have been praised by many leading researchers and writers, including Harvard’s Steven Pinker and E. O. Wilson, and National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Oates. Her book A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra), will be published by Tarcher-Penguin on July 31, 2014.

Prior to her academic career, Oakley rose from private to captain in the U.S. Army, during which time she was recognized as a Distinguished Military Scholar. She met her husband, Philip, when she was working at the South Pole Station in Antarctica. Her experiences with well-intentioned altruism were shaped by her work as a Russian translator on Soviet trawlers on the Bering Sea during the early 1980s. Oakley was designated as an NSF New Century Scholar—she is also a recipient of the Oakland University Teaching Excellence Award (2013) and the National Science Foundation’s Frontiers in Engineering New Faculty Fellow Award. Oakley is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

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[remusomega]

After getting B's/C's during college, I read her book. I then enrolled in a masters program, and got a 4.0 and then killed the MCAT (98th percentile) and now I'm one year away from being a medical doctor at one of the top 10 schools in the US. Crazy how this one little book changed so much for me.

[VivekKumar-jmxf]

Take away:
1. Two modes of thinking : Focused and Diffused
2. The Pomodoro Technique (Procrastination Solution)
3. Understanding with practice and repetition
4. Illusion of competence in learning and the power of recall

[evermore]

1. go to diffuse mode whenever you're stuck
2. do podomoro technic
3. do exercise
4. tests yourself
5. recall
6. practice
7. repetition

[sae]

I graduated top of my class and all of these techniques are the same techniques I used. I would redo homework until I could do them twice correctly then repeat with all homework. My tests would contain the same questions from the homework. Tests become easy this way. Having classmates ask you to explain concepts made me just recall and force me to practice more. I have never met a genius. The barrier to actually learning is entirely emotional (you don't think you can do it, you don't see the benefit now, other things are more important). Everyone can do this. The only things I don't learn are the ones I don't want to put the effort. The talk was very insightful. I'd like to see one for how to motivate yourself to want to learn something that you don't want to learn.

[AGL]

There's something about this woman as a teacher.  She seems to genuinely care.  I took her online course and it's changed my way of learning for the better.  Highly recommended for the geniuses and the averages.  

[oneiota]

"Don't just follow your passions,
BROADEN your passions,
and your life will be enriched beyond measure"
Her story is such an inspiration! I'm starting the MOOC this month : )

[mr.honoraryboomer]

Pomodoro technique has helped me deal with my ADHD. I started with 25 minutes at a time with work assignments and studying. Now I focus 1 hour at a time. My attention span grew within 2 weeks. I kept my self consistent every day and with dedication, I was able to improve my attention span. I did add 10 minutes every couple of days which is how I was able to keep focus for an hour. My advice is to keep persistence, discipline, and gradually add time to your task.

[wriozumi]

Summary:

If you find yourself, as you're focusing 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.

**Procrastination => Pomodoro method**
- 25min of work (with mindset *I'm going to work with focus attention for 25 minutes*) - 5min of some fun
- Relaxation is also an important part of the learning process
===
- Exercise within a matter of a few days can increase our ability to both learn and to remember.
- Test. Tests are the best. Test yourself all the time. Give yourself little mini-tests.
- Recall. 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. The understanding alone is enough to build mastery of the material.
- Practice and repetition in a variety of circumstances can you truly gain mastery over what you're learning.

[numericacid]

"understanding is truly important but only when combined with practice and repition"

[Seftehandle]

To sum up: focused learning (pomodoro technique), exeecise, tests, replace highlighting with read-look away- recall learning.
FOR ME MAYBE MOST IMPORTANT : RE-DO HOMEWORK OVER AND OVER UNTIL THE ANSWER COMES NATURALLY TO YOU.

[Dydreth]

I wish I could have seen this 20 years ago. She speaks to several issues I had with learning, retention, and confusing understanding with mastery.

[bydesign]

Ironically, I am avoiding work to watch YouTube to learn that avoiding work to watch YouTube is a bad idea...

[thetute]

Whats saddening me is that this should be a course in every schoolsystem... Learning how to learn effectivly, how to 'discover' what your type is, what your strengths are etc. is prolly one of the most powerful overall skills a human can learn.
Well, besides how to hang the toilet paper the correct way around, but you get the point.

[Alexandra-yrqr]

This is the first time during procrastination that I found such a useful video for my college life. I'm a med student in my second year and I'm trying not to procrastinate or let down what I have to do, since I can't seem to remember stuff so well. I feel so much better right now

[kwanpakshing]

whenever i re-watch this video, I re-focus on what is the key concepts in effective learning that I've forgot find some enlightenment. This advice from Barbara is timeless.

[magmagnusnus]

Watching this makes me feel awful. I view myself as a chronic quitter. I've quit 3 different schools (post high school). The reason for doing this in the end has always been emotional.

The act of studying and focusing my attention on exercises intently over time gives me extreme anxiety and also drains me so much. I've tried the pomodoro technique several times, even being able to have "good sessions" multiple days in a row but finally giving in to the deathly anxiety of feeling that what I'm doing isn't worth it and that I'm burning myself out.

I'm 24 and haven't ever found a way of learning anything by choice that didn't automatically stick in my brain. I just feel so worthless and handicapped when i think about it.

I truly am in awe of people who can learn by choice, and who don't get depressed by the process.

[johnmariano]

I always go back to her talks. These are just so helpful to be reminded and discover for oneself his or her personal roadblocks in learning and essentially in how to focus. I recommend a regular watch of her videos as we are inundated with information but not really taking anything. The slow learner strikes me as one who would dwell on the material and carefully see the subtle differences and is not worried about chasing new information. The recalling part is usually not even something we think is necessary as we have become new information-devouring machines. It seems to me that in real-life situations it is the "slow and recall method" that works hand in hand to get something to stick whether it is learning and mastery and expanding its application or even changing a habit. Thanks Mrs. Barbara!

[pula]

Thank You Professor! I can see that you absolutely LOVE what you do! That's the kind of teachers that should be teaching! Much respect!

[TusharPatel-kekb]

Outstanding! Read her book ' A Mind For Numbers'. Don't let the title fool you as it is not just about learning Maths. It is about learning period and it is an absolute gem. Thank you Barbara Oakley for inspiring me to learn and be more.

[jexwtxk]

You know what? You are my hero, because you flunked all your math and science subjects since 3rd garde but you turned out to be an engineering professor! No one is more encouraging than your story! I am definitely a slow learner, i got frustrated all the time, spinning my wheels, but i have a dream to learn the most profound laws of the universe - string theory, that’s my dream, although i got bad grades from almost all of the courses, some even failed but i still working on it. Yes you are right, i should regard myself as a hiker, and i should believe on myself that one day i could success. On the other hand, yes you are right, i should broaden my passions too, my life could be enriched beyond measure, i take that idea and i will change my life.