Talking Learning Science with best-selling author Scott H. Young

Discussing learning science beliefs with Scott H. Young.

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 ===

0:00 Prequel
04:15 Our journey with learning
07:18 The science of learning
33:19 What we do not agree on.
40:05 Deep processing for PhD students.
43:54 Importance of goal-oriented learning
54:23 Culture, learning, and mindset
01:04:53 Creating prior knowledge

=== 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.

[monsieurene]

Dude. This is like the best combination EVER! Two of the persons I looked up to, watched video for years do a video together?
Scott can I just say that the whole reason I'm studying neurosciences right now is because of your blog?
Guys keep going! You're the best!

[tear]

Scott is the OG. His MIT series inspired me ten years ago when I started teaching myself software engineering.

[jamesstramer]

Really liked watching it. Scott, Justin and Benjamin Keep are the best metalearning experts on YouTube.

[nunyabidness]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:44 📚 *Scott H. Young critiques Justin Su's learning research in an email exchange, leading to this debate video.*
02:20 📖 *Justin Su praises Scott H Young's book "Ultralearning, " acknowledging its depth and quality in the learning space.*
06:31 🌐 *Justin Su emphasizes the importance of reading widely and gaining diverse perspectives for a comprehensive understanding of learning.*
09:43 🧠 *Scott H. Young discusses the challenges in educational psychology, highlighting the need to identify what specific knowledge and skills should be taught.*
13:24 🎓 *Justin Su and Scott H. Young discuss the shift from traditional knowledge acquisition to the value of knowing what to learn and self-directed learning in the modern world.*
16:13 🛠️ *Scott H. Young delves into the limitations of direct instructional resources, prompting the importance of constructivist approaches for learners designing their own projects.*
17:34 🤔 *Justin Su critiques cognitivist research for its instructional focus, advocating for a balance between instructionalism and constructivism, especially in cognitive theories of learning.*
19:26 🔄 *Scott H. Young mentions Manu Kapur's "productive failure" concept, highlighting the ongoing debate about the balance between constructivist exploration and explicit instruction for effective learning.*
19:55 🎓 *Scott Young emphasizes the importance of both understanding learning principles and exploring what works in various situations.*
20:21 🏫 *Young believes that while teaching quality in schools can improve, the main bottleneck might not be the teaching methods but rather how students can effectively work with the information provided.*
21:14 🤔 *Young delves into the mindset of efficient learners, exploring how they manipulate and process information to achieve deep expertise and efficient learning.*
21:56 📚 *Inquiry-based learning has theoretical merit, but its execution often falls short due to instructional variation, dependency on facilitators, and intrinsic motivation issues.*
23:06 🧠 *Young discusses the nuanced effectiveness of flashcards, highlighting that their utility depends on factors like the subject matter, context, and the learner's level.*
26:35 🤯 *Some top students may succeed with any technique, but many learners struggle due to a lack of understanding nuances, leading to feelings of inadequacy.*
27:56 🎥 *Young critiques the limitations of social media platforms, where users often seek quick tips but may not appreciate the depth of expertise, making it challenging to deliver nuanced advice.*
30:44 🧠 *Young discusses the role of cognitive load theory, chunking, and prior experience in learning, highlighting the importance of adapting learning approaches based on the subject and individual needs.*
34:00 🤝 *Young finds common ground with the principles of inquiry-based learning when it comes to fostering curiosity, exploration, and self-regulated learning, while emphasizing the need for practical implementation.*
38:50 📚 *Understanding, according to Young, involves constructing a situation model by combining information from the text with prior knowledge, emphasizing the importance of a broad knowledge base for fluent understanding.*
39:32 🧠 *Background knowledge enhances understanding; comprehensibility relies on prior knowledge.*
40:12 📚 *Expertise involves not only extensive reading but also deep, comparative thinking.*
41:36 📖 *Apply Bloom's Revised Taxonomy for higher-order thinking; challenge the hierarchical approach.*
42:59 🧩 *Memory and understanding are residues of thought; encourage higher-order processing for effective learning.*
46:27 🎯 *Clear goals guide processing; purposeful learning enhances understanding and retention.*
50:13 📝 *Reading with the intention to teach enhances comprehension and retention.*
53:16 🧭 *Orienting activities and goal-directed reading help build a mental model for effective learning.*
54:56 🔄 *Prior habits of learning impact the experience of acquiring new information; adapting habits is a gradual process.*
57:42 🌍 *Cultural variations significantly influence learning approaches; education systems and practices are culturally specific.*
58:50 🌍 *Cultural differences influence learning methods; Eastern cultures emphasize memorization, while Western cultures focus on explicit instruction.*
59:18 🧠 *Cultural background shapes intellectual traditions; e.g., Indian culture valued memorizing The Vedas, impacting learning approaches.*
01:00:13 🤔 *Cultural attitudes towards memorization vary; Indian students may face exam expectations for verbatim recall, contrasting with US spelling bee successes.*
01:01:24 🌐 *Cultural impact on learning includes background assumptions; Western culture may romanticize learning methods, influencing educational perspectives.*
01:02:34 📚 *Consider cultural influences in discussions about learning theories, e.g., Sweller's cognitive load theory or distinctions between primary and secondary learning.*
01:03:56 🔍 *Adapting to new intellectual cultures requires understanding contextual expectations, norms, and background knowledge.*
01:06:26 🔄 *Belief in the transformative process of learning is crucial; accumulating background knowledge and experience decreases task difficulty over time.*
01:09:35 🚀 *Learning is a transformative process; individual growth occurs through accumulating knowledge and experiences in a particular domain.*

[Shivoham]

the last message of not going line by line... and doing what's relevant for *your brain* is singlehandedly one of the best ways to waste less time and understand concepts more deeply.

Loved this Dr. justin ❤️‍🔥❤️

Thanks to you I have become quite a better learner... I thought I was at the peak of a sigmoid curve and I it was my limit...

but after discovering you I have seen an exponential growth in my learning skill.

Love from India❤️ you are very right about the rote memorisation aspect here

[wooldoughnut]

"Memory is a residue of thought" ❤❤❤

[claudettebentley]

WOW! at 58:31 where you mention the finding of how people learn in Mexico blew my mind. My mom is from Mexico and I myself have the habit of learned from observation. I don't remember my mom ever giving me lessons on how to do something. I just "watched and learned". The more I thought about it, I don't remember my mom being a patient teacher so I didn't ask many questions b/c I didn't want her to get upset with me.... >_> ... This habit has helped me in life but also caused me stress b/c I am not used to asking for help. I beat my head trying to figure things out on my own b/c asking questions has always brought me negative experiences.

[birthingblokes]

This is great, thank you. I am reading his book now, and it is great for sure. I am working on an evidence-gathering learning journal which will lead to accreditation of the students. The training is skill-based, with a lot of philosophical underpinning. The practical considerations of things like layout of templates etc is causing my head to explode. I enjoyed the conversation a lot.

[ArunAbrahamKY]

This is amazing. Two of my favorite people talking to each other. I'd pay to just listen to a series of these two talking.

[periteu]

Scott H. Young
09:22. Hay poco énfasis en psicología educacional sobre qué es lo que se debe enseñar.
10:00 51:48. "Cognitive task analysis" es el análisis con el cual se averígua que conocimientos realmente aplica un experto.
11:00. "What Every American Should Know", E.D. Hirsch
11:19. El mayor interés de Scott es sobre qué es aquello que deberías aprender.
15:47. La teoría psicológica de mayor inclinación de Scott es el constructivismo.
16:35. Una buena técnica de estudio es la autoexplicación.
36:34. Hay una interrelación entre el conocimiento y la memorización en lugar de dos cosas completamente diferentes.
37:06. Un buen modelo sobre la comprensión es el construction-integration de Walter Kintsch
44:27. Una práctica de Young para la lectura es la presencia de una meta activa o la lectura con una razón en lugar de simplemente estar siguiendo la lista de lecturas.
45:30. Hay quien juzga la lectura o no de un libro si merece serle escrito una reseña. Esto es un buen ejemplo de lectura con alguna meta.
45:50 46:16 50:16 Ejemplos de metas en mente para las lecturas.
53:05. Hay una gran dificultad para que las personas tengan una meta en mente para la lectura.

[jackconnors]

Thank you for cultivating and disseminating these awesome conversations! I sincerely hope to listen to you talk to more individuals in the learning space. As a clinical psychologist, it's really fun to hear about a tangential field from people who are incredibly passionate about it. Start a podcast!

[thaboshikwambane]

Had a feeling that this would be an elite-level conversation with tonnes of depth and substance and I was not wrong. Wow. Oftentimes it’s the level of the interviewer that determines how deep the guest can go and Justin’s unearthing diamonds because of his depth and competence

[erinc]

i'm interview prepping for education right now, so this gave me so much food for thought!! i'd love more content like this, or a video where you rant about (gaps in) educational research. thank you so much for the lovely discussion!

[saadchaudhary]

00:01 Scott H. Young is an international best-selling author.
02:07 Scott H. Young's book 'Ultra learning' stands out among other books on learning.
05:53 Understanding and integrating constructivist and cognitivist perspectives in learning
07:52 The interplay between cognitive processes and psychological theories in learning.
11:44 The value of knowing what to learn and how to learn is more important than just accumulating knowledge.
13:37 Scott H. Young is an interesting thinker who bet on an unpopular idea that has become popular.
17:09 Criticism of cognitivism in education research
18:59 Instructional support and effective learning methods are open questions in research.
22:35 Specifics of using flashcards for effective learning
24:14 Using flash cards to learn synonyms can create negative transfer and interference.
27:20 Social media's quick tip culture makes it difficult to deliver detailed learning content.
28:54 Learning is not scientific like physics, but there are ideas and strategies that can be effective in different situations.
32:07 Principled approach is necessary for questions that are not well studied.
33:39 Inquiry-based learning is a starting framework to think about the learner's role in the learning process.
37:07 To understand something deeply, you need to combine knowledge gained from the text with existing knowledge.
38:41 Struggling to understand and memorize due to lack of background knowledge.
41:52 The limitations of Bloom's revised taxonomy and the importance of authentic learning.
43:32 Having a clear purpose and goal while reading helps in better understanding and processing the information.
46:46 Knowing what will be asked on exams is crucial for effective studying.
48:22 Creating personal relevance in learning even when the information is not objectively relevant
51:42 Different goals in reading academic literature
53:25 Orientation and goal-setting activities are important for effective learning.
56:42 Anthropology reveals the vast cultural variations among people.
58:27 Culture has a significant influence on learning and cognitive abilities.
1:01:55 Understanding research papers requires a critical mindset.
1:03:34 Adapting to a new intellectual culture requires explicit norms and rules.
1:07:03 Building a strong foundation in a topic takes time and effort, but it leads to expertise.
1:08:32 Learning can be easier if you start from a point that is personally relevant and easier for you to understand.

[chanelmousier]

This was an awesome interview. Thanks for introducing Scott into this community. He is the OG of how to learn stuff 👌

[Emil-Eddy]

The message that every bit of learning you do matters is such a positive one! Loved this video!

[angelicabendo]

Im still waiting for the book Dr. Justin promised us 😂❤

[claudettebentley]

OMGosh!!! I am so excited for this interview. I have been following Scott for a while and also bought his book.

[SuperSwaggaboiz]

This conversation is so insightful. Please bring more of this high-level interaction.

[minecraft]

The Video ive never thought to be seeing. But i knew right away i needed to get to it as soon as i saw it