About this Video

• Video Title: How To Learn Anything So Fast It Feels Illegal (evidence based)
• Channel: Python Programmer
• Speakers: One unnamed speaker
• Duration: 00:09:55

Introduction

This video explores evidence-based learning techniques to accelerate the learning process. The speaker critiques traditional schooling methods and introduces scientifically-backed strategies for efficient and thorough learning, distinguishing between memorization and true understanding.

Key Takeaways

• Ineffective Learning Strategies: Rereading, passive highlighting, and rote note-taking are highlighted as ineffective due to their passive nature and lack of cognitive engagement.
• Effective Learning Strategies: Retrieval practice (actively recalling information), elaboration (explaining and questioning the material), interleaving (mixing up study topics), using concrete examples, and dual coding (combining words and visuals) are presented as highly effective techniques.
• Bloom's Taxonomy: The video uses Bloom's Taxonomy to illustrate the difference between low-level learning (remembering, understanding, applying) and high-level learning (analyzing, evaluating, creating), emphasizing the importance of striving for higher-level understanding for mastery.
• Cognitive Strain: The speaker emphasizes that effective learning requires effort and cognitive strain; if learning feels easy, it's likely not truly effective.
• Brilliant.org: The video sponsors Brilliant.org, an interactive learning platform that encourages active engagement and critical thinking.

Retrieval practice involves actively trying to recall information from memory. To implement it, you read the material you want to learn, then close the book and set a timer for five minutes. During those five minutes, you write down everything you can remember about the topic, connecting it to your existing knowledge and putting it into your own words. Even if you feel you've recalled everything, keep writing until the timer goes off. Afterward, review the text to identify areas needing further attention; rereading can be useful at this stage to address knowledge gaps. Creating flashcards, where you generate answers and explanations before checking, is another form of retrieval practice.

Interleaving, or mixing up your study topics, improves learning by forcing you to discriminate between different concepts and problem types. Instead of focusing on one topic at a time, you switch between related subjects. This makes learning more challenging initially, but it strengthens your ability to identify the nature of a problem and choose the appropriate solution strategy. The benefit is improved recognition of problem types and enhanced exam performance because exams typically present diverse question types, mirroring the interleaved study approach.

The video advocates using concrete examples to enhance understanding, particularly when dealing with abstract concepts. Instead of passively absorbing abstract information, actively relate the material to specific, tangible examples from your own experience or observations. This makes abstract ideas more relatable and easier to grasp, moving away from rote memorization towards intuitive understanding. The speaker uses Newton's First Law of Motion as an example: instead of just stating the law, he applies it to scenarios like an orange on a desk and an orange thrown at a window.

Interleaving, or mixing up your study topics, improves learning by forcing you to discriminate between different concepts and problem types. Instead of focusing on one topic at a time, you switch between related subjects. This makes learning more challenging initially, but it strengthens your ability to identify the nature of a problem and choose the appropriate solution strategy. The benefit is improved recognition of problem types and enhanced exam performance because exams typically present diverse question types, mirroring the interleaved study approach.