7 ms·

Things Every Learner Needs to Know About Effective Learning

29 points by patelmiteshb 8y ago

keiferski 8y ago
Impossible to read on mobile. Try this link instead: https://thestempedia.com/blog/things-every-learner-needs-to-know-about-effective-learning/amp/ https://thestempedia.com/blog/things-every-learner-needs-to-...
- saagarjha 8y ago
  Safari’s reading mode does a pretty good job as well, if you don’t want to use AMP.
- patelmiteshb 8y ago
  Hello Keiferski, Please use updated link for AMP https://thestempedia.com/blog/things-every-learner-needs-to-know-about-effective-learning/amp/ https://thestempedia.com/blog/things-every-learner-needs-to-...
  - keiferski 8y ago
    Fixed.
thatoldfool 8y ago
This doesn't really say anything about effective learning, it kind of just talks around it. As an elementary school teacher and a MSc Psych student, I can tell you that spaced repetition is the best way for learning facts. And it's not just my fancy - here's one of the many studies that prove it: "Practice tests, spaced practice, and successive relearning: Tips for classroom use and for guiding students’ learning." http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-13426-004 http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-13426-004 You can google the paper and get it free online. While we're at it, learning styles are not a real thing: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/04/03/another-nail-in-the-coffin-for-learning-styles-students-did-not-benefit-from-studying-according-to-their-supposed-learning-style/ https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/04/03/another-nail-in-the-cof... If you need more proof, just read the papers in the references. If someone asked me what the two most important things for an average person to know about learning, it would be that 1. Ebbinghaus's "Forgetting Curve" is real, and you will forget most things that you learn within 30 days if you don't review them properly and 2. Spaced repetition, especially aided by software such as Anki, is the best way for the average person to learn and retain large amounts of information. https://apps.ankiweb.net/ https://apps.ankiweb.net/ Now, if one is keen, you can upgrade you learning with the use of mnemonics, both mental and visual, and drawing things helps immensely: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/11/22/the-act-of-drawing-something-has-a-massive-benefit-for-memory-compared-with-writing-it-down/ https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/11/22/the-act-of-drawing-some... But for the average person that won't put in the extra effort, 1. Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve and 2. Spaced Repetition are probably the most important things to know about.
- DanBC 8y ago
  > While we're at it, learning styles are not a real thing: https://digest.bps https://digest.bps I agree with you. Learning styles are bogus. You should however avoid BPS as a source because they push a surprising amount of nonsense.
  - thatoldfool 8y ago
    Well, the journal article itself is legit, and there is a plethora of other journal articles on the topic, I just picked BPS since they have the latest live links that aren't behind a journal paywall. But yes, BPS hosted stuff per-se, without digging, isn't always what it seems.
    - thefuzz 8y ago
      Here's a related Twitter thread/post: https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/957763229454774272?lang=en https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/95776322945477427...
- LaundroMat 8y ago
  See also https://ncase.me/remember/ https://ncase.me/remember/ for a verily accessible read on 1 and 2
  - thatoldfool 8y ago
    This is by far the best and most accessible way to teach people about Spaced Repetition. Thank you! I'm going to show this to my principal on Monday, and try to have it sent out in the weekly letter to parents.
- yesenadam 8y ago
  Sorry, guess I'm kind of contrarian - reading a claim like "spaced repetition is the best way for learning facts. And it's not just my fancy - here's one of the many studies that prove it" just makes me think "Uh, that sounds highly unlikely" and download the paper and read it. (I mostly studied philosophy, so probably that's more pedantic about accurate language than most humanities areas, or should be.) Anyway.. So, unsurprisingly, it doesn't prove spaced repetition is the best way. It talks about another paper that looked at 10 methods, and found only 2 were 'highly effective'[0], spaced repetition and practice tests. Even if spaced repetition had been the single best way, and they had tried every possible learning method, not just 10 methods, that would be nowhere near proving it. (The next study might find something entirely different, as continually happens in science.) So, sorry if that seemed uselessly pedantic. p.s. I do use Anki though. Or I did. Not sure how useful it is, although better than no study, if that's the alternative. I used an ancient Windows program years ago for learning Spanish, which was similar, but also had audio of a Spanish woman saying the words to go with the written word; I seemed to learn more from that. [0] The 'utility' scale in the other paper seemed to have only 3 degrees - low, moderate, high.
phyrex 8y ago
I just sent a screenshot of this page to my friends as an example on how awful modern websites are. There is one gigantic banner about their black friday sale that covers the top, a cookie notice that covers the lower left, a floating "can I help you?" window that covers the a third of the screen on the right on my 12" screen, and a blocking "Black Friday Deal is ON" banner that blocks all of the middle. I don't see a single character of content.
- logotype 8y ago
  Agreed. Checked the site, closed some stupid dialogue, scrolling a bit and then a full page ad, then the chat dialogue opened. It’s crazy how many sites like this there are. Total crap. I didn’t bother to read the content.
- michaelgrafl 8y ago
  I had to close at least three pop-ups before I could actually start reading the content of the site.
carlospwk 8y ago
Impossible to read on an iPad.
- jonsen 8y ago
  Safari reader is there to help you.

29 points by patelmiteshb 8y ago

Impossible to read on mobile. Try this link instead: https://thestempedia.com/blog/things-every-learner-needs-to-know-about-effective-learning/amp/ https://thestempedia.com/blog/things-every-learner-needs-to-...

saagarjha 8y ago
Safari’s reading mode does a pretty good job as well, if you don’t want to use AMP.
patelmiteshb 8y ago
Hello Keiferski, Please use updated link for AMP https://thestempedia.com/blog/things-every-learner-needs-to-know-about-effective-learning/amp/ https://thestempedia.com/blog/things-every-learner-needs-to-...
- keiferski 8y ago
  Fixed.

thatoldfool 8y ago

This doesn't really say anything about effective learning, it kind of just talks around it. As an elementary school teacher and a MSc Psych student, I can tell you that spaced repetition is the best way for learning facts. And it's not just my fancy - here's one of the many studies that prove it: "Practice tests, spaced practice, and successive relearning: Tips for classroom use and for guiding students’ learning." http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-13426-004 http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-13426-004 You can google the paper and get it free online. While we're at it, learning styles are not a real thing: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/04/03/another-nail-in-the-coffin-for-learning-styles-students-did-not-benefit-from-studying-according-to-their-supposed-learning-style/ https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/04/03/another-nail-in-the-cof... If you need more proof, just read the papers in the references. If someone asked me what the two most important things for an average person to know about learning, it would be that 1. Ebbinghaus's "Forgetting Curve" is real, and you will forget most things that you learn within 30 days if you don't review them properly and 2. Spaced repetition, especially aided by software such as Anki, is the best way for the average person to learn and retain large amounts of information. https://apps.ankiweb.net/ https://apps.ankiweb.net/ Now, if one is keen, you can upgrade you learning with the use of mnemonics, both mental and visual, and drawing things helps immensely: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/11/22/the-act-of-drawing-something-has-a-massive-benefit-for-memory-compared-with-writing-it-down/ https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/11/22/the-act-of-drawing-some... But for the average person that won't put in the extra effort, 1. Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve and 2. Spaced Repetition are probably the most important things to know about.

DanBC 8y ago
> While we're at it, learning styles are not a real thing: https://digest.bps https://digest.bps I agree with you. Learning styles are bogus. You should however avoid BPS as a source because they push a surprising amount of nonsense.
- thatoldfool 8y ago
  Well, the journal article itself is legit, and there is a plethora of other journal articles on the topic, I just picked BPS since they have the latest live links that aren't behind a journal paywall. But yes, BPS hosted stuff per-se, without digging, isn't always what it seems.
  - thefuzz 8y ago
    Here's a related Twitter thread/post: https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/957763229454774272?lang=en https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/95776322945477427...
LaundroMat 8y ago
See also https://ncase.me/remember/ https://ncase.me/remember/ for a verily accessible read on 1 and 2
- thatoldfool 8y ago
  This is by far the best and most accessible way to teach people about Spaced Repetition. Thank you! I'm going to show this to my principal on Monday, and try to have it sent out in the weekly letter to parents.
yesenadam 8y ago
Sorry, guess I'm kind of contrarian - reading a claim like "spaced repetition is the best way for learning facts. And it's not just my fancy - here's one of the many studies that prove it" just makes me think "Uh, that sounds highly unlikely" and download the paper and read it. (I mostly studied philosophy, so probably that's more pedantic about accurate language than most humanities areas, or should be.) Anyway.. So, unsurprisingly, it doesn't prove spaced repetition is the best way. It talks about another paper that looked at 10 methods, and found only 2 were 'highly effective'[0], spaced repetition and practice tests. Even if spaced repetition had been the single best way, and they had tried every possible learning method, not just 10 methods, that would be nowhere near proving it. (The next study might find something entirely different, as continually happens in science.) So, sorry if that seemed uselessly pedantic. p.s. I do use Anki though. Or I did. Not sure how useful it is, although better than no study, if that's the alternative. I used an ancient Windows program years ago for learning Spanish, which was similar, but also had audio of a Spanish woman saying the words to go with the written word; I seemed to learn more from that. [0] The 'utility' scale in the other paper seemed to have only 3 degrees - low, moderate, high.

phyrex 8y ago

I just sent a screenshot of this page to my friends as an example on how awful modern websites are. There is one gigantic banner about their black friday sale that covers the top, a cookie notice that covers the lower left, a floating "can I help you?" window that covers the a third of the screen on the right on my 12" screen, and a blocking "Black Friday Deal is ON" banner that blocks all of the middle. I don't see a single character of content.

logotype 8y ago
Agreed. Checked the site, closed some stupid dialogue, scrolling a bit and then a full page ad, then the chat dialogue opened. It’s crazy how many sites like this there are. Total crap. I didn’t bother to read the content.
michaelgrafl 8y ago
I had to close at least three pop-ups before I could actually start reading the content of the site.

carlospwk 8y ago

Impossible to read on an iPad.

jonsen 8y ago
Safari reader is there to help you.