Redundancy in Learning

Did you know that you can learn how to learn? Sounds redundant to me, too, but taking the time to understand the learning process can actually increase your ability to learn. That is the premise of a course on Coursera titled "Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects" taught by Barbara Oakley, Ph.D., and Terrence Sejnowski, Ph.D.. In this post, I will share a number of techniques that the course presents which have enhanced my learning aims. These techniques were either quite novel to me or reinforced habits I knew I needed to embrace but had never implemented.

First a quick note about Coursera

If you haven't utilized this free resource for learning then you're really missing out. Coursera is a MOOC, or Massively Open Online Course, site. That means you and hundreds, thousands, or more students simultaneously participate in the same set of online coursework. At Coursera, this coursework may be self-paced, with more of it becoming such all the time, giving you flexibility in when you participate. However, many of the courses are time-scoped. This comes with its own set of benefits, including that you know that your classmates are working on the same material at the same time as you. It also might be useful in preventing procrastination knowing that there is a deadline for the assignments.

Speaking of assignments, Coursera's coursework typically includes video lectures with interactive mini-quizzes embedded within to make sure you didn't doze off during the video. There are often weekly quizzes, which cover the lectures, along with assignments that help exercise what you've learned. Whether via book sites, references, or an actual textbook, there is often also weekly reading assignments to augment the lectures. This is a top-notch education Coursera offers so go avail yourself of their broad offerings.

Now, back to the course

In "Learning How to Learn," the running thread throughout the lectures was the topic of how our brain works and, understanding that, how to leverage what we know about that process. Sounds like it might be dry material but these Ph.D.s are no dummies; they used their techniques in the production of the material they covered. (I would love more instructors to do so.)

For example, did you know that you have an inner zombie? I had never thought about it that way but this was one clever bit of imagery which was used in the course to remind us that we have habits and it's up to you to corral your zombies for good or ill. One such zombie for me was the procrastination zombie. In approaching a new task, it is easier to feel overwhelmed by the task and find a more pleasant distraction. You might think that the answer is willpower but the instructors were clear that willpower is in short supply and best used sparingly. Rather, it's time to create better zombies. In the case of procrastination, understanding your cues and addressing them are the best approach. For me, that cue is feeling overwhelmed by a project. So, rather than focusing on the project, I now focus on the process. The project will resolve itself as long as I have good processes.

Another key learning from the course is the understanding of why you shouldn't cram for tests, whether they are academic or life tests. The imagery used was that of a wall of brick-and-mortar. You may lay a set of bricks with mortar only to a certain load. Beyond that, if you don't let the mortar set first, the bricks will collapse upon themselves. Similarly, it is important to let the new knowledge establish itself on your neural pathways as retrievable chunks before you build on top of that. In other words, study something, step away from it for a time to let it sink in, and then return to it to reinforce what you learned.

Speaking of neural pathways, I'm going to switch to a topic every developer has experienced. You've been pounding your head against a problem for an hour and can't seem to get that breakthrough moment culminating in a bug fix or elegant code. That's known as the Einstellung effect and very common in those of us who have to do a lot of structured thinking,  If you're experienced, you might know about Rubber Duck Debugging. If not, though, even the best of us have experienced a time when, frustrated with the problem at hand, you step away from your desk to share you misery with a peer and suddenly have that "Aha!" moment mid-explanation or, maybe, even before you got to their desk.

What's that have to do with neural pathways? Well, the metaphor the course used to explain these focused versus diffused thinking modes was that your brain is like a pinball machine and when you're focused it's as if there were so many bumpers active that the ball simply can't get to the bottom where the answer lies. Rather, it isn't until a number of those bumpers are dropped out of the field, the diffuse mode, that the ball can bounce around to light upon the bumper which has the right correlation to the solution. So, the next time you're stuck, back off the problem. Tell your rubber ducky what you're trying to do or, better yet, go for a walk. You know you could use the exercise and fresh air.

But back to the procrastination zombie once more before I wrap up because if there is one "killer app" I got out of this course, it's the easiest way to deal with him. As I mentioned, it had to do with focusing on process. As developers, I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of the Pomodoro Technique. However, I bet you either haven't tried it or, like me, gave it a half-hearted attempt and then decided it was ineffective. I'm here to tell you that you need to commit seriously to putting it to use. You don't need to buy the book or even the cute, tomato-shaped, kitchen timer. What you need to do is make a list of ToDo items then, focusing on the process rather than the product, start working on them in 25 minute sprints. Most importantly, make the blasted list!

Look, let's get this perfectly clear. If you aren't making a list right now then you might as well stop reading. Frankly, if you've read this far and aren't making a list then why did you read this far? We all have limited short-term memories. Some of you brilliant readers have far larger ones than I have but they're still limited. So, why are you wasting them on remembering the things you need to get done. Get those things on a list and then forget about them so you can use that space for actual thinking. Have you done that? Good. Go onto the next paragraph.

Get a timer. Use it. After each 25 minute sprint, and this is the hardest part, take a break. Believe it or not, you will be more productive if you do that one little trick. You're a creative person else you wouldn't be programming. Your mind likes to wander. So, let it! Just do so for short bursts. Oh, and if it should wander during the sprint, jot down that stray thought in the list to revisit so you can stay focused until the break.

Now, to wrap that up, let me give you a couple of tools I've found to be perfect for making this work. First, you need a list tool. There are many out there but, since you also need a timer, why not pick one tool that has both. While we're at it, let's pick one that works on any device you may carry with you. My solution is Trello with Trellodoro. You'll need an account with Trello but they're free. Then use that account in Trellodoro to be your timer. It will also let you add completed Pomodoro's (the cute name for a sprint) to your tasks. That part is really optional but if you do it then, after a while, you'll get the added benefit of being able to estimate how much effort a task requires.

You can see that what I learned most from this class was that learning takes time and is not something to do all in one sitting. I knew this. We all do. However, this course gave me an understanding of why this is true. These are just a sample of all "Learning How to Learn" teaches. You'll get test-preparation/taking tips, more detail on how memories are formed, interviews with prominent learners and instructors, and more. As with many classes I've taken, I'm sure I could gain something new from repeated sessions with this course. Besides, as they say in the course, spaced repetition is key to learning. Go check it out. Perhaps I'll see you there one day.