Sunday, October 23, 2022

How to remember things for ever?


How to learn, to apply forever?

‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’ – Benjamin Franklin

We all accept that learning is the no 1 #skill to grow - in #life, #career; everywhere. But have you thought about right model of learning? Learning that sticks with you, vs a hazy memory that I did read something about this but currently it’s failing me. Learning should result in a skill adoption that doesn’t require conscious thinking - like in case of riding a cycle. Once you learn it with deliberate practise, next time you just need a cycle and your brain takes over.

A model by trio authors (McDaniel, Roediger and Brown) of ‘Made to Stick’ suggest 3 steps to such learning -

1. ‘Encoding’ - is the first stage which is about conversion of perceptions into meaningful patterns in the brain. Like drawing rough sketches in the brain, giving you a hazy silhouette of what you are trying to learn.

2. ‘Consolidation’ - is like the process of tidying up the notes you scribbled during class—typing them up neatly in a document, adding examples and charts for clarity. With this stage, brain strengthens the hazy silhouette by rearranging the earlier patterns to make sense of them.

3. ‘Retrieval’ - is accessing the learnt information using cues that help us recall it. Methods such as quizzing on the material, teaching the concept to someone else or applying in a real-life situation help strengthen this stage. Every time we retrieve and apply what we have learnt, the skill and associated memory become stronger until it is almost effortless.

So, now you have a model to learn sth for permanency!

If you realise, my #linkedin posts are part of the stage 3 of this model. And that’s how small efforts like posts, add to my #learning!

Thanks for being my audience and helping me learn, everyday. 🙏

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