Attention is necessary for learning. You can only learn what you attend to. If you have ADHD, it is hard to keep your attention tuned to one channel. You keeping switching channels to see what else is on. It’s often easy to spot the hyperactive students (usually boys) but the inattentive students (usually girls) get under-diagnosed because they sit quietly, equally unable to pay attention. [Read more…] about What Is Attention?
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Smash It To Bits
STUDY TIP #1
Our brains are so smart. When we see a long number, we automatically divide it into smaller segments.
Switch Tasks
STUDY TIP #2
Let’s compare two of my students (whose names have obviously been falsified): Absorbed and Erratic. [Read more…] about Switch Tasks
Fitting New Information Into Your Head
STUDY TIP #2 (continued)
It should be clear that learning depends both on what we know and what we don’t know. [Read more…] about Fitting New Information Into Your Head
Restructure Your Notes
STUDY TIP #3
Note taking isn’t just in class. It should start before class and end after class. It is more than writing down what’s said. [Read more…] about Restructure Your Notes
When In Doubt, Overlearn
STUDY TIP #4
We owe much of our early understanding about learning and memory to Hermann Ebbinghaus. In the late 1800s, he memorized lists of words, sounds and non-words, while keeping meticulous notes. Ebbinghuas found (unsurprisingly) that the longer he studied something, the better he remembered it. [Read more…] about When In Doubt, Overlearn
Match Task And Goal
STUDY TIP #5
Humans are very context sensitive. Use a highly efficient system. We don’t try to remember everything everywhere. We don’t store complete scenes or detailed accounts. We store the recipe, not the meal. [Read more…] about Match Task And Goal