Learn Like a Pro distills key learning insights and techniques into one quick read. It shows readers how to maximize their brain’s ability for learning, whether it seems naturally geared toward it or not.
Oakley (who teaches some of the world’s most popular online courses) and Schewe (founder of EdTech startup Educas) share strategies based on easy-to-understand neuroscientific research that can help students, educators, and lifelong learners alike.
How to Learn Anything Faster
Knowing how to learn anything faster can help you unlock new opportunities and achieve success in the world of business, personal development, and more. But learning anything fast takes more than just dedication – it requires the right study skills and habits. So, if you’re ready to take your studying up a notch, here are some tips to get you started:
Study Smarter, Not Harder
Don’t just read a textbook or watch an online video. Instead, actively seek out information from a wide variety of sources to enrich your learning experience. This can be done by watching TikToks on leadership, reading a Reddit thread about data science, or joining a Facebook group about carpentry. The more you expose yourself to the topic of your choice, the more familiar and confident you’ll become.
Observe the experts:
Mastering any skill isn’t easy, but learning from the best will give you an edge over the competition. Whether it’s a hobby or professional skill, spend time observing the professionals. Watch them perform their craft, listen to how they interact with each other, and see if you can pick up any tips or tricks. Remember, watching is an effective learning technique even if it doesn’t feel like you’re getting any work done!
Make your own notes:
Taking and making notes are two powerful strategies for learning. Jim explains that taking notes is simply capturing the facts of what you’re absorbing, while making notes involves writing down your thoughts and questions in an attempt to combine what you’ve learned with your preexisting knowledge. He also recommends using mnemonic devices to help you remember, and a strategy called spaced repetition that helps reinforce the memory of what you’ve just studied.
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are a variety of resources available to you that can teach you how to learn anything faster, from self-study books like Make It Stick to online courses and training tools, and even Josh Kaufman’s 20 Hour Rule. But above all, be persistent! As the saying goes, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” So, don’t be discouraged if you encounter obstacles along the way.
Study Skills
Whether you’re a high school student preparing for exams, a college student tackling challenging courses, or an adult learner seeking new skills to increase your proficiency, mastering study skills will help you improve your academic performance and reduce stress. Study skills encompass a wide range of methods and strategies that address learning, taking notes, remembering information, and even dealing with assessments.
Students at all levels benefit from a well-rounded approach to study techniques, which is why it’s important to understand how different strategies apply at each grade level. Elementary school students learn to rely more on structure and support from teachers, while high school students must learn how to manage their time and resources independently.
Building strong study skills in high school is crucial to reducing stress and ensuring long-term success, particularly as students transition from being dependent on their parents’ schedules and guidance to managing their own educational needs. In addition, students in college often find that the expectations for their coursework and exams are far more rigorous than what they experienced in high school, which requires a fresh approach to studying.
One of the most effective study techniques involves creating a plan for how you’ll study, with specific goals that outline when and where you will work on your assignments. Tools like calendars and planner apps can be useful in visualizing your commitments. Practicing the SMART framework for goal setting-specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based-can also help students stay focused and motivated throughout the study process.
When you sit down to study, eliminate distractions and set aside a dedicated space with limited access to technology. Studies show that using social media, browsing the web, playing games, or texting while studying can significantly lower the quality of your learning. Eliminating these distractions will help you focus, retain, and recall your information more effectively.
Active learning techniques include asking questions, creating charts and graphs, creating flashcards, and rewriting information in your own words. Another strategy is incorporating self-quizzing into your study routine, which helps to reinforce your knowledge and ensure you’re ready for tests by reviewing information in multiple formats.
Test Preparation
Standardized tests are a consistent part of life, from school assessments and the SAT to driver’s license testing and professional certifications. Unlike intelligence or aptitude tests, these exams measure acquired skills that can be improved through deliberate practice and effective test preparation. Students who engage in thorough test prep learn important strategies and build broader academic and life skills.
One of the most important lessons learned from effective test preparation is how to create a study plan. This is because studying systematically can increase your confidence and performance on any exam. For example, you will perform better on a final exam if you study one hour a day for 20 days than if you try to cram ten hours of studying into two days before the exam. Additionally, studying with a friend or group can be more fun and motivating.
Another important lesson is how to prioritize your study materials. To maximize your study time, you should start by organizing your notes and readings into categories based on the topics that are likely to be tested (e.g., vocabulary, synthesis, cause and effect). From here, you can create a timeline and schedule to ensure that all the necessary topics are covered before the exam. It is also helpful to use study aids such as a mind map, flow chart, or timeline to help you see the big picture and organize your thoughts.
Lastly, it is important to practice under similar conditions as the actual test. This will help you get a feel for what the exam will be like, and how long it may take to complete. Additionally, it is helpful to practice answering multiple choice, true/false and matching questions as well as essay and short answer questions. Moreover, it is a good idea to double check your answers, especially with math questions, as mistakes are easy to make and can significantly impact your score.
Finally, it is critical to remain positive and avoid anxious energy, particularly around other students. This will help you to stay focused and reduce your anxiety level, which will improve your performance. To do this, you can read calming books or articles, listen to music, or take deep breaths before taking the exam. You can even take a few minutes to yourself and close your eyes to clear your mind.
Memory
Whether you are a student, business professional, or just someone who wants to learn more, you have probably heard plenty of tips on how to memorize information and improve your recall. Using these techniques can help you get the most out of your brain’s impressive storage capabilities.
First, remember that the brain processes information more easily when it makes sense. Therefore, it’s a good idea to try and understand new information before you attempt to memorize it. Secondly, remember that information stored in short-term memory is limited by capacity and duration. So, it is important to use memorization techniques that leverage long-term memory, which is a more permanent space that can hold information for years.
To maximize your ability to retain information, consider using memory enhancing strategies such as mnemonics, chunking, and interleaving. Mnemonics are systems and tricks that make it easier to remember information, such as rearranging letters (‘bubbles’ is much easier to recall than’sbeblbu’) or creating rhymes (like the song-along method for learning lyrics). Chunking is another effective strategy to help you remember large amounts of information by grouping it into smaller categories, for example, ‘Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania’ for a country list. Another great technique to utilize is spaced repetition, which involves reviewing and rehearsing information less frequently over time so that it sticks.
Finally, it’s also helpful to test yourself as often as possible. You can do this by quizzing yourself or even using flashcards. One study found that testing yourself can double your recollection of material, so it’s a good idea to incorporate frequent self-testing into your memorization routine.
Some of these tips may seem strange or take some practice to develop, but they are well worth the effort for anyone who wants to master the art of memorization. For more information on these and other academic strategies, schedule an appointment with an academic coach to create a customized plan for you.
What are some of your favorite memory techniques? Share them with us in the comments below!
