Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Rapid learners learn differently

I found this article on rapid learning interesting, so I'm sharing it with you.

In short, it pointed out that the best way to understand the strategy of rapid learners is to look at its opposite, the approach most people take: rote memorization. Instead of memorizing by rote, rapid learners store information by linking ideas together. Instead of repetition, they find connections.

Some Techniques for Learning by Connections
1. Metaphors and Analogy
2. Visceralization
3. The 5-Year Old Method
4. Diagramming
5. Storytelling to Remember Numbers and Facts


I'm embarassed to admit that I have forgotten most of the things I've studied in my school and even uni years. When my brother who sat for his SPM last year asked me Physics and Add Maths questions (with Chemistry, I could use the excuse 'I didn't like Chemistry anyway', but I am supposed to love these two subjects! What has happened to me?), it's very humbling and embarassing not to be able to answer. Does this mean I had been a rote learner before? That I 'copy and purged'?

7 comments:

UmmuAhmads

Mynie, knowing how smart you are... bukan hafal je kot... :) Cuma, cara belajar utk spm, memang secara 'hafal' atau latih tubi. Tapi kat uni, it won't work anymore (kalau nak excellent lah, bukan takat survive). Saya pun selalu remind students (esp first year) that they have to really understand, bukan buat latih tubi...even maths kat uni, latih tubi will not help u...if u don't really understand the concept, or able to connect the ideas. In fact, u don't need latih tubi kat uni, at least from my point of view..;)
So mynie, kalau tak ingat add maths & physics zaman sekolah tu, I think kalau awak flip through buku tu sikit2 then awak akan ingat punya.... u just need to recall, then semua akan dtg balik. I don't think u're jenis rote learner... not u! Otherwise you would not be going to that uni and passed excellently....
Anyway, that is an interesting article by zen habits!

SMM

ummuahmads,
yay terima kasih cikgu engineering kerana mengembalikan keyakinan saya :)
i guess kalau dah 6 tahun (sejak grad) tak sentuh those subjects 'tenggelam'lah dia kot. hope they're still there (in my brain) dan akan timbul balik jika revise balik :)

Zidni

You actually do... and then you really learn.

Kalau setakat membaca menulis dan mengingat... tapi tak beramal, memang terus lupa

bas

ye aku rasa tak ingat sebab tak pakai

my maths capability now is reduced to basic sums and statistics- not that i regret it kuang3x (menangis cikgu maths/addmaths aku)

bas

oops lupa nak komen article

connect numbers to colors and textures? 'feel' calculations? myy..aku takleh imagine la

how to teach this to kids? or in the author's words how to retain this ability in them?

UmmuAhmads

mynie, saya dah lebih 10 tahun tinggalkan a-level& uni punya engineering maths... (punyalah tua!). Memang banyak dah lupa, tapi bila kena ajar/ ingatkan students, saya flip through sikit2 or cari kat google, then saya dpt refresh balik everything dlm masa yg singkat, sebab dulu dah pernah belajar/faham/apply...cuma lupa. So, I'm sure you pun sama...:)

bas aka dr. wati,
saya pun rasa memang tak terbayang macam mana nak kaitkan numbers dgn colours & tekstur, etc. Maybe sebab kita dah berbelas or berpuluh tahun belajar maths secara 'komputer'... kihkihkih... Tapi, budak kecik, masih ada nature dia... iaitu imagination, yg kita dah hilang...so, mungkin diorang boleh buat kalau kita biar dia imagine sendiri drp kecik. Kadang-kadang my 1st son ahmad, selalu relatekan numbers or letters dgn sesuatu objek, sampai kadang nak tergelak pun ada jugak. Sebab dia duk gelak2 tengok numbers & letters yg dia imagine macam bentuk itu dan ini. Now, reading this article, baru saya faham kenapa....hehehe.... so, maybe sebenarnya memang asalnya kita ada nature utk imagine itu dan ini, tapi sebab dah bertahun belajar dlm science stream ni, agak susah sikit nak imagine...hehehe...
Genetic memanglah sgt ada kaitannya.... my son masa kat UK dulu, cikgu2 sana cakap apasal dia ni sgt mathematical? Oh... saya cakap, entah.. genetic kot! Of course masa tu dia takde pun buat soalan maths, tapi Sebab cikgu dia tengok cara dia drawing, shapes yg dia selalu draw, cara susun blocks & colours in patern, etc. Bestkan cikgu kat sana, diorang analyse kecenderungan budak drp cara main, lukis, etc, then deal/ajar dia mengikut kecenderungan/cara budak tu fikir. Oh...saya sgt miss sekolah dia itu...hehe...

SMM

zidni,
mcm mana nak beramal ni..

bas,
that's a good point. perlu regret ke?

saya pun takleh imagine how to feel numbers/calculation in colours/textures.. tp interesting to explore :)

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