Learning to learn overview Action 3. DEEP PROCESSING

Learning to Learn 
     Athletes train.
     Students train.
     Learners train and self-educate.

The 3 Barriers to Learning.
    
      3. Shallow processing.
      2. Forgetting.
      1. Slow brain bandwidth.

Action 3.  DEEP PROCESSING begins with well formed questions as one interrogates a subject.  Use the Cornell note taking system while actively listening or reading by jotting down questions in real time on the same page that notes are taken.  After reflecting and review of all the notes from lecture, text or article, write well formed Jeopardy questions on the opposite page as the essential tool for distributed practice.

Why.  Questions teach.  Teachers question.  Self learners question.  The best questions teach best.

How.  Write notes from lecture, articles and text on the right 2/3 of the page.  Jot questions on the left 1/3 of the page.  Questions are presuppositions or predictions about the material and the relationship between statements made and the proof, information and examples used.  The best questions arise after the lesson as material and relationships are fresh and familiar and are written on the opposite page in the notebook.  They are called Jeopardy questions because each question has a category or subject, relates to facts given on the opposite page and because answering with a question is fun.

What. Statements, proof, information and examples are boring without understanding.  Questions inform understanding.

Caveat:  Mathematics is the opposite of answers learned by questions; mathematics is questions learned by answers.  The process of answering the question or the proof becomes the question in the study of mathematics.

DEEP PROCESSING has been experimentally shown to increase the average word list retention compared to superficial learning strategies from 33% to 68% which is twice as much learning per unit time.  

If one performs DISTRIBUTED PRACTICE to retain the amount learned and learn the residual unlearned material, the efficiency of learning is greatly increased.

If one has INCREASED BANDWIDTH the average word list retention also increases above the average whether one processes superficially or deeply.

INCREASED BANDWIDTH, DEEP PROCESSING and DISTRIBUTED PRACTICE yield compounded growth in learning rate, retention, retrievability and use in other contexts.