This is a summary of the Learning How To Learn course (on the Coursera website), the final assignment, thought worth sharing. It's a really fun FREE course to do in your own time online, great teachers, good combination of interesting interviews and visuals. Made me more aware of how to consume information so it sticks! Very important when you're trying to run a business and have to learn things fast. It took me about 20 hours to complete at my own time, I spent about 1 hour a day every morning for a month and enjoyed every minute. The benefits are clear: I can now read materials more effeciantly, remember what I've read and put it into practice. I understand how my brain works when it comes to learning and memory so I give myself what I need to maximise my learning. Apparently it's the most successful course ever on Coursera with a million participants! isn't it amazing? I'm not surprised...

1. How To Learn More Effectively
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

2. Contents
• Introduction
• The focused and diffused mind states
• Memory in learning
• Practical ideas for improving learning
• Integrating learning with daily life in business
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

3. Introduction
People learn throughout their lives.
In school, university, at the workplace, from books and from
reading or watching online content, from other people around
them – the world is full of knowledge that we can all tap into.
In order to master the knowledge we wish to remember and
use, it helps to understand how the human brain works when it
comes to learning and memory.
This slide-deck will attempt to give you a few tips on
How To Learn More Effectively
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

4. The focused and diffused states
Focused Mode
• Requires deliberate effort and
elimination of disturbances
• Can induce a ‘flow’ state
• Uses all 4-7 working memory slots
in the frontal lobe
• The brain follows consciously
recognized patterns of neural
connections Barbara Oakely, A Mind For Numbers
Elite Avner Marriott
• Coursera – Learning How
to Learn, Assignment 2

5. The focused and diffused states (2)
Diffused Mode
• Happens during non-focused times such
as:
 Sleep
 Exercise
 Driving/walking
 House-chores
• In the diffused mode, the brain goes over
new neural connections as well as older
ones and finds new links between them,
strengthening understanding and allowing
for creative solutions.
Barbara Oakely, A Mind For Numbers
Elite Avner Marriott
• Coursera – Learning How
to Learn, Assignment 2

6. Recommendation: Short bursts of focus followed by rest or change of focus
are recommended to allow the brain to use different processes that can
strengthen neural connections and increase understanding.
Barbara Oakely, A Mind For Numbers
The focused and diffused states (3)
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

7. Memory in learning
In order to master learned concepts, it’s necessary to move chunks of
information from short-term memory (or ‘working’ memory) to the long-term
memory storage space in the brain.
This is called: chunking
In order to chunk, the brain needs to go repeat and examine new concepts
and ideas from different perspectives, strengthening your ability to
remember and retrieve these concepts when you need them.
Reading is not enough!
Mastery can only be achieved through experiential learning.
In the next few slides you’ll find a few tactics to enable this type of learning.
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

8. Memory in learning(2)
One powerful tool for chunking is Recalling
key points
•Recall fights the illusion of mastery
– Recall is a powerful method to
strengthen neural connections, and
put chunks in context
– Look away from the book and recall
the main key points from memory
- Research has shown that when students have read material, then recalled,
then read again and recalled again, they did much better than students that
just read the material several time, or indeed used any other study methods!
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

9. Memory in learning (3)
Another powerful tool is the use of vivid imagery
•Visual memory
– Located in the right brain, visual memory goes back to
prehistoric hunter-gatherer times – useful to
remember where we discovered that berry bush last
month!
– Example: The Flying Mule
– The funnier and more evocative the images, the
better
– Memory Palace
• Imagine the things you want to remember in visual form
located at various spots around your home
• E.g. the flying mule sitting on top of the kitchen surface,
between the sink and the hob!
Image from Coursera
“Learning how to learn”
F = M + A
(Force = Mass + Acceleration
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

10. Practical ideas for improving learning
Do’s
•Take a ‘picture walk’ before delving in – read the chapter headers and look
at images and graphs to help your brain put the puzzle pieces together
•Take notes
•Test yourself – understanding or “aha” moments don’t prove you’ve
mastered it
•Alternate between topics (interleaving helps with context)
•Explain the material to someone else
•Use analogies and metaphors
•Draw vivid images to aid memory
•Use spaced repetition, practicing every day, then every few days
•Recall key points (put the books down and practice retrieving the material)
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

11. Practical ideas for improving learning (3)
Don’ts
•Highlight text and leave it at that
•Read material over and over again and leave it at that
•Believe you’ve mastered it by repeating the easy stuff (illusion
of mastery)
• Instead, identify the difficult stuff, and tackle it first
• Use the Pomodoro technique – stopwatch set for 25 minutes of focus
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

12. Integrating learning with daily life in business
Business people (like me) tend to read a lot.
But reading alone does not equal Mastering the material…
My declaration of learning effectively:
1.I will take notes rather than highlight, as if explaining the key
concepts to somebody else
2.I will recall key points from memory after every reading
session
3.I will think up vivid imagery and analogies for what I wish to
remember
4.I will practice in spaced repetition – reading once does not
allow the brain to go over and strengthen neural connections
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2

13. Conclusion
We’ve learnt a lot about the brain – specifically how
memory and learning takes place in the brain.
Now we know, we can use these techniques to learn
more effectively (don’t forget to be nice to yourself
along the way).
Useful stuff!
Elite Avner Marriott
Coursera – Learning How to
Learn, Assignment 2