Learning How to Learn
by Barbara Oakley, Terrence Sejnowski PhD · first published 2018
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Practical, research-informed guide to how learning works, centered on switching between focused and diffused thinking and tricks like the Pomodoro technique; suited to students and anyone wanting better study habits.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A surprisingly simple way for students to master any subject--based on one of the world's most popular online courses and the bestselling book A Mind for Numbers A Mind for Numbers and its wildly popular online companion course "Learning How to Learn" have empowered more than two million learners of all ages from around the world to master subjects that they once struggled with. Fans often wish they'd discovered these learning strategies earlier and ask how they can help their kids master these skills as well. Now in this new book for kids and teens, the authors reveal how to make the m
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Learning How To Learn (https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn) and Barbara Oakley's book A Mind For Numbers. Completely changed my approach to studying and learning, and my academic efforts after taking it were…
on “Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?” ↗There is a good MOOC on coursera on the topic of learning and creative working: Learning How To Learn by Barbara Oakley (there is also a book). She talks about focused and diffused mode of thinking. The main idea is that to create new neuron connections (memory or understanding) you've to work hard on…
on “What “work” looks like” ↗The only resource I'd recommend is Learning How To Learn by Barbara Oakley https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn It also has a companion book.(Book came first anyway). It's well researched and has many tricks on boosting productivity e.g Pomodoro…
on “Ask HN: Productivity tips/sources/literature?” ↗…results: https://visible-learning.org/hattie-ranking-influences-effec... I few others I'd recommend: - How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles by Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman - How People Learn by Bransford, Brown, Cocking, & Pellegrino - Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley - Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Ericsson and Pool Discloser: I wrote https://sgef.cc/tldrideas and am building Sagefy, a learning platform
on “Can good teaching be taught?” ↗…things by the way. I just posted this in a different thread, but it's very relevant here: For the idea of building and improving the analytical part of your brain, I highly recommend the Coursera course Learning How to Learn by Dr. Barbara Oakley. [0] An excerpt from her Wikipedia page[1]: After her Army duties ended, Oakley decided to challenge herself and see if her brain, more used to the study of languages, could be…
on “Ask HN: In a bad spot right now in life, need advice” ↗I have completed both of the following: 1) https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn 2) https://www.coursera.org/learn/machine-learning I highly recommend both of them, if they cover a subject you're interested in, though if you only have time for one, they are listed in descending…
on “Ask HN: Which Coursera courses/specializations you recommend?” ↗…level you felt was too easy or something harder? Are you self-diagnosed with dyscalculia, or was that a diagnosis from a professional after testing? I'd strongly recommend working through Coursera's Learning How to Learn.
on “If Susan Can Learn Physics, So Can You (2013)” ↗In no particular order: - So Good They Can't Ignore You - Deep Work - Hackers by Steven Levy (perhaps my favorite book) - Learning How To Learn - The Person and the Situation - The Art of Money Getting - Make It Stick - The Algorithm Design Manual - Moonwalking With Einstein - Extreme Ownership
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗…'focused mode'. If you are interested in learning how to use the 'diffused mode', more things related to learning, and optimizing the way you learn I can recommend the free course on Coursera called Learning How To Learn by Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski. [1] https://staciechoice1010.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/focused-vs... [2] https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn
on “How to Determine If Candidates Will Thrive in a Remote Work Environment” ↗> a really really good description of how to actually teach yourself this stuff on your own. Places to start would be Barbara Oakley's Learning How to Learn and Cal Newport's Study Hacks blog, which has actionable advice like the following: http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/11/25/case-study-how-i-got-t... You would also likely benefit from scheduling review…
on “Course Notes – J.S. Milne” ↗For the idea of building and improving the analytical part of your brain, I highly recommend the Coursera course Learning How to Learn by Dr. Barbara Oakley. [0] An excerpt from her Wikipedia page[1]: After her Army duties ended, Oakley decided to challenge herself and see if her brain, more used to the study of languages, could be…
on “Ask HN: Is there a space in the tech scene for the not numerically-inclined?” ↗Before you do anything, you should take Coursera's Learning How to Learn to make sure you have efficient study habits. Khan Academy is probably your best bet. Paul's Online Math Notes, PatrickJMT, and BetterExplained can be useful supplements. If you want to "bring a nuke…
on “Ask HN: Best way to relearn basic math?” ↗…recommend being suspicious of survivorship bias and following in anyone's footsteps (including any mentioned here). Relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/1827/ After that, I'd recommend the Coursera course Learning How to Learn as pre-work. 3 free resources I highly recommend: - Harvard's CS50. Cannot recommend this highly enough. - MIT's Intro to Programming w/ EdX. Great way to learn more about problem solving - FreeCodeCamp:…
on “Ask HN: How you started your career in web dev?” ↗These two different ways your brain works on ideas, focused and diffused, were my biggest takeaways from Barbara Oakley's Learning How To Learn class. I've found that actively going between them, say by studying hard for 90 minutes and then going for a long walk, has been tremendous for learning. Highly recommend the course (or the book form,…
on “The magic of generating new ideas” ↗I highly, highly recommend the Coursera course Learning How To Learn (https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn). It's a tremendous resource for improving your ability to learn.
on “Ask HN: What are your best learning methods/hacks/tips?” ↗