Learning How to Learn

Barbara Oakley, PhD, PEProfessor of Engineering, Oakland University, Rochester,

MichiganVisiting Scholar, University of California, San Diego

How did you do it?

Philip Oakley

Focused mode

Diffuse mode

Focused Mode Diffuse Mode

Team up Explain focused versus diffuse

mode

Now You Try!

Procrastinate

Insular Cortex!

Procrastination

Procrastination – A Habit

• Do NOT focus on finishing a task

• Turn off all distractions• Set timer for 25 minutes• Focus• Reward!

Xie, Lulu, Hongyi Kang, Qiwu Xu, Michael J Chen, Yonghong Liao, Meenakshisundaram Thiyagarajan, John O’Donnell, et al. "Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain." Science 342, no. 6156 (2013): 373-77.

Sleep

Yang, G, et al. "Sleep promotes branch-specific formation of dendritic spines after learning." Science 344, 6188 (2014): 1173-1178.

Monday Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday Saturday

Sunday

Monday Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday Saturday

Sunday

  

  

Working memory

Focused mode

Focused mode Diffuse mode

Working memory

Long term memory

Practice Makes Permanent

Qin, S., S. Cho, T. Chen, M. Rosenberg-Lee, D. C. Geary, and V. Menon. "Hippocampal-Neocortical Functional Reorganization Underlies Children's Cognitive Development." Nat Neurosci (Aug 17 2014).

Working memory

and chunking

Raw information Information is chunked and understood  

   

  

  

  

  

Focused thinking

Diffuse thinking

A library of chunks

Creative!

Poor memory

“Slow” thinker

Maryam Mirzakhani

Illusions of competence in learning

Flashcards are your friend.

Tests are the best!

Recall

Passion