How We Learn

From birth, we learn by experiencing the world around us, and we also learn from other people. Adults in your life taught you how to talk, read, and write. You may have learned how to drive, cook meals, wash laundry, and use a computer. Most of these things are learned by experience and watching others. School learning is sometimes a little bit different. We learn by reading texts like this one, by listening to a teacher talk, talking with colleagues, writing essays, and doing projects. There is sometimes more listening, reading, and thinking than doing. This can be frustrating and challenging, because it’s different from the way we learned as children.

But what if I told you that the most effective learning is difficult? Would that surprise you? Think about a skill you’re good at. How did you learn it? Sometimes, it was probably frustrating. You might have faced challenges. You probably made a lot of mistakes. However, overcoming these challenges and fixing your mistakes helped you strengthen your learning.

Learning and Memory

About 10 years ago, I learned how to knit. A friend showed me how to do it, and I also watched videos. However, I had to practice a lot before I was good at it. I made a lot of mistakes at first. Sometimes, I would do well one day, and then a few days later, I would struggle with the same skill. It was very frustrating when something I created didn’t look as good as I wanted it to. Eventually, I got better at it, and I made things that I was happy with.

I stopped knitting for several years because I didn’t have time to do it. Last year, I started knitting again. I couldn’t remember most of what I had learned, so I had to watch more videos and make more mistakes. However, this time, I quickly remembered how to do it, and I also remembered how to fix my mistakes. This was because my brain had the skill stored in my long term memory.

When we first learn something, that knowledge is stored in our short term or working memory. Working memory is like the contents of your backpack. You carry things you’ll need for the day: textbooks, notebooks, and maybe your lunch. If you don’t need something, you take it out of your backpack and leave it at home. Your working memory is similar: it stores knowledge temporarily so you have easy access to it. However, just like your backpack, your working memory has limited space. The things you don’t use often are forgotten.

You probably keep certain things in your bag all the time, though. They might be pens, highlighters, your phone, and your keys. You’ve learned that you need them often. You can think of these things as your long term memory. Something that is stored in your long term memory stays with you. Just like pens and highlighters, long term memory doesn’t take up much space.

I’m sure you’ve forgotten a pen, your phone, or your keys at some point, just like I forgot how to knit. When you needed the item, it wasn’t there, and you learned from that mistake. The next time you needed the item, you probably remembered it more easily.

Though it may sound strange, the forgetting and making mistakes are actually what help us learn better and store knowledge in our long term memories. Each time you have to work hard to remember something, you strengthen the memory. You might forget to bring a pen a few times, but each time you forget, you probably make a special effort to remember it the next time. Eventually, you learn to start carrying a pen everywhere, and you don’t have to make as much effort to remember.

The Rules of Learning

• We are not good judges of our own learning.
  • We think that when learning is easy, it’s good. This isn’t true. Easy learning is stored in working memory, but it rarely makes it into our long term memory.
• Our most common study methods give us a false sense of mastery.
  • This is related to the first point. False mastery is the idea that because you can remember most of what you’ve learned in a short time, you’ve learned a lot, and you’ll remember the material. This isn’t true, for reasons you can read more about below.
• “Effortful learning” is more durable than learning that comes too easily.
  • In other words, learning that is difficult (scientists and teachers call this “desireable difficulty”) is deeper and lasts longer than learning that seems easy. This can be frustrating, but in order to move knowledge from our working memory to our long term memory, we need to work for it.
• Massed practice does not produce durable learning.
  • Massed practice includes studying a lot right before a test, re-reading material, and highlighting often. Here’s another thing you might find hard to believe. While most students believe that studying means reading material over and over again and using lots of highlighting, that is not the most effective way to learn. Reading carefully is great, but reading a textbook chapter several times does not actually improve your knowledge. This information is stored in your working memory, but only small parts make it into your long term memory. Even if you read a chapter two or three times and mostly understand it, you’ll forget it.
• Retrieval practice leads to more durable learning.
  • “Retrieval” in this context means going into your memory to find the information you need, the same way you would reach into your backpack to find the right book or pen. The more you do this, the better you’ll become. The harder it is to remember or retrieve the knowledge you’re looking for, the more benefit you’ll see over time, even if it seems difficult right now.
• Testing can produce as much learning as studying.
  • The best way to store knowledge in your long term memory is to keep reminding yourself of what you learned and to test yourself. While most students don’t like tests very much, tests have been proven to help your brain hold on to the knowledge. You can test your own knowledge even when not studying for a test.
• Self-reflection is an important part of learning
  • Metacognition, which means thinking about your thinking, is extremely important. You need to know what you’re struggling with so you can build your knowledge in those areas. Knowing how you learn makes you a better student and a better writing tutor.

Video

The following video is a summary of the book Make it Stick (which I highly recommend if you’re interested in cognitive psychology). It says some of what I’ve covered here, but it also adds some important ideas.

Application to your work

How do the above rules apply to writing? What writing practices give us a false sense of mastery? What practices might give you and your writers more durable learning? How can we help guide writers toward more durable learning?