A new free course by Coursera can teach you what your school didn’t. Intelligence and memory are popularly assumed to be innate qualities: something difficult to improve, but easily diminished by things like fatigue, alcohol, aging, injury and illness. But learning can be learned. There are many tactics (like “chunking”) that anyone can use to improve their ability to learn and retain information.
Learning How To Learn is an always-open course available to anyone who is ready to level-up their brain’s processing power. The course was designed by two professors: Barbara Oakley, PhD, PE, who is a professor of engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski, who is Francis Crick Professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
About this Course
This course gives you easy access to the invaluable learning techniques used by experts in art, music, literature, math, science, sports, and many other disciplines. We’ll learn about the how the brain uses two very different learning modes and how it encapsulates (“chunks”) information. We’ll also cover illusions of learning, memory techniques, dealing with procrastination, and best practices shown by research to be most effective in helping you master tough subjects.
Using these approaches, no matter what your skill levels in topics you would like to master, you can change your thinking and change your life. If you’re already an expert, this peep under the mental hood will give you ideas for turbocharging successful learning, including counter-intuitive test-taking tips and insights that will help you make the best use of your time on homework and problem sets. If you’re struggling, you’ll see a structured treasure trove of practical techniques that walk you through what you need to do to get on track. If you’ve ever wanted to become better at anything, this course will help serve as your guide.
And to learn more ways to “10x” your productivity, check out our previous post, 10 Ways Successful People Work Less and Get More Done.