Effective learning methods

Self-deception

The learning process has been the subject of intensive research for over 100 years. One key finding is that learners are unable to correctly assess their own learning success (metacognition). Various deceptive effects mean that most people resort to ineffective learning strategies, while the most effective ones are hardly ever used. This is because they appear difficult and slow. This is perceived, whereby the long-term and application-orientated learning successes are less apparent. This can be summarised in a metaphor: When learning is easy, it is like writing in sand with your finger. It goes without difficulty, but it quickly disappears again. When learning is difficult, it is like carving something into a rock. It feels hard, but it lasts a long time.

Due to cognitive distortions

Although learning begins at a young age, effective learning strategies rarely find their way into the curricula of our educational institutions. So many students, despite years of learning experience, resort to ineffective learning methods such as rereading or highlighting texts. While these techniques may feel productive and seem easier than their more effective counterparts, they do not lead to the same level of success in the same amount of time. Whilst it is of course possible to absorb learning material using more passive learning methods, more efficient strategies make it possible to learn faster and more sustainably. This also applies to writing summaries, another popular but often inefficient learning method. Despite its more active nature, the learning success of summarising depends heavily on the quality and nature of the summary. This means that this method is not necessarily more effective if it is not applied in a targeted and reflective manner.

Ineffective learning methods

Active Recall

This is the most effective learning method that learning research has discoverd in over 100 years. To understand this method, you have to shift your own perception of the learning process. Most people think that learning is about taking in information from the outside. Listening to a lecture, reading a book, or looking at a diagram. However, many people are familiar with the following situation: you have listened to a talk in which a lot of important and interesting information has been conveyed and are determined to apply it. But after some time, hardly anything has changed in your behavior and you only have a rough memory of the talk. This is due to the neurobiological process of how connections are strengthened between neurons. It is about extracting knowledge from the brain. As a result, new synapses are formed and old connections are strengthened. In our presentations, we give various tips and examples of Active Recall and also apply it to the content we teach.

Spacing

Spacing is a learning method in which learning units are deliberately separated from each other by certain time intervals. Instead of acquiring the knowledge in a short time with high intensity ("cramming"), the spacing method propagates a temporal division of learning into several learning units, which are completed over a certain period at a certain distance from each other. This ensures that what has been learned over a longer period is better stored in the long-term memory and can be retrieved when required. It thus counters the widespread learning method of "cramming", which usually only transfers learning content to the short-term memory, without sustainable learning success.

The "spacing effect" is effective in all age groups from children to senior citizens, as well as in a wide range of applications from complicated scientific concepts in an academic setting to learning motor skills in leisure time.

The neuronal processes of the spacing effect, as well as the definition of an optimal time interval that should separate different learning units for the greatest possible learning success, are still not understood today. Constant, expanding, contracting and varying intervals between the learning units are discussed, in which these then either remain the same, become longer and longer, become shorter and shorter or vary in their duration. It is unclear which of these makes the most sense for practical application. Especially as a wide variety of individual and exogenous factors also influence the duration of the so-called spacing intervals. However, it is clear that the spacing method leads to long-term learning success when the intervals between learning units range from just a few seconds to days or even weeks.

Interleaving

Interleaving is a particularly application-orientated learning method. Originally studied extensively in sports, interleaving has become increasingly important in research over the last few years, especially in acquiring skills, but it also applies to purely cognitive learning. Interleaving means learning different topics or subjects alternately and in a mixed way, rather than individually or in blocks. This significantly promotes long-term retention. It also develops the ability to apply what has been learned to different situations by supporting the formation of more diverse links in the memory. We give some application tips and prevent typical mistakes. Interleaving is one of the more complicated methods and can be detrimental to learning success if used incorrectly. When used correctly, it contributes significantly to learning success.

Variation

Learning is more effective when it is varied. This can be seen, for example, in a study carried out on 8-year-olds. One group trained for weeks to throw bean bags into a hole 90 cm away. The others trained for the same amount of time to alternately throw bean bags at a target 60 cm and 120 cm away. Both groups were then tested on the target 90 cm away. The result surprised everyone. The group that had varied their training, i.e. had not practiced the test condition once, performed significantly better. This applies not only to motor learning, but also to cognitive learning. Variation in the environment alone, for example, leads to greater learning success. We provide further possibilities and application tips in our lectures and workshops.

Kerr R, Booth B. Specific and varied practice of motor skill. Percept Mot Skills. 1978