The idea behind learning is much more than just being able to read and memorize information; it also involves being able to learn things fast because time waits for no man. Being a fast learner is important because you will have more time to engage in other activities that interest you, and you'll also be able to read ahead of your course guides and colleagues because of your fast learning speed.
So, if you're ready to up your learning game, read ahead of your course guide, and free up time for your favorite activities, here are a few tips that'll help you learn faster than superman.
1. CHOOSE A LEARNING STYLE: We all have different learning styles because of our varying interests. For instance, someone who loves music will most likely learn better with music than with long passages and lengthy explanations.
However, the differences in learning styles are more evident in schools and places where many people with different abilities are placed together to take the same course.
2. TAKE HANDWRITTEN NOTES: Recent research has shown that students who take handwritten notes have better knowledge of a subject and can answer more questions correctly than students who take notes with their laptops or phones.
This is mainly because typing speed is much faster than writing speed, so students who write with their hands listen to understand and are more present in lessons, while the "digital students" only listen to take notes that will be kept for future reading, which may never happen.
3. PRACTICE THE SPACING EFFECT: The spacing effect is also called Distributed Practice, and it means reading a piece of information or material and then revising it at intervals.
With the spacing effect, learning should not be rushed but be taken at a steady pace, meaning that reading must start a few months or weeks before the time it is needed.
4. PRACTICE SELF-TESTING: To do this, ask someone to set some quiz questions for you on the topic you're reading, or do it yourself if there's nobody to ask. Then, take the quiz and use your reading guide to mark your answers afterward.
This method is very effective because our brain notes all of the information and the mistakes in the quiz, then it reminds us not to make the same mistakes the next time we see related quizzes. Note: this method should be practiced honestly and repeatedly for maximum results.
5. TEACH SOMEONE: This is one of the most effective ways to learn anything fast, because when you teach someone what you have just learned, your brain tags it as important and stores it in your long-term memory.
This method is also backed by human psychology because when we teach someone what we know, our ego rises, and we put in a conscious effort to remember the information because we know that we will be embarrassed if the person we taught still remembers while we have forgotten.
Conclusively, it is important to note that learning takes conscious effort and actions to achieve because good things don't come easy.
SOURCES:
http://www.danielwillingham.com/learning-styles-faq.html
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614524581
https://digitalpromise.org/2019/05/08/ask-the-cognitive-scientist-distributed-practice/
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