The SQ3R and Feynman Technique
Introduction
I have stressed the importance of active learning, and talked about the dangers of pseudo-studying. Quick recap about pseudo-studying: You have your notes open, you are mindlessly flipping through it, but after you have done studying and you test yourself, you barely recall any of the material. I came across the SQ3R method, and this is one of the best techniques that can be practically applied to generate deeper understanding of a topic. Side note, this is for learning new content, not doing homework. Let's dive right in.
What is the SQ3R method?
First, spend a few minutes skimming through what you have to learn. Survey. Read the sub-headings, take in the titles and diagrams, giving you a rough gauge of what to expect and learn. This process is known as priming, similar to oiling a rusty tractor. It helps you get in the "zone," of learning.
Next, formulate a few questions based on what you have just surveyed. This method of having an aim for the session of your study, where you need to ensure your OWN questions are answered so that the study session was worthwhile. This is why you can see textbooks have a few questions printed at the side occasionally. By striving to answer your queries, you look for answers more actively in the material, increasing your connection with the topic.
Now, you read the content. Read with purpose to get yourself familiar with the information. Keep adding questions to the side as you keep reading. Learn the same topic from various different sources, online and offline. Avoid distraction to focus your reading session.
Time to recall what you read. You know about active recall, and I don't want to grind flour. Keep retrying to obtain the material from memory, and reinforce what you have forgotten.
Finally, you review what you just have learnt. Have all my questions been answered? What went wrong during my study session? How can I improve it? What doubts do I still have and who/where can I find answers for it?
That's it, short and simple. At first it did take a fair bit of conscious effort to apply these techniques, because you had to bring them into your awareness. But after some time, I started getting used to the habit of doing it that I subconsciously follow the technique nowadays, and it has proven to be effective. While we're at it, I'd also like to introduce a technique for reviewing your study sessions, known as the Feynman technique.
The Feynman Technique
Richard Feynman, the man responsible for student's suffering of quantum mechanics. Jokes aside, this technique simply needs you to break down a complex topic you have just learnt into simple terminology. Then, explain it to the person who knows barely about the topic. By the end, they should be able to explain the core idea of what you have just told them. There are two advantages to this.
|"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough," | - Albert Einstein
1) You are forced to actively recall the information so that you can teach it to the person, which helps with better memory retention.
2) You have to know the topic very well to simplify it and explain the key concepts to the unfamiliar. This encourages you to dissect the topic into its important aspects.
The SQ3R method, coupled with the Feynman technique, elevate your learning process since you are made to analyze the topic on a much higher level. Please leave any opinions you have about this article below, or any improvements you would like to see on Student's Spot. Help a buddy out by subscribing, and sharing this to those who need this, if you think this is helpful.
Signing out, Arshath
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