Book review
Notes from “A Mind for Numbers”
– Skim through the titles and look at questions (psets) before reading the chapters
– Metaphors are powerful to learn
– Using focused mode, you can learn a lot of skills in whatever area. The diffused mode is better for big perspective things, like learning smth new
– Einstellung effect: an idea you already have in your mind prevents you from a better solution
– Alternate between focused and diffused mode: like birds when they peck their food, then scan the horizon for predators, and continue pecking
– after reading the chapters, look away and summarize the key ideas
– Spaced Repetition is key for learning. Learn it over a few day -Anki, Anki, Anki
– Create conceptual chunks uniting separate bits of info
– Focus your attention on the information you want to chunk
– Understand the basic idea you are trying to chunk (Closing the book and testing yourself helps in this stage)
– Gain context so you don’t see how but also when you are using this chunk
– Just don’t look at the solution. Do them yourself and only check later.
– if you don’t understand a concept or theory at all, stop and go back in history. look at who figured out this method and how they used it
– Interleaving is doing mix of different kinds of problems requiring different strategies instead of repeatedly practicing the same kind of questions when you already can answer them correctly. If you have learned a new concept and have problem set associated with it, try looking at past questions as well since you want to know how and when to use a concept.
– For example. When doing questions from 9.4, go back to 9.1 and do some and return back and repeat.
Steps to Build a Powerful Chunk
1. Work a key problem all the way through on paper. You should have the solution available, but don’t look at it at all. No cheating or skipping. Make sure each step makes sense.
2. Do another repetition of the problem, paying attention to the key processes
3. Take a break
4. Do another repetition.
5. Sleep (at night)
6. Do another repetition (the next day) but focus on the hard parts.
7. Add a new problem
8. Do “active” repetitions: mentally review key problem steps in your mind while doing something active, like walking or exercising.
When preparing for a test, your problems and solutions should be neatly organized.
Make mini tests for yourself.
Make sheets of all the important concepts and one example of each type of problem to add to your toolbox.
Go all Sherlock – memory palace technique
create a lively visual metaphor or analogy. it really helps.
Equations are like poetry there are meanings behind them, try to understand that.
Use mind palace for memorizing and learning, stage topics to understand better.
transferring the topic is important, so learn the abstractions first.
Working with others, productively, is important
Take criticism well.
1. often, it takes less time to check the problem than solve. so check them
2. units of measurements are your friend
3. think about what the equation means so your intuition matches
Tips for limited time learning:
1. Read assigned hw and quizzes
2. Review lecture notes
3. Rework example problems given in the lecture
4. Work the hw and quizzes
Diffused learning activities:
– Go to the gym
– Play a sport like soccer or basketball
– Jog, walk, or swim
– Dance
– Go for a drive (or tag along for the ride)
– Draw or paint
– Take a bath or shower
– Listen to music, especially without words
– Play songs you know well on a musical instrument Meditate or pray
– Sleep (the ultimate diffuse mode!) : 20 minutes is the best nap time. If you learn the material before taking a nap, and you even think about dreaming that concept, you are likely to dream about it and learn better.
The checklist for preparation:
1. Did you make serious effort to understand the text?
2. Did you work with classmates on hw problems or at least check your solutions with others?
3. Did you attempt to outline every hw problem solution before working with classmates?
4. Did you participate actively in hw group discussions?
5. Did you consult with the instructor or TAs when you were having trouble with something?
6. Did you understand ALL of your hw problem solutions when they were handed it?
7. Did you ask in class for explanations of hw problem solutions that weren’t clear to you?
8. If you had a study guide, did you carefully go through it before the test and convince yourself that you could do everything on it?
9. Did you attempt to outline lots of problem solutions quickly without spending time on algebra and calculations?
10. Did you go over the study guide and problems with classmates and quiz one another?
11. If there was a review session before the test, did you attend it and ask questions about anything you weren’t sure about?
12. Did you get a reasonable night’s sleep before the test?
TESTING TIPP:
~~~this doesn’t work for test that give few points to hard questions. in that case, you may wish to concentrate on easier ones.
~~~some tests online don’t allow for backtracking. in that case take a deep breath all the way and do your best.
1. Take a quick look to get a sense of what it involves
2. Start first with that appears to be the hardest one. But pull away in the first minute or two if you are stuck.
3. Turn to an easy problem and complete as much as you can.
4. move to another difficult looking problem and try to make a bit of progress
5. Change to something easier as you feel stuck.
~~~for stressing tests, turn your attention to your breathing.
~~~whenever possible, blink, shift your attention, then double check the answers. and start at the back and check until the front to give a fresh perspective.
sometimes your desire to figure things out right now is what prevents you from being able to figure thing out.
10 Rules of Good Studying
1. use recall
2. test yourself
3. chunk your problems
4. space your repetition
5. alternate different problem solving techniques during your practice.
6. take breaks
7. use explanatory questioning and simple analogies
8. focus
9. eat your frogs first
10. make a mental contrast. (the dream)
- Goodreads rating – 4.21
- REVIEW – Firangiz