Overview of Learning How to Learn Coursera course

This is my notes from the course Learning How to Learn from Coursera

Quick look at concepts consolidated from the course

Week 1: What is Learning?

Focused vs Diffused thinking

  1. In focused thinking the brain acts like a congested pin ball machine. So, if we know something before hand, the ball goes around and falls in that specific direction. But for unknown things, with focused thinking, we keep going in the same direction and we may not get to the solution. Why because the pins in the pin ball machine are congested.
  2. However, in the Diffused thinking, the pins in the pin ball machine are very wide apart. So, if we do not know an answer for something, the pin ball has the chance to move around and make new connection and thus can develop new solutions.

So, if you are getting stuck, take a step back. Relax your brain but still have the problem back in the mind so that the diffused thinking keeps working in the background. Then come back into focused thinking and see if you can find something new.

Basically, take a break. Fresh up. And look at the problem again.

Brain synapse growth

Apparently practicing the same thing again and again make the synapse in the brain neurons grow. So, practicing the same things again and make make the brain better in that particular task mainly cause of synapse connection growth.

Pomodoro method to void Procrastination

It happens cause you are making the brain something painful and it doesn’t want to do it. Like leetcoding continuously.

So, it is ok to take some break and start again. But since some have bad procrastination habits, a technique to concentrate better is:

  1. Study in focused mode for 25 mins.
  2. Then take a break.
  3. Satisfy the brain by doing those things like browsing web, gaming etc to decompress but still have the old problem etc. in the back of the mind. Basically, make the brain enter diffused mode to digest those thing slowly. (Practice Makes Permanent)

Types of Memory

Two types of memory, Long term and Short term.

Short term memory: Basically like computer RAM. Apparently the brain can hold only 4 chunks of data in short term memory. Its like a blurry black board. We have to keep repeating things (like phone number) so that it stays in short term memory until it is moved to long term memory.

Long term memory: Its like the persistent disks in a computer. Stuff gets stored in the long term memory only for several spaced repeatitions. Like instead of competitive programming for one day and chilling, competitive programming consistently and take one day break and go back and revisit. Doing this, takes all those into the long term memory and retriving them is also easier.

Going to brain synapse, it seems there is some recycle mechanism with clears them in short term memory. But to make it store in long term, repeated practise is needed and those synapse won’t go away soo easily.

Sleep

Sleep is the thing which make it possible to move things from short term memory to long term. But to make that happen, first the brain should work in focused mode and thing slowly diffuse it during sleep where it solidifies all those learnt concepts. During sleep, those neutran synapse connections grow.

Basically sleep,

Week 2: Chunking Essentials

Chunks are like pieces of information which are bind together to make a bigger information. Like if you know simple binary search,that is a binary search chunk. Using that chunk, we can create new chunks like quick select where those two chunks can be combined to get bigger chunks.

To do this, in a non-stressed way, the focused thinking need to bring out older chunks and use those to create new chunks. It seems chunks are created by series of neurons firing together.

Creating chunks

Steps to form chunks with competitive programming context

Illusion of Competence

If we just passive see a solution to a problem. Like say you just look at the competitive programming solution, you are not creating those chunk connections in the brain. You feel like you know it but you don’t.

Mini-testing

To check if you are not in the illusion of competence, you need to do mini-tests on your knowledge or problem. The best way to do this is by Recall. Applying this to competitive programming, after you think you have understood the solution to the problem, try to imagine and recall the solution without seeing. If you think you know the algorithm, code it up in OJ.

Recall

The best way to mini-test is the Recall. Recalling acts like an LRU cache for the neural connections in the brain. Each recall makes those concepts solid and helps to void the Illusion of Competence.

It’s also helpful to recall when doing other things like showering, walking. That way, brain is given training to think outside of the study room and hence helps during test time or whiteboarding.

Making mistakes

Making mistakes helps to correct thinking flaws / Illusion of Competence and make them better bit by bit. Better to make mistakes now than during test time.

Brain chemicals

  1. Acetycholine: Focused mode. Also helps in long term memory.

  2. Dopamine: Motivation. Released when we get a reward. Predicts future rewards. Drugs artifically increase this and hence hijack. Lack of this, makes you lose interest. The 25 mins rewards helps release this.

  3. Serotonin: Social life. Anti-depressant increase serotonin. Lower serotonin = higher risk takers.

Emotions are inter twined with logic / mental stuff. So, both are necessary for learning.

Chunk Transfer

Collection of chunks when they are very well ingrained, can be used to form other chuncks. This is called transfer of chunks. This happens when the first chuncks are rock solid in the long term memory.

This is possible by connecting the chunks in diffused mode and later finding an answer to the problem in the focused mode.

Problem solving types

  1. Sequential = focused mode. (just follow steps one after another).
  2. Holisting = global (get a global view of the problem)

Law of Serendipity

Lady luck favors the one who try

Start by solving. It is hard initially. But as you chew through it, it becomes easier.

Overlearning

Repeatedly re-reading the mastered topic is overlearning. Overlearnining helps in tests / public speaking. This way overlearning become autonomous to avoid nervousness.

But overlearning gives the illusion of competence for all the contents of the material. But in reality, only the overlearned portion will be studied well.

Deliberate practise

Deliberately focusing on difficult part of the subject is deliberate practise. It’s to void overlearning. This makes the difference between a good student (overlearning) vs great student (learning + deliberate practise).

Einstellung (bias)

Phenomenon where you always think in terms of the same thing. Instead of finding new ways of doing things, you always do the same thing so that new innovative think is hindered. Like in focused mode where the thought always went to initial thought.

It means mindset in German. It means installing a roadblock.

Interleaving

Practising to jump around techniques. Start from problem solving one technique, master it and suddently go back and look at other mastered techniques. This helps to link those chunks in the brain and try to make a conneciton. Mix up and match.

This make the brain to learn how to use a technique in which situation. Skipping around problem while tests will help to learn more deeply.

Solid learning = same concept improved by practice and repeatition. Interleaving = creativity to solve new problems by connecting two or more chunks / techniques.

Deeper = Solid knowledge on one concept. But, entrenched. Hard to find innovative ideas. Broader = Super innovative cause can connect different fields. But, not too great in any one concept.

Most innovation in science happens by young people or by folks from other fields. This is because they are not blocked by Einstellung from old training.

Week 3: Procrastination and Memory

Procrastination

Pomodoro method is one method to tackle it. Will power to avoid procrastination takes lot of neural energy. So, its not always necesary to fend out procrastination.

What exactly happens during procrastination:

  1. Want to do something which isn’t easy (Like learning hard topic etc). The moment we start doing this, it activated the pain centers of the brain.
  2. To avoid this sensation, we funnel our concentration to other outlets like YouTube, gaming etc.
  3. This will make the brain temporarily happy. This can get detrimental cause the brain is now used to taking breaks when encountered with a hard topic.

Procrastination is the single hurdle when overcome unlocks a lot of other positive things in learning.

Procrastination shares the same benefits with addiciton because we void boring reality to get a temporary high while procrastinating.

The Strategies to deal with procrastinatio is simple. But it isn’t fairly obvious.

Chunking and habit are related. Doing something often more often as a habit makes it to become a chunk. And when we recall a chunk, it is a lot easier than doing it for the first time. With enough chunking / habit, the brain does the task in an automated way without needing to spend a lot of energy in like a zombie mode.

Procrastination as a Habit

Habit can be as simple as arranging the hair or watching TV everyday evening. Habit has 4 parts:

  1. The cue: This is the trigger which take us into the zombie mode where the brain goes into the state without putting any extra effort. The cue can be as simple as getting a text message. But the action to the text message is important. A cue can neither good or bad. But the reaction to the cue determines the good / bad.
  2. The routine: The routine is the habitial response the brain enteres into when it receives the cue.
  3. The reward: Every habit ends with a feeling or reward or pleasure. In case of the habit of procrastination, the reward is to take the mind to something enjoyable like watching YouTube / mobile to get the temporary pleasure when avoiding to work on a task. This can be turned into good by rewarding ourselves whenver we follow a good habit. That way we trick ourselves into doing the good habit more instead of procrastinating.
  4. The belief: Habits have power cause of belief in them. Like we might already believe we will never study cause I have the habit of not concentrating. Believing in the habit without taking action gives the habit more power. To change a Habit. the underlying belief around it needs to be changed!

Mental tools to Motivate

  1. Understand initial start is painful: Learning in general, it’s perfectly normal to start with a few negative feels when starting something. Even a favourite subject. Non procrastinators avoid this by saying to themselves Quit wasting time. You will feel better eventually as you start going in.
  2. Follow Process and not Product: Product is the end goal of achieveing a task. For example, it be as simple as writing answers to homework question or completing a work related assignment. You keep postponing it saying its easy and can be done later. But, deep dive you know it takes a while to do. Here, the Product is the anwers to the questions or the task to be completed. Thinking on the Product triggers the same reactions in the brain as feeling pain. Instead the trick is the follow a Process. The Process is not caring about the end goal but to just do small chunks of the task. Instead of thinking whether I will understand the concept or completing a task takes time, it is a lot easier to focus on doing a simple task slow like doing part 1 of the task with 100% concentration without thinking if the the whole will ever get completed. All these small steps will eventually add up to form the bigger task. This is example what the Pomodoro method does where instead of sitting for hours on a specifc topic. Small pomodoro’s of blindly following the Processs adds up. Following Process is a lot easier for the brain cause it goes into the autodrive mode without needing active thinking cause of habit.

Harnessing the Zombie mode

Overwriting old habits and creating new ones is doable. For over overwriting old habits, the cue to the habit remains the same. Only a little will power is needed to change the reaction to the cue. To understand this for Procrastination, it has be looked at from the 4 parts of a Habit.

  1. Procrastination cue: The cues for procrastination are mainly:

    • location
    • time
    • how you feel
    • reaction

    For example, the cue can be a text method or a need to search the web. One way to keep this at bay is the shutdown the cellphone or not visit other website durin the 25 minute pomodoro session.

  2. Procrastination routine: This is the part where the trigger from the cue makes the brain take the action. It can start by looking at YouTube videos or opening Instagram. This the part where the will power is needed to rewire the brain so that we can come back to the initial session. This is done with having a plan. But the plan to counter can be difficult initially. Adding to it slowing and rewarding after a pomodoro session is lot helpful than changing habits at once.

  3. Procrastination reward: A reward is absolutely necessary to replace the reward got from procrastination. This can be turned to our good by rewarding after a 25 minute pomodoro session by surfing internet, watching instagram. That way the pomodoro habit slowly feels good because there is an reward awaiting the end and the procrastination to avoid the next pomodoro session is avoided. This feeling will initially feel not that helpful, but when done again and again, the brain learns that the pomodoro session will end in a reward and crave to do the 25 minute study session without procrastinating. Maybe adding a checkmark to a problem at the end of a problem solving session helps to start the session again since the solves problem effort can later be visualised and that feels good.

  4. Procrastination belief: The main way to reduce power of procrastination is by blindly believing that you won’t procrastinate. When these new tips feel they are not working, the belief in the new habit replacement system is needed to get through. Just blindly believe that you won't procrastinate! Developing a sense of community around the belief helps when the belief starts fading away. The belief cane be strengthened with discussions with other people who too believe it.

Balancing Life and Learning

Keep a task list / planner journal to keep track of activities. Commit to certain routines and tasks each day.

Task lists free up working memory because they transfer some of the ideas to paper (or smart phone, or computer). All you have to do is remember to check your task list instead of trying to keep in mind all the many things you want to do. The “zombie task list” on one of the videos helped reinforce this idea.

It is understandable that it may not be possible to follow 100% of the plan. But, atleast trying to stick to it even if it goes a little off helps avoid procrastination. As told before Lady luck favors the one who try. Try to not procrastinate with all those techniques!

Memory

As seen before, the two types of memory as Short and Long term memory. Practicing helps move from Short term to Long term memory. But, spacing the practice apart helps better retainining.

Humans in general have good visual spacial memory. Hence is a lot better to use this type of memory. Like attaching visualizing to certain things. Example: F = ma can be imagined with a Flying = Accelarating Mule image.

This visualization is started in short term memory. To make it stored in long term memory, the visualization has to be thought of repeatedly. Repetition helps a memory gets firmly lodged into long term memory with time spaced apart. The space between repetition should be increased as the material is revised again and again to make it firm.

The funier the memory the better. Adding auditory hooks while visualising this will create even more concrete memory structure.

Memorization technique using visualization

  1. List out first letters of things to remember and try to associate it an easy sentense. Like VIBGYOR etc.
  2. To better remember things, conjure images including those things in a situation mentally. That way, the visual spacial memory is invoked and that visual image contains those things need to be remembered. This is called the memory palace technique.
  3. This type of memory helps to form chunks a lot faster and easier. Also, this memory excerise helps to increase the creativity since we are using those items in odd places in our conjured image.

By memorizing material you understand, you can internalize the material in a profound way. You're reinforcing the mental library you need to become a genuine master of the material.

General problem solving technique

  1. Don’t Panic!
  2. Start by understanding what is given, what needs to be done, what am I trying to achieve.
  3. Apply known technique. Basically re-using someone else’s problem.
  4. If still cannot solve, try modifying known techniques and apply to current problem.
  5. If still doesn’t work, try other naive methods to solve it. If it still doesn’t get solved, stop trying and give it a break.
  6. A break by some other activity like running / biking etc. to distract the mind.
  7. Try looking at the problem again from 4.
  8. Keep repeating this and eventually an Aha! moment will occur or the problem will not seem as hard as before.
  9. Main thing to notice here is to oscillate between concentrated focus vs diffused focus seen in Week 1’s content.

Week 4: Renaissance Learning and Unlocking Your Potential

How to Become a Better Learner

Exercise is the best drug to learn the best because it helps create new neurons.

Sometimes it feels like getting stuck while learning. This happens because the brain is restructure and slowly working throught it will help to gain a solid foundation of the subject when you come out it.

Create visual metaphor

Creating simple visual similarities helps to not only remember, but also to understand the concept easily. Similar to Marshall / Mud example in Golang JSON encoding.

Another way to learn deeply is the imagine you being part of the learning process. Like imagining how efficiently can you move from one place to other so that you spend the least energy is like calculating the O() worst case complexity. You don’t wanna revist the same path again and again. You are naturally avoiding O(n^2).

Metaphors and analogies are useful for getting people out of Einstellung—being blocked by thinking about a problem in the wrong way.

Genius Envy - The imposter syndrome

True learning is done by someone when they actually understand the intricacies of a problem. Not by someone just telling it to them. Applying this to competative programming, the best way to understand a solution is by actually thinking about and not by just reading someone else’s solution directly.

This is possible by deep formating of chunks on that particular topic. Like in chess, the best players know the pattern for it without having to deeply think about it. Similarly, in competitive programming, they already know how to approach the probem because they have seen similar problems before hand.

It is true that having a more intelligent brain helps in learning. The more intelligent brain has more prefrontal cortex to hold more than 4 chunks at a time. But, the hinderence here is they lose creativity because of Einstellung. New idea as hard to come by since the brain is used to already having things in the working space.

The creative ones once after understanding the problem and creating chunks, can use those chunks in amazing new ways way better than the former.

Deliberate practice on the most difficult parts of a concept can lift average brains into the realms of those with “natural gifts”.

Everyone has some form of imposter syndrome secretly. They do not show it because of it. As goes the saying As one door closes another door opens. Keep the chin up and look for the open door.

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

Making changes in the way we think has a direct impact on the way brain develops. This is because thinking has corrolation with the fatty mylein sheath covering the neural dendrites. This was found out by a nobel prize neuro scientist named Cajal from Portugal.

He seemed to be an average student. But, his perseverance helped him discover the nobel prize winning concept of mylein sheath.

Cajal felt that the key to his success was his perseverance, which he called the virtue of the less brilliant.

Left brain vs Right brain

Left brain seems to work on finding a solution to problem (focused).

Right brain tries to critique that by trying to understand the big picture (diffused).

This phenomenon can be avoided by taking a look at the problem from a fresh perspective. It might be that even our right brain may not be critical enough to look at the big picture. So, its better to get inputs from others to get better idea.

Power of checklist

1 hour of testing has far more benefits than 1 hour of learning. Testing helps in getting concentration of the mind.

A checklist to see if I am prepared for a test / interview / competition. This list was developed by educator Richard Felder for engineers. He says you are prepared well if you can somewhat answer a yes to the following questions:

  1. Did you make a serious effort to understand the text?
  2. Did you work with others on problems? Or atleast check with your solutions with them?
  3. Did you attempt to outline very problem solution before working with others?
  4. Did you participate actively in problem solving group discussions, contributing ideas and asking questions?
  5. Did you consult with instructor when in trouble?
  6. Did you understand all the problem solutions when they were provided?
  7. Did you ask to clarify those problem solutions which were not clear to you?
  8. Did you have a study guide? Can you convince yourself by saying you followed it?
  9. Did you attempt to outline lot of problem solutions quickly without going into specfics?
  10. Did you go over the problems with others and quiz one another?
  11. Did you do a review session before the test / interview to clarify things you are not sure about?
  12. Did you get a resonable amount of sleep before the test / interview?

Taking a test / interview is as similar procedure as a surgery / fighter pilot flying. Making sure to look at the check list will vastly help to be successful.

The answer to the question on How do I prepare for the test / interview? becomes easier as you fill the above checklist.

Hard Start - Jump to Easy

Another technique when starting to solve anything is to start with a hard problem. Think on it for some time and go do an easy problem. Once the easy problem is done, get back to the hard problem. This switching helps the brain to think and switch between focused mode and diffused mode. Once you come back to the hard problem, it appears to be a lot more easier than before.

This also helps to prevent Einstellung. Getting stuck on an problem approach for long.

Final tips

Cortisol increases during tests / interviews. Idea is to change perception from scare of test to excited to do the test.

Brush up before the day of the big day.

Step and and check if the solution is indeed solving the problem to get a big picture perspective.

Applying all the concepts to competitive programming

New problems

  1. Start with a plan, a todo list everyday for the next day on what data structure topics or revision to do.
  2. Each session should be a 30 minute pomodoro technique session. (void procrastination)
  3. Start with a problem. Try to understand the problem and see if its familier to any previously solved problem. (recall)
  4. If it is, apply the solution and see if it passes the online judge.
  5. If it does not, the solution might need some tweeking. If know the problem type but cannot remember the original problem, look up the original problem. (chunking old problem into memory by revisiting)
  6. Now that the original problem is refreshed in the mind, try to solve the problem.
  7. If its not possible to solve it, move to another problem. Parking lot it to be tried again after some time. (so that diffused mode kicks in).
  8. Go back the problem and see if any change in the thinking. If yes, try coding up the solution and see online judge. (actual doing)
  9. Once all the above methods are exhausted, look at the solution and go through it slowly in focus (focused mode).
  10. Once you understand and internalize the solved problem, try to solve it again without seeing (recall). If you can recall, code the solution (doing it yourself).
  11. If the solution passes online judge, great. Now again revise how and why the problem is working.
  12. Try to look for similar problems around this topic. Look for similarly tagged question so that the concept is solidified in long term memory. Also helps with interleaving since we might be looking at other problems.
  13. Usual visualization to remember the intuition behind the problem (like thinking you are a pointer and you walk from both ends to do work in O(n) time)
  14. Add comments / question on the discussion with others to get their perspective. (teamwork)
  15. Keep taking breaks between the 30 minute sessions to reward the brain and make this pomodoro programming technique a habit.

Revision

  1. When a old problem is encountered, recall the solution to the old problem and code it up. This refreshes and acts like a mini-test. Rather than reading through the old problem, its lot useful to actually solve it.
  2. Jump around different types of problems to interleave between chunks.
  3. If you cannot remember, try to use any visual metaphors. If that doesn’t work, do a quick glance at the solution. Not complete reading. After the quick glance, try to solve it again.

Dividing time between new problem and revision

A healthy balance is needed between the two. That way, with revision, the old problem base is becoming solid and with new problems, new techniques are learnt. Keep 50% of the days of the week for new and 50% for new.

Dealing with grinding process

! Just blindly follow this like a supply chain. Don’t read too much into why / what / how. This make the process lot less painful !