By Leo Babauta
Today I’m going to discuss two really interesting and effective learning methods that I think you’ll find fascinating:
- Elaboration
- Generation
I’ve recorded a video about them (with notes below the video), but first I want you to do one thing for me: guess what you think elaboration and generation might be.
Go ahead, take a minute to do that now, and I’ll wait!
OK, if you’re sure you tried to guess the answer, you can watch the video here (or download to watch on your device):
Notes
Here are the notes from the video:
I. Elaboration – improves mastery of new material, multiplies mental cues available to you for later recall & application
- process of finding additional layers of meaning in new material
- relating material to what you already know
- explaining it to someone else in your own words
- explaining how it relates to your life outside of class
- metaphor or visual image for the new material – using the solar system to visualize electrons spinning around the nucleus of an atom
- summary sheet: show graphically & with key words how ideas interrelate to each other – adds layers of meaning
- the more you can elaborate on how new material relates to what you already know, the stronger your grasp will be & the more connections you create to remember it later
II. Generation: has the effect of making the mind more receptive to new learning
- an attempt to answer a question or solve a problem before being shown the answer or solution
- filling in a missing word in a text – generating it yourself – results in better learning & memory of the text
- learning by doing rather than reading/listening – experiential learning – set out to accomplish a task, encounter a problem, have to try to figure out the solution – you might find the answers online or from books
- by wading through the problem on your own, you’re far more likely to remember it than if someone just told you the solution
- when reading new material – try to explain beforehand the key ideas you expect to find, then read it to see if you were correct – you’ll pick up the material better, even if you were wrong
- math: try to solve the problems before you get to class