A couple of years ago I wrote a post detailing my whole studying process. A lot has changed since then, both in my workflow and in how I understand the process of learning. This post is a complete overhaul of the previous one.
Before diving into it, I should make clear that I am in no way an expert on the topic. Whenever possible I will cite references, although research in this field is lacking, and I will be drawing from my own experience as well.
The main inspiration for the change in my workflow is Justin Sung, whose
YouTube channel I highly recommend. Many
of the concepts I explore in this post are covered more thoroughly in his Report
on Learning
I will begin this post by introducing several concepts. I do this in order to establish a convenient terminology.
The first concept is a taxonomy of cognitive skills. Bloom’s revised taxonomy of
cognitive skills goes as follows
The first three cognitive skills are typically summarised as Lower Order Cognitive Skills (LOCS), whereas the last three as Higher Order Cognitive Skills (HOCS). It is my understanding that applying information does not include the process of knowledge transfer, that is, linking the information to a novel seemingly unrelated problem. This skill would probably fall under the Create category.
As a general rule, LOCS tend to see information in isolation, while HOCS require to take into account the context and relationships.
As we go up in the education system, acquiring Higher Order Cognitive Skill is more and more necessary. Evaluation methods such us essays, difficult problems or short questions are more common. It is natural to think that when learning new material, one should begin with this taxonomy from top to bottom. Justin’s approach does the complete opposite.
Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) is based on the premise that human information
processing and memory operate through the mobilisation of fixed cognitive
resources
Cognitive Loads are generally divided into three categories
Bannert describes three ways of managing cognitive load
Nothing has been said thus far about the amount of (intrinsic or germane) cognitive load that a learning activity should generate to optimise learning. While I did not find a definitive answer in the literature, it seems that higher cognitive loads, if they do not overload our capacity, are better. For example, practicing recalling information without looking at the material (active recall) is far superior in terms of retention than other more passive techniques like re-reading or highlighting.
Relating back to Bloom’s taxonomy, practicing HOCS generally produces a higher cognitive load. Although a technique that focuses on HOCS does not necessarily train recalling information explicitly, in my own experience my retention is fantastic after using such techniques, much better than if I were to invest the same time in retention alone. It intuitively makes sense, it is easier to remember connected information than just memorising random facts. We start with building schemata to free up more cognitive load capacity
This refers to spacing out the learning activities in time. With the same amount
of total studying time, spacing has been shown to improve both knowledge
retention and knowledge transfer