How We Learn

I went on an Erasmus exchange to the Netherlands last September. In the middle of October, until the middle of December, I did an internship in an International School, I.S. Utrecht. I had a wonderful experience in dealing with three-year-old children from all over the world (UK, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa…); but also in having conversations with the teachers – also from all over the world. But I got the greatest experience from working with my mentor, Ms. Panagiota – from Greece. She helped me discover different techniques and methods from those I was used to. One of the best things I got from her was the book How We Learn, by Benedict Carey.

Consistency has been a hallmark of good study habits since the 1900s. 

It is drilled into our heads from an early age: 

Have a dedicated desk!

Have a dedicated time!

Eliminate distractions!

But, what if almost everything we were told about how we learn is wrong? What if being inconsistent can work in our favor? 

For instance, could something as simple as a change in venue make a difference? Could interrupting work on a large project facilitate more inventive thinking? It is about where you study. And it is also about how you do so.

Writing notes by hand is one kind of activity; typing them is another. The same goes for studying while standing up, versus sitting down, versus running on a treadmill. In the end, it doesn’t matter which aspects of the environment you vary, so long as you vary what you can. 

Despite what traditional advice tells us, when it comes to learning, it is consistency not change that is limited. So next time you need to study, to practice, or prepare for that big project; mix it up, try another room, another time of day, take your guitar to the park, change coffee shops, switch practice courts, read in silence and with music on.

I consider this book as a very interesting resource for us as future teachers because it throws out the rule book and breaks down our assumptions about how we learn. I would recommend it to my classmates because of its usefulness with regards to knowing how the brain works, to discovering what things can we do to help our future students learn faster and better.