Summary for Module 4

This week, we’ve done a wide sweep through some of the deepest aspects of learning.

Metaphors and analogies aren’t just for art and literature.

One of the best things you can do to not only remember, but more easily understand concepts in many different fields, is to create a metaphor or analogy for them.

Often, the more visual, the better.

We’ve learned from Nobel Prize winner Santiago Ramon y Cajal that if you change your thoughts, you can really, truly change your life.

It seems people can enhance the development of their neuronal circuits by practicing thoughts that use those neurons.

Like Santiago Ramon y Cajal, you can take pride in aiming for success because of the very things that make other people say you can’t do it.

Keep in mind that when you whiz through a homework or test question and you don’t go back to check your work, you’re acting a little like a person who is refusing to use parts of your brain.

You’re not stopping to take a mental breath and then revisit what you’ve done with the bigger picture in mind, to see whether it makes sense.

Overconfidence in your results can result from using only one mode of thinking.

By making it a point to do some of your studying with friends, you can more easily catch where your thinking has gone astray.

Taking a test is serious business, just as fighter pilots and doctors go through checklists before takeoff and surgery, going through your own test preparation checklist can vastly improve your chances of success.

Counterintuitive strategies such as the hard start jump to easy technique, can give your brain a chance to reflect on harder challenges even as you’re focusing on other more straightforward problems. Here are some last test taking pointers.

The body puts out chemicals when it’s under stress.

How you interpret your body’s reaction to those chemicals makes all the difference.

If you shift your thinking from, this test has made me afraid, to this test has got me excited to do my best, it helps improve your performance.

If you’re panicked on a test, momentarily turn your attention to your breathing.

Relax your stomach, place your hand on it, and slowly draw a deep breath.

Your hand should move outward and your whole chest should expand like a barrel.

Your mind can trick you into thinking that what you’ve done is correct even if it isn’t.

This means that whenever possible you should blink, shift your attention, and then double check your answers using a big picture perspective, asking yourself, does this really make sense?

And finally, remember that not getting enough sleep the night before a test can negate any other preparation you’ve done.

I’m Barbara Oakley, thanks for learning about learning.