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81 " one significant mistake students sometimes make in learning math and science is jumping into the water before they learn to swim. "
― Barbara Oakley , A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)
82 " Why Trying Too Hard Can Sometimes Be Part of the Problem "
83 " To be a successful problem solver, focus first. We get stuck in problem solving when we don’t first prepare our brain by focusing on the basics. Don’t just dive into problem solving without studying the explanations first. You need to lay some basic trails on the focused pinball table. "
― Barbara Oakley , Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens
84 " ADVICE ON SLEEPING “Many people will tell you that they can’t nap. The one thing I learned from a single yoga class I took many years ago was to slow down my breathing. I just keep breathing slowly in and out and don’t think I must fall asleep. Instead, I think things like, Sleepytime! and just focus on my breathing. I also make sure it’s dark in the room, or I cover my eyes with one of those airplane sleep masks. Also, I set my phone alarm for twenty-one minutes because turning a short power nap into a longer sleep can leave you groggy. This amount of time gives me what’s basically a cognitive reboot.” —Amy Alkon, syndicated columnist and catnap queen "
85 " The Three Key Steps to Powerful Reading Picture walk Read with care Use active recall "
86 " If you are trying to understand or figure out something new, your best bet is to turn off your precision-focused thinking and turn on your “big picture” diffuse mode, "
87 " We procrastinate about things that make us feel uncomfortable. "
88 " The key is to do something else until your brain is consciously free of any thought of the problem. "
89 " Homework _Yes _No 1. Did you make a serious effort to understand the text? (Just hunting for relevant worked-out examples doesn’t count.) _Yes _No 2. Did you work with classmates on homework problems, or at least check your solutions with others? _Yes _No 3. Did you attempt to outline every homework problem solution before working with classmates? Test Preparation The more “Yes” responses you recorded, the better your preparation for the test. If you recorded two or more “No” responses, think seriously about making some changes in how you prepare for the next test. _Yes _No 4. Did you participate actively in homework group discussions (contributing ideas, asking questions)? _Yes _No 5. Did you consult with the instructor or teaching assistants when you were having trouble with something? _Yes _No 6. Did you understand ALL of your homework problem solutions when they were handed in? _Yes _No 7. Did you ask in class for explanations of homework problem solutions that weren’t clear to you? _Yes _No 8. If you had a study guide, did you carefully go through it before the test and convince yourself that you could do everything on it? _Yes _No 9. Did you attempt to outline lots of problem solutions quickly, without spending time on the algebra and calculations? _Yes _No 10. Did you go over the study guide and problems with classmates and quiz one another? _Yes _No 11. If there was a review session before the test, did you attend it and ask questions about anything you weren’t sure about? _Yes _No 12. Did you get a reasonable night’s sleep before the test? (If your answer is no, your answers to 1–11 may not matter.) _Yes _No TOTAL "
90 " Testing is itself an extraordinarily powerful learning experience. "
91 " But be wary of the idea that some people are “left-brain” or “right-brain” dominant—research indicates that is simply not true.17 "
92 " Articulating your question is 80 percent of the battle. "
93 " Persistence is often more important than intelligence.1 Approaching material with a goal of learning it on your own gives you a unique path to mastery. Often, "
94 " the learning process is all about working your way out of confusion. "
95 " You may want your learning to progress more quickly—to somehow command your diffuse mode to assimilate new ideas faster. But compare it to exercise. Constantly lifting weights won’t make your muscles any bigger— your muscles need time to rest and grow before you use them again. "
96 " The best way to speed your learning is to avoid lazy learning. If you spend too much time on material you already know, you won’t have time to learn new material. This idea of focusing on the harder stuff is called deliberate practice.2 Deliberate practice is how you become an expert more quickly in whatever you are studying.3 "
97 " The complex neural activity that ties together our simplifying, abstract chunks of thought—whether those thoughts pertain to acronyms, ideas, or concepts—are the basis of much of science, literature, and art. "
98 " Diffuse-mode thinking is what happens when you relax your attention and just let your mind wander. This relaxation can allow different areas of the brain to hook up and return valuable insights. Unlike the focused mode, the diffuse mode seems less affiliated with any one area of the brain—you can think of it as being “diffused” throughout the brain.5 Diffuse-mode insights often flow from preliminary thinking that’s been done in the focused mode. (The diffuse mode must have clay to make bricks!) "
99 " Once you understand why you do something in math and science, you shouldn’t keep reexplaining the how. Such overthinking can lead to choking. "
100 " You may be surprised to learn that simply being awake creates toxic products in your brain. During sleep, your cells shrink, causing a striking increase in the space between your cells. This is equivalent to turning on a faucet—it allows fluid to wash past and push the toxins out.23 This nightly housecleaning is part of what keeps your brain healthy. When you get too little sleep, the buildup of these toxic products is believed to explain why you can’t think very clearly. (Too "
