Learning How to Learn - Week 2

Chunking

• Working memory may hold only ~4 chunks.
• The “puzzle fitting” analogy: A chunk is a larger piece from puzzle pieces.
• Build chunk (chunking):
  • Focus.
  • Practice.
  • Bottom-up: Build larger chunks from smaller chunks.
  • Transfer knowledge.
• Top-down: Context helps you build new chunks.
  • Why this chunk is useful?
  • When to use this chunk?
• Tactics of building chunks:
  • Recall (what you’ve learned?)
  • Read, recall, read, recall, …
  • Mini-test yourself (a kind of recall).
  • Deliberately practice something slightly more difficult (out of your comfort zone).
  • Interleaving: Don’t learn sequentially—jump around!