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Hello, since you're watching this,
I know you're interested in learning, and

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probably interested in learning better.

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In this video,

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I'll walk you through a simple technique
I used to improve how I learn.

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Maybe it will help you too.

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A lot of people think that experts like
chess champions, concert musicians or

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professional athletes
are just naturally talented.

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That they are born with the gifts
that have made them great.

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Sure, it helps to be tall if you
want to play basketball but,

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that's not enough to become a pro.

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The psychologist Anders Ericsson has
spent many years studying performance,

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and he has identified one key factor in
developing expertise, deliberate practice.

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Experts work on their skills, a lot, but

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they don't spend their time
practicing what they already do well.

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Instead they identify their weaknesses,
and train to reduce those weaknesses.

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In other words,

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they spend time on improving the areas
that need the most improvement.

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Makes sense right?

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But most folks don't train this way
because it takes time and can be both

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frustrating and challenging, but that's
how you develop expert level skills.

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it's similar in learning,

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there are more effective ways
to learn in less effective ways.

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What doesn't help you learn better or

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remember longer is
redoing your course work.

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Like rereading a book,
rewatching a course or

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taking tests on in information
you already know well.

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However like a professional athlete,

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you can learn better by focusing on
the areas that need the most improvement.

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Spend the time to understand and remember
concepts that you're not quite getting.

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I call this deliberate learning, and
although it takes more time up front,

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it lets me make sure what I'm learning and

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helps that information
stick with me longer.

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In the next few minutes, I'll explain how
I identify my learning weaknesses and

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how I work to reduce those weaknesses.

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As I'm learning something new,

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I ask myself three basic questions every
time important information is introduced.

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What are the main concepts,
ideas or facts I just learned?

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This question forces a simple act
of remembering called recall.

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And answering it does a couple of things.

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First, it let's me make sure
I was paying attention.

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Secondly, and
this is related to strengthening memory.

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Recall helps with what's
called memory consolidation.

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In other words, remembering a thing
helps you remember it better.

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Next I ask myself can I explain
those concepts in my own words?

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I'll try to say out loud or
in my head what I just learned.

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But it's important that I
don't just repeat word for

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word what I read or watched.

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By putting the concepts into my own words
I'm making sure that I understand them.

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Finally, I'll ask myself if I can relate
what I learn to things I already know.

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For example,
say I just learned about sets in Python.

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I can ask, how does this relate to another
Python data structure I already know,

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like a dictionary?

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How are they similar, different?

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And when should I use which?

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This is an important step, and
helps tie concepts together.

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It adds meaning to what I just learned
by connecting it with something I

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already know.

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In addition,

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building connections between memories
helps make those memories last longer.

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This three question process works
really well with tree house courses and

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workshops.

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After each video you watch just ask
your self those three questions.

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Now what do I do if I can't remember,
explain, or

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connect what I learned to
something I already know?

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Well, I've just identified
a learning weakness.

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I didn't get it.

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This is a red flag for me and let's me
know that I shouldn't just continue to

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the next chapter, video, or lesson.

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I need to stop, regroup,
and figure this out.

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When I realize that I'm not understanding
something I was just taught,

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I have several strategies that help me.

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First, I'll try to put what
I learned into action.

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This works best if you're being taught
a particular technique or skill.

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For example, if you just learned about
conditional statements and were shown code

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for how to use them in a program,
try to create similar code on your own.

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Play around with the program and

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don't worry if you don't
get it right immediately.

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You could also try a code challenge
related to what you just learned, or

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try a treehouse practice session if
there's one related to the new concept.

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Of course, you might not be able to
put what you learned into action.

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Maybe you really didn't get it or
there isn't a clear way to practice.

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In that case, my second step is to
reread or re-watch what I just learned.

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But do it with purpose.

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I know I said earlier that it's not
that effective to just redo courses.

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And it's true just rereading or

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re-watching everything you
learned isn't that effective.

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But I am suggesting that
you revisit the material.

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While purposely focusing on
answering those three questions.

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As you re-watch the video, keep in mind
what's important, how to explain it,

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and how it relates to
what you already know.

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Pause the video, or stop reading,

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to give you time to think about those
three questions and answer them.

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It's a good idea to take notes.

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Write them down, put them into a Google
doc, or use a program like Evernote or

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just your text editor.

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Finally, if you still feel that you just
don't understand what you learned or

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still can't answer those three questions,

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supplement what you learned
with another source.

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There are many ways to do this.

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Often at Treehouse, we include more
resources than a teacher's notes.

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You can see an example on
this page below this video.

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Go ahead and follow those links and
read those resources.

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Documentation is another
great place to learn more.

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There is usually lots of documentation for
a language, a new framework or

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an application, and will often include
links to those in the teacher's notes.

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Finally, a quick Google search often
leads to some useful information like

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a Stack Overflow post, Wikipedia page or

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some other explanation of
what you just learned.

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I find that having something
explained in different ways and

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from different sources
helps me understand better.

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So what do I do if after all of that, i'm
still confused about what I just learned?

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In that case I'll seek
advice from an expert or

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a colleague, ask a friend or
Treehouse and visit the community and

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talk to other students about
what you're having trouble with.

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You will often find good advice,
great answers, and

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a lot of support in our community.

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If you are learning a new coding framework
you might see if there is a slack or

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IRC channel available.

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The one thing I don't do is just give up.

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Learning is challenging and learning
something like computer programming,

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data analysis or
some other technical skill.

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Takes time.

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You'll rarely just get it.

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Sometimes you'll need to live
with the slight discomfort of not

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totally understanding
everything you learn.

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Often, when we're struggling the most,
we're learning the most.

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Even if it doesn't feel
like it at the time.

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I learned a long time
ago that I have to be

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okay with not immediately being an expert.

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But the way I've taught myself to get
better at learning is identifying

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what I don't understand and
working on it bit by bit until I do.

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It takes time and it isn't always fun,
but it's always rewarding knowing you've

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put in the time and learned something that
you thought was too complicated for you.

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Have fun learning.