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Hello.

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Since you're watching this,
I know you're interested 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 use 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're born with the gifts
that have made them great.

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Sure, it helps to be tall if
you wanna 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's identified one key factor in
developing expertise, deliberate practice.

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Experts work on their skills a lot.

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But 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

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can be both frustrating and challenging.

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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,
and less effective ways.

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What doesn't help you learn better or

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remember longer is
redoing your coursework.

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Like re-reading a book,
re-watching a course, or

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taking tests on 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 I
understand 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, and

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answering it does a couple of things.

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First it lets 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, but

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it's important that I don't just repeat
word for word what I read or watched.

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

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Finally, I'll ask myself if I can relate
what I learned 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,
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 to something I 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 Treehouse courses and workshops.

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After each video you watch,
just ask yourself 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 lets me know
that I shouldn't just continue to the next

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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

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

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Play around with a program and don't worry
if you don't get it right immediately.

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You can 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 practise.

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In that case,
my second step is to re-read or

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re watch what I just learned,
but do it with purpose.

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

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And it's true that just re-reading or

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re-watching every thing you
learn isn't that effective.

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But I'm suggesting that
you revisit the material

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while purposefully 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 and

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how it relates to what you already know.

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Pause the video or stop reading
to give you time to think about

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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 in the 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's usually lots of documentation for
a language, a new framework or

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an application, and we'll 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,

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like 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 a colleague.

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Ask a friend or at Treehouse,
visit the community and

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

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You'll often find good advice,
great answers, and

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a lot of support in our community.

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If you're learning a new coding framework
you might see if there's 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 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.