Looking back on my educational journey, one glaring oversight stands out: I was never taught how to learn effectively. Sure, I was drilled on the importance of studying and doing homework, but the fundamental skills required for efficient learning should have been explicitly covered.
As a result, I stumbled through school employing haphazard, inefficient techniques that made the learning process far more arduous than it needed to be.
I would spend countless hours rereading textbook chapters, highlighting everything in sight, and cramming information into my brain like an overstuffed suitcase. Needless to say, much of that knowledge promptly leaked out after each exam.
It wasn't until years later that I discovered there's an actual science to learning – techniques and strategies proven to boost comprehension, retention, and recall.
Had I been exposed to these methods early on, my academic career could have been drastically different.
The biggest travesty? I'm far from alone in this oversight. If you are reading this, you also likely went through it.
Millions of students worldwide still lack crucial learning skills that could revolutionise their educational experience.
As John Dewey famously quipped: "The learning...which was achieved with effort will be better remembered than the learning that came easily and naturally."
So, where are we going wrong? Shouldn't "learning how to learn" be a core component of any educational curriculum?
The Problem Starts Early
The failure to teach effective learning strategies begins incredibly early – often in elementary school.
From a young age, students are simply told to study hard and do their homework without guidance on the best ways to approach these tasks.
As a result, we develop poor habits that become deeply ingrained over years of repetition:
Rereading material repeatedly rather than exploring more potent techniques like self-testing
Cramming information rather than spacing out study sessions
Highlighting passages excessively rather than summarising key points
Memorising information without complete comprehension
These counterproductive patterns get reinforced year after year until they become second nature. By the time we reach higher education, our study skills are essentially sabotaging our efforts.
The Solution: Embrace the Science
Fortunately, cognitive scientists have already cracked the code on how humans learn most effectively. Through decades of research, they have identified powerful strategies to revolutionise learning.
Here are just a few examples:
The spacing effect: Breaking up study sessions over multiple days rather than cramming leads to vastly improved recall
Retrieval practice: Actively recalling information forces deeper engagement than passively rereading material
Elaboration: Summarising concepts in your own words and explaining how ideas interconnect boosts comprehension
Interleaving: Alternating between different topics/concepts during study sessions improves retention and the ability to discriminate between ideas
Sadly, these principles are rarely taught or emphasised in mainstream education. Most students (and even teachers) aren't even aware of their existence.
My Personal Wake-Up Call
It wasn't until starting Edudemia, that I was shaken awake to the importance of continual learning and a better foundational learning setup.
Suddenly, I had to assimilate vast amounts of new information on business operations, marketing, sales, finance, and more – quickly. My former study habits weren't cutting it.
That's when I discovered authors like Barbara Oakley, Peter Brown, and Benedict Carey, who had translated cognitive science into actionable learning strategies.
I finally became a rapid, efficient learner by applying research-backed techniques like spaced repetition and active recall.
Looking back, I feel cheated that these methods weren't part of my formal education from the beginning.
As the writer Josh Kaufman laments: "The biggest tragedy is not being uneducated, but being poorly self-educated."
While curriculum standards constantly evolve to incorporate new topics like coding and environmental science, the fundamental discipline of learning has remained stagnant.
We're still primarily judged on the "what" we know rather than optimising the "how" we acquire that knowledge.
So what's the solution?
In my view, it's time we make "learning how to learn" a core component of education – the fourth "R" alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Modern students should be:
1) Taught the scientific principles behind how memory formation and knowledge acquisition work in the brain
2) Introduced to research-validated strategies like spaced repetition, interleaving, retrieval practice, etc., from an early age.
3) Explicitly trained in implementing these tactics through guided practice and application
4) Held accountable for effectively employing optimal study skills as part of their overall academic performance
Only then can we start equipping the next generation with true self-learning capabilities – the gift of lifelong learning that keeps giving.
Of course, old habits die hard. Unlearning years of ingrained (and remarkably inefficient) study patterns won't be easy. But by baking these principles into education from the start, students can circumvent that arduous battle.
We live in a world of evolving information and accelerating change, and this learning skill may be the most invaluable asset we can provide today's youth.
As the saying goes: Give a person a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach them how to learn, and you feed them for a lifetime.