Are you interested in learning how to learn at a higher level? I'm talking about mastering math, sailing through high-pressure exams and making the most of your study time. Every time you sit down to learn.
If knowing how to do that sparks your interest, in this special interview, bestselling author and world famous video professor Barbara Oakley shares her best study and memory tips.
Plus, as the author of some interesting works on human nature, you'll discover some of Barbara's most powerful insights about altruism and memory that you won't soon forget.
Here is the transcript of the interview as a PDF for printing and future reference and you can read the text in full below. Plus, please be sure register for the next free session of Barbara's popular course, Learning How To Learn and make sure to follow her on Amazon for the latest news about her incredible books.
How A Former Math Flunky Changed Her Brain And Created A Mind For Numbers
Anthony: Barbara, thank you so much for being on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. One of the things that I wanted to begin with was your first memory of being interested in learning as a topic, as a subject, even at a meta level where you're aware of this as being a concern, an issue, and something that you can optimize.
Barbara: Oh, it's funny because I think there are two kinds of people who are teachers. There are people who are teachers because they really love teaching. There are people who are teachers who really hate teaching. They're very shy about getting in front of a bunch of people, and they only do it because they feel it's so important to communicate what they're trying to communicate.
I fall more or less into the latter category. I never envisioned myself becoming a teacher or learning about learning or anything of that nature at all. It wasn't until I was probably, well, about five years ago, four years ago, something like that, one of my students asked me. He found out that I had been a formal math flunky. I had flunked my way through elementary, middle and high school math and science. Which is really kind of ironic since I'm now a professor of engineering.
He asked me, "How did you do it? How did you change your brain?" I wrote him a little a page of information about how I had been a linguist in the Army. I've always loved languages and that's all I thought I could ever do. How did I gradually shift? Well, not so gradually but with a lot of work, to being able to assimilate and master math and science. I wrote him this email, and then I thought well, you know, how did I really do that? That's a very good question.
I started looking more deeply into it. A Mind for Numbers grew out of that. I thought, oh you know that's a very straightforward thing, I'll just kind of put together some of the good insightful research and talk a little bit about that. Of course, it was far more intensive than I ever might have dreamed.
The Biggest And Best Permission You Can Give Yourself As A Learner
I think it was just such an interesting experience to realize that I'd never really thought about learning even though I remember when I was growing up. I was like man, you know, isn't there an easier way to learn these things because I do these stupid things like reread a page over and over and over again. Then finally I would flip the page and there the answer would be. If I had just turned the page earlier, I would have kind of figured it out.
Published on 9 years, 2 months ago
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