Active vs. Passive Learning

Elaborate. Monkey.
(source)

Thinking about our thinking is an important step to maximizing our potential for learning.  Metacognition during learning allows us to evaluate our own learning to determine if it is being effective.  Am I really learning the material?  Do I really understand the material?  Thinking about our own comprehension is an important part of any learning process.

I recently read an article by Kathrin Stanger-Hall, a biology professor at UGA who has an interest in evaluating the effectiveness of teaching strategies.  This article points out the difference between active and passive learning strategies.  For example, passive learning may be limited to the following mindless study habits:

• Reading the material
• Going to class
• Making index cards
• Highlighting
• Looking up information
• Reviewing notes

On the surface, these behaviors seem like learning.  However, while these activities may be parts of a successful learning process, they do not include an active awareness where the student is working to connect the information within a larger context or to evaluate self-understanding of the material.

Active approaches to learning would augment these activities with the following sort of thinking:

• Asking "How does it work?"
• Drawing the process or system
• Writing study questions to evaluate self-understanding
• Reorganizing information into new categories
• Comparing and contrasting information

This type of approach to learning leverages the concept of elaboration that we've discussed before:  somewhat non-intuitively, our brains seem to encode information better with more details and comparisons, rather than less.

As we learn, metacognition should be simmering in the background.  Are we learning?  How can we connect this with other information we understand?  How could we distill the essential elements?  This self-awareness is essential for learning to remain productive and efficient.

Forgetting the Krebs Cycle

The product of a google image search of "Monkey Cycle".

I'm in the process of applying to teach a science class, and one of the requirements is to craft a teaching philosophy.  Of course, being so gung-ho about metacognition, my philosophy focused on how I will try to help my students develop transferable skills that could be useful in any endeavor: creativity, communication, synthesis of new ideas, etc.

Naturally, my thoughts then drifted to the Krebs Cycle and how angry it makes me.

What is the Krebs Cycle and why does it make me angry?  Well, unless you are biologist or chemist working on energy metabolism, the Krebs Cycle is not something you need to worry about.  And, that's why it make me angry.  Because I was forced to memorize all the steps of the Krebs Cycle in high school.

Why did that happen?  Why are students all around the country being forced to memorize the details of a chemical reaction that has little relevance to their daily lives?  I'm sure proponents would suggest that it somehow "trains" students to be able to memorize things, but even as a practicing scientist I rarely need to remember some arcane detail to do my job.  Instead, I need to know where to look for an important detail.  Or, I need to have a general sense of how something works in order to make predictions about the system.

Instead, can't we have students memorize things that are more relevant?  Human nutrition, for example, or exercise physiology.  I'm confident most Americans would benefit from a little more knowledge about how to exercise and eat right.  I digress.

Or, better yet, let's get away from this whole memorization thing entirely.  Let's focus on the skills that will help the most people be awesome in the most settings: transferable metacognitive skills.  No more Krebs Cycle.

Week of Calm

According to Google Image Search,
this is a "Calm Monkey"

Emotions are cool, right?  I mean, they make us feel all weird, sometimes good, sometimes bad.   Occasionally, they come out of nowhere.  They make our bodies do strange stuff: flush, feel tight, feel warm, put butterflies places.  Those are all incredible experiences.  However, that doesn't mean we need to let everyone else in the world know how we're feeling right?

Hence, The Happy Homunculus has sponsored a Week of Calm.  A whole week dedicated to regulating our adult temper-tantrums.  It was a trip!  If you missed out, here it is again:

Week of Calm

Day 1: Feeling - Strange vibrations.
Day 2: Commute of Calm - Drive happy.
Day 3: Cool Off - Get out of there.
Day 4: Poker Face - No tells.
Day 5: Turn the Other Cheek - Empathy, big time.
Day 6: Off the Brakes - Let it out.

Next week, The Happy Homunculus is going to be all about my second favorite thing in the world: sleeping.  I'm going to cobble together a bunch of Daily Mind Games that are going to be soporific to the extreme.  Metacognitive control isn't just about analyzing our own thinking, it's about giving our brain what it needs and craves.  Like some rest.  And I need some rest.

Until then, why not check out the following fun links for some extra credit.  I'd like to make it a weekly habit to share the recent articles that make Homunky the happiest...

Homunky's Hot Hits:

First off, it's always good to get a refresher on what metacognition is all about.  And if that wasn't enough, check out this article for more.

Next up, here is a recent article from the prolific Jonah Leher about making decisions.  It reminded me that it's not always smart to over-think things!  Hungry for more decision-making research?  Here's another article discussing the relative value of emotions and intentional thinking when making decisions. Cool!

Finally, here's a recent piece about memory that reminds me a lot of our discussions during the Week of Memory.  Some good tips there for making concepts stick.

Sixty Days of Cognitive Fitness

Thanks for stopping by!  Please considering subscribing to The Happy Homunculus by RSS, email, or twitter to get all my latest musings on metacognition.

Normally, when I hear "mental fitness" I think word-puzzles, sudoku, and sequences of numbers. Basically, I think about the SAT and my homunculus gets a little queasy.

Homunky loves metacognition!

However, life is more complicated than word games. I have to motivate myself, interact with people, process new information, and stay calm enough so my friends and family don't disown me.  Instead, I need skills for dealing with life: mental toughness, optimism, self-awareness, self-control, people-skills and more. I need some metacognition up in here.

Week of Memory

Let us join virtual hands and remember The Week of Memory.  We have explored the most powerful and proven memory tricks; now, nothing can stop us from remembering anything that comes our way.  Names? Nothing.  Complex systems?  Done.  Lists of random stuff?  Of course.  Whole textbooks? BRING IT ON.

Wait, actually I can't remember what we went over this week...  You too?  That's cool.  Here it is again:

Week of Memory

Day 1: Childhood Home - A palace of memories.
Day 2: Lewd, Crude, and Rude - Because boring isn't memorable.
Day 3: Name Game - Time to rhyme.
Day 4: Mental Model - Details are good.
Day 5: Pretty Pictures - Worth a whole lot of words.
Day 6: Smell, Taste, Feel, and Sound - Close your eyes.

Ah, that jogs the ol' memory!  What a great week.  I'm very excited to continue to apply these memory tricks in the weeks to come.  Hopefully I'll remember to do so...

As for next week, I'm thinking it might be fun to play around with our emotions a bit.  Specifically, I want to see what sort of control we can exert on how we feel and, more importantly, how we react to how we feel.

Oh, noble Monkey of Calm: what is your secret?

I think all of us can relate to the experience of letting our emotions get the best of us.  We blow-up in anger at a loved one and say things we regret.  We get upset at a colleague and let it impede our ability to work in a team.  We feel sad about some event and let that sadness seep into other areas, preventing engagement.  In all of these examples, we would be much better off if we could only reign in our emotions a bit.

So, in honor of emotional regulation, next week will be the "Week of Calm".  We'll try some fun Daily Mind Games that will test our ability to maintain a cool head no matter what happens.  Personally, this is one of the main cognitive skills I wish I was better at, so I'm really looking forward to the week.

Smell, Taste, Feel, and Sound

Don't forget!

Today marks the final Daily Mind Game for the Week of Memory.  But let's not forget all the cool ways to carve new memories into our brains.  So far, we've discussed the value of spatial context in creating memorability.  We also talked about crafting faux novelty to make dull concepts interesting.  Next, we used linguistic hooks to embed names into consciousness. Finally, we constructed detailed mental models and looked at pictures (instead of reading) to play to our brains' natural talents.  Today, we're going to move beyond the visual and linguistic world and incorporate the other senses into our quest for iron memories.

When we were first constructing our childhood home/memory palace, I encouraged us to fold in details beyond the visual in order to enhance the memorability of the scene.  Textures, smells, sounds and more are all useful in maximizing the detail and giving our brain more links back to new memories.  But, that was just a side note.  Today, we're going to attack these "other" senses head-on to really push our mnemonic ninja-skillz to the next level.

Think for a moment: do you have a memory of eating or drinking something that didn't agree with you?  Perhaps you became sick...  How does the thought of the offending dish make you feel today?  Personally, I have a very bad feeling about Applebee's to this day because of a bad interaction with a Linguine dish :(  These food-aversions are a particularly salient example showing just how memorable feelings, smells, tastes, and more can be.  When we get sick, all of the details pile up to create one of the strongest memories possible.

Smell, Taste, Feel, and Sound

Task: Improve memorability of a new concept by associating non-visual details.

Info: Today, when you run into a new concept to learn, combine previous tricks with additional no-visual details.  Imagine each component of the process having some feel, texture, smell and sound.  Let's say I'm trying to memorize details about molecular and cellular biology.  Perhaps I could imagine the cell and interacting with each component.  The cell wall might feel and smell like butter.  The cytoplasm could feel and smell like salt water.  Other organelles might make weird sounds when they engage in various functions.  Again, the point of all this is construct a detailed world for a new concept.  The more details, the more likely a single concept will get embedded in the structure of our minds.

Goal: Use all five senses in creating a mental model of a new concept.

Imagining smells, sounds and textures can be difficult but, like anything, gets easier with practice.  Give it a try - these senses can be very powerful mnemonic cues!  Good luck.

Pretty Pictures

Monkey fools Ninja.

The Week of Memory is in full-swing and hopefully you're getting some useful tips for making ideas stick.  So far, we've exploited the memory palace concept, introduced novelty, linked linguistically, and added detail, all in the hope of creating vivid, memorable memories.  Today, we're going to live the phrase: "A picture is worth a thousand words."  Let's look at some pictures, shall we?

When I was in college, and the professor assigned some reading, you know what I would do?  I'd read.  I'd read all the words I could.  At some point, I would decide: "I don't like all this reading, it's hard." And, then I would watch TV.

Looking back, I wish I had been there to save myself from myself.  I wish I could have read my own blog for the robot-crushing tip I'm about to reveal.  When we have something to "read" we shouldn't read at all.  We should look at the pictures instead.

This whole week, we've discussed the power of visual imagery in promoting strong memories.  So many textbooks, journal articles, technical books, and more have a ton of images.  Is it just me, or are the pictures the last thing we look at?  I don't know why, but it felt like "cheating" to not read and just look at the pictures, but that's just dumb.  The pictures are the quickest, easiest, and most memorable way to learn new material.  Look at the pictures first!  I've found that often, the pictures provide 90% of the useful information and can be absorbed in a fraction of the time as text.

Pretty Pictures

Task: Scan all the pictures first in a technical document that you need to learn.

Info: Articles normally have charts and graphs, magazines normally have diagrams, books normally have tables.  Before doing all the hard work of actually reading something, take five minutes and just look at the pictures.  Maybe you won't understand all of what's going on without reading, but you'll be getting a quick snapshot of all the relevant info in a series of easy-to-remember images.  Then, when you do read, the information will have a detailed mental framework to be placed into.  Easy!

Goal: Gauge what percentage of the important information is in the pictures.

Hopefully The Happy Homunculus is giving you all the metacognition that you need.  If so, take a minute to show your support.  Thanks!

Mental Model

You will never forget The Happy Homunculus!

If you've been following along so far this week, hopefully I've convinced you that almost anything can be made more memorable by creating a vivid visual image complete with novelty.  But, perhaps you're skeptical that these techniques would work in a "real world" situation.  They just seem to be so much work!  Everything to be remembered now needs to go in a spot in a memory palace and rhyme with some bodily function?  Untenable.

Perhaps.  But embedded  in these techniques of memory are more general mnemonic principles that can be used more regularly and more easily than memory palaces and rudeness.  Specifically, the key to a strong memory is detail.  The more the better.

For me, that is a counter-intuitive concept.  Before, the picture I had in my head of memory is like a hard-drive on a computer.  For every file I added (a detail) the less space I had for more files.  But, the more I thought about the brain, the more I realized that is not a correct way of thinking about memory.  Our brain provides a structure of pre-existing concepts.  Somehow, these complex concepts are embedded into the network of our brains, and different concepts can be reconnected in new ways to form new memories.  In this way, "memory" isn't a new file on a computer, it is a new set of links between concepts already in the brain.  Therefore, to create strong memories, we need to add as many details as possible because every new detail is a new connection that links a new concept with an existing one.  The more new connections, the less likely we are to lose all the connections over time and forget.

So, when you encounter something new that you need to learn, spend a little bit of effort creating an elaborate mental picture, or model, or the process, system, or fact you need to remember.  The more details you can layer on to the mental model, the more inter-connections you will create and the more likely you will be to remember any single detail.  Yes, this requires some effort up-front.  Is your goal to remember things or be as lazy as possible?  Wait, don't answer that.

Mental Model

Task: Create a detailed mental model of a system or process you need to remember.

Info: In my work, I need to remember a combination of systems, principles and facts.  I'm sure the same can be said for you.  So, when you encounter some new information, try to combine as many details into a mental picture of the problem as possible.  Imagine each part of the process as physical objects interacting.  Imagine how the components might meet, and create a mental picture for the process of interaction.  Label and anthropomorphize each component or person.  In addition, try to imagine how the new information relates to old information you have.  How do the concepts connect?  Can you create a mental model of the new system?

Goal: Maximize the detail of your mental model.

What do you think?  Are you still in the memory = hard-drive camp?  Convince me that I'm wrong in the comments!

Name Game

I always forget my homunculus' name.

I can't stop picturing it: my homunculus in the form of a orangutan, wearing high-heels, doing a risque dance on my kitchen table.  Unfortunately, this is the Week of Memory, not the Week of Forgetting, so I don't have any idea how to get rid of that image.  I guess I'm going to just have to live with it.  But, that's ok, because I'm very excited to distract myself with today's Daily Mind Game.  The name of the game today is the Name Game, and the goal is to try to help myself with a small cognitive deficit I've been dealing with: remembering people's names.

It happens to me all the time.  I meet someone for the first time, a mutual acquaintance introduces us, says the person's name and I immediately start thinking about other stuff.  "I wonder what his spirit animal is?", "Metacognition is a nifty word to say out loud.", "Man, I'm really hungry."  Then, I realize, "Poseidon's beard, I've forgotten his name already!"

It all comes down to a lack of attention, up front.  My attention is not directed at the process of remembering the name, it drifts to other topics.  The name evaporates from working memory.  Then, I'm up a stinky creek without a paddle.  The key, is to make the effort, when the name is fresh, to make it stick.

By now, you have all the tools to do this: your memory palace and some creative imagery.  But, let's add one more little trick to the mix: rhyming.  Things that rhyme are much more memorable than things that do not, so a great strategy for making names stay put is to rhyme the person's name with some strange activity in a place in your memory palace. For example, let's say I just met some dude named Chris Hall.  I might say (in my head, not out-loud) "Chris Hall: Swing and a Miss for Chris Hall, playing wiffleball in my front hall, he put a hole in the wall! Chris Hall." Of course, I would also visualize this very scene in my memory palace.  Done.  Name committed to memory.  FOREVER.

Name Game

Task: Remember a new name.

Info: I gave you a pretty good idea above of what it takes to create a lasting memory.  However, some names are harder than others to rhyme and create scenes for.  In those cases, try using alliteration to add some memorability.  Also, if the person possesses some quality that reminds you of an animal or object that starts with the same letter, use that.  Do whatever it takes to create a bunch of memorable links to the person's name in your memory palace.

Goal: Use a combination of rhyming or other word-play, novelty, and your memory palace to commit a name permanently to memory.  You will be quizzed at a later date.

Aren't these memory tricks the bee's knees? Finding memory a breeze? Leave a comment to let me know, if you please ;) Geez.

Lewd, Crude, and Rude

Never forget.

Let's pick some random things to remember, ok? Some things that are totally unrelated to anything we have going on, but that aren't too interesting by themselves. Today, let's memorize the following items: a paperclip, a box of tissues, a glass of water, three red pens, a paper airplane, a baseball cap, a computer monitor, some high heels, a pack of diapers, and nail clippers. Got it? No? Let's fix that.

Yesterday, we created our first memory palace using our childhood home. The idea was to create a visual structure in our brain and then to exploit that structure to remember a bunch of random schtuff. Our brains are visuospatial machines, and will easily remember stuff if we create a vivid visual, spatial, and experiential image of the things to remember. Today, we're going to combine our memory palace with another memory trick in order to commit the list of objects above to memory. The other memory trick? Memorability.

Some things are just more memorable than others. This is particularly poignant days after September 11th here in the U.S. The emotional nature of the terrorist attacks 10 years ago, the extreme images, the fear, all resulted in rapid, vivid,and long lasting memories. Why? Because all of the neurochemical soup flooding around our brain in that moment was screaming: "important!" So, we remember.

Today, we're going to create faux memorability, in our memory palace, to remember less important things: the ten objects listed at the start of today's post.

Lewd, Crude, and Rude

Task: Memorize the ten objects listed above.

Info: To remember the objects, you will use the two memory tricks we've discussed this far: your memory palace and memorableness. Start walking through you childhood home recalling all the details along the way. Now, as you reach discrete spaces and places in your house, imagine the objects one by one being in different spaces. This is the function of your memory palace. But in addition, imagine a family member doing something strange, awkward, rude, crude, or lewd with each of the objects. Why? To make it memorable! For example, I'm imagining my brother piercing his own ears with a paper clip in my laundry room. I will never forget that image. You try it! Be as creative as possible.

Goal: Memorize all ten objects, in order, using your memory palace and memorableness.

How did it go?  Did it work? If it didn't you weren't being nasty enough!  Visualize your dog taking a poop in a baseball cap on your kitchen counter. A glass of water with an eyeball in it, in your refrigerator.  Really get into it. You'll remember, I promise!

Childhood Home

A typical memory palace.

The place where you grew up - picture it in your mind's eye.  Take a tour, virtually, in your mind, like you are getting home from another day at school.  Picture the entrance, look around.  Take in the details: the carpet on the stairs, the coats hanging on the hooks, the color of the laundry-room door, the shape and texture of the tiles in the hall.  Feel the floor under your feet, the smoothness, the roughness, the pattern, the texture. Make it feel like reality, because this is your first memory palace.

"Uh, what?" Says your homunculus.  "What is this palatial memory-thingy you speak of?"  Fair enough, it may seem like an unusual connections to make between our childhood home and the art of improving our memory, but, hopefully, the link will soon become clear.

It's a memory trick that has been around for centuries, also known as the Method of Loci.  Our brains have evolved to easily memorize complex sensory information, particularly visual and spatial information.  When objects are placed in physical locations, our brains have an uncanny knack for remembering exactly where they are - a critical skill for hunter-gatherer-hoarder-protohumans that need to remember where that mulberry bush is.

This week, we're going to exploit this feature of the human mind by imagining various objects, people, and events in our childhood home so that we can remember them.  Why do we want to memorize these things, you might ask? Well, to prove that we can!  Then, when we really need to remember something, it'll be a breeze.  So, before we get to the real fun, we must prepare a suitable memory palace.

Childhood Home

Task: Imagine a walking tour of your childhood home.

Info: As you go on your virtual tour, try to virtually experience as many details as you possibly can.  Your goal is to create as vivid and realistic picture of your home as possible.  All of these details will be critical for tomorrow's Daily Mind Game, when we will be trying to memorize a short list of random stuff.  The more details the better, so really go to town!  Be sure to incorporate smells, sounds, etc.  The more details, the more connections your brain will be able to exploit during future memory challenges.

Goal: Create a vivid picture of your childhood home incorporating all five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch.

Still mystified about the purpose of this exercise? Check in again tomorrow for the next Daily Mind Game, to learn more!

Week of Productivity

I know, I know.  Just a single week dedicated to productivity?  In case you are wondering, I am aware that whole sections of the world wide web are dedicated to increasing productivity.  But, The Happy Homunculus is about improving all aspects of our thinking - we don't want to spend too much time on a single subject, do we?  That being said, I'm beginning to suspect that we will definitely have to revisit procrastination and productivity again in the future, so stay tuned!

Albeit brief, I hope this week's Daily Mind Games were useful in your battle against self-defeating procrastination.  It's always motivating to look back and see what we've accomplished, so here is the entire Week of Productivity in review:

Week of Productivity

Day 1: Too Easy - No such thing.
Day 2: Divide and Conquer - Or, break it up and win?
Day 3: High Contrast - Compare and contrast.
Day 4: Worst Case Scenario - Get busy, or else...
Day 5: Solitary Confinement - Escape distractions.
Day 6: Distraction-Free Zone - Clean your desk.

Just a reminder, all of these challenges were inspired by the book The Procrastination Equation.  If you want more ideas for defeating the impulses that lead to procrastination, check out the book.

It is not clear what the monkeys
are trying to remember. 

Next week is going to be really fun.  I recently read an another amazing book, this one with a more quirky title: Moonwalking with Einstein.  The memorable title is no accident - the book chronicles the journey of one intrepid journalist as he explores the secrets of the world-wide competitive memory circuit.  The book examines human memory from all angles, both scientific and otherwise, and should be enjoyable for both the empiricist and theorist in all of us :)   If you want to get a taste of the book, check out this article from the New York Times written by the author, Joshua Foer.  Really great read.

Too excited to wait for the Week of Memory to begin?  Check out this video for a sneak-peak of what we'll be up to in the days to come...

Finally, can't get enough metacognition?  Here is some further reading from other blogs, that you might enjoy:

Further Reading

1. How can you reduce stress?
2. The secret ingredient of motivation?
3. Dealing with drudgery...
4. Still stressed? Here's another tip.