February 2016 - Blog CED

“LEARNING HOW TO LEARN” 
 
 
 
Why should you take this course? 
 
<ul>
<li>You will save time and energy when studying. </li>
<li>You will learn more effectively and get better results. </li>
<li>You will get some tips on how to do better at exams and avoid common ineffective learning methods. </li>
</ul>
 
Who should take this course? 
 
If you are curious about everything and willing to study, this course is for you! Especially, it is suitable and helpful for students that have to deal with exams. 
 
Introduction of Coursera 
 
Coursera is an online education platform that partners with some of the world’s top universities and organizations. Cousera offers free online courses for everyone who loves learning. Participants can study when they have time and choose between a wide selection of courses relating to various aspects of life, such as science, education, business, personal development, etc. 
 
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During the course, you will not only watch the lesson videos but also need to do assignments and tests in order to finish the course. Futhermore, you will be given access to a forum where you can ask questions, discuss the materials and exchange knowledge with other participants. Please note that some courses have deadlines and that you will be expected to take your exam before this deadlines. 
 
 
The courses have subtitles in several languages, including English, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, etc, but English skills within reading and writing are a neccessity as all tests and exams will be in Enlgish. 
 
 
With Coursera courses you can attend and improve your knowledge for free and for only $49 you will be provided with a certificate of completion after finishing the course. 
 
 
What will you get from this course? 
 
“Learning how to learn” provides you with an easy access to invaluable learning techniques used by experts in many aspects. In this course, you will learn how the brain works and how this is related to learning, as well as some common phenomena in learning such as illusions of competence and imposter syndrome, etc. 
 
 
 
Dr. Barbara – the instructor will also summarize some useful tips for learning and taking exams. Through interviews with high-achieving people from the US, you will have the opportunity to gain an insight on what successful people do to acquire knowledge effectively. 
 
 
About the instructors 
 
Dr. Barbara Oakley is a professor of engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and writer of national acclaim. Her research focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior, and her book “A mind for Numbers: How to excel at Math and Science (Even if you flunked algebra) (Penguin, July 31, 2014) is opening new doors to learning. 
 
 
Dr. Terrence Sejnowski is a pioneer within computational neuroscience and his aim is to clarify the principles that link brain and behavior. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering and has published over 500 scientific papers and 12 books as well as having received several honors, including the NSF Young Investigators Award. 
 
 
Interested and ready to learn? Click on the following link to learn more about the courses and sign up: <a href="https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn">https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn</a> 
 
By Trang Cao

About LEARNING HOW TO LEARN ?

“LEARNING HOW TO LEARN” Why should you take this course? You will save time and energy when studying. You will learn more effective...

TIPS ON HOW TO LEARN MORE EFFECTIVELY 
 
(summary of the course “Learning how to learn”) 
 
 
1. Avoid procrastination: 
 
* Manage your time (Pomodoro technique): set the timer to 25 minutes, turn off all interruptions (TV, cell phone, music, etc…) and focus on your work until the timer rings. Then give yourself a little reward like a few minutes of break, web surfing, a cup of coffee, etc. before working on the tast again. 
 
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* Plan your weeks and days. Write a weekly list of key tasks and a daily to-do list the niht before to keep your work in progress. 
 
* Find a quiet place to study: Learn in a surroundings that have little disturbance, such as the library. 
 
* Set your priorities. Do the most important and disliked tasks first in the morning in order to keep focused on the work. 
 
2. Improve your memory 
 
* Use the spaced repetition technique to learn something. Instead of repeatedly trying to learn something many times in one day, it is better to study the materials a little each day and over several days. In addition, the number of days between the repetitions should be increased as you go along. For example, you will study the material a little on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then have a break and study again on Friday and the following Monday. 
 
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* Use metaphor and analogy to make new and unfamiliar concepts more meaningful.Also, visual images will make you understand and remember better. For example, you can come up with the ball or the moon to learn the word “sphere”. 
 
* Make good use flash cards to learn new words. Write the new word on one side of the card and its meaning and examples on how to use in context on the other side. 
 
3. Use effective learning techniques 
 
* Test yourself frequently by recalling. Read the material, look away and recall the key points. You should also try to recall when you are outside of your usual place of study so that you will not be dependent on the environment to remember (because exams often take place in a different room from where you study). This method helps you stay focused and learn more effectively than rereading does. 
 
* Minimize the number of highlights you use in a text, only highlighting the key points. 
 
* Studying strategically by focusing on your weak points. Deliberately practice what you find more difficult in order to fully master the materials. Repeatedly studying the materials can make you think you master when you are actually just learning the easy parts. 
 
* Go to sleep. A reasonable amount of sleep keeps your brain fresh and healthy. It is also a good idea to study before going to sleep. This will increase your ability to understand and remember the materials. 
 
* Do physical exercises. It will cause new neurons to grow in brain areas devoted to learning and memory. 
 
4. Prepare for the test and apply some of the tips on the exam process 
 
* First take a quick look at the test to find out what it is about, then start with the hard questions but quickly jump to the easy ones. Do the hard tasks first, and after 2 minutes you should change to do the easy ones if you feel stuck, after which you can continue with the hard ones. This will help you to avoid being stuck using the wrong approach and will only work when you have prepared well for the test. You can try this method on your homework to find out whether it is suitable for you. 
 
* Shift your thinking from negative (afraid, scared) to positive (excitement, interest) as this will improve your performance. 
 
* Take a deep breath when you feel nervous and stressed. 
 
* Check your answers from back to front instead of the usual method from front to back. As you look at the answers in reverse order, it will enable you to find the incorrect ones. 
 
Reference : <a href="http://blog-en.ced.edu.vn/2016/02/about-learning-how-to-learn.html">Learning how to learn's review</a> 
 
By Trang Cao

TIPS ON HOW TO LEARN MORE EFFECTIVELY

TIPS ON HOW TO LEARN MORE EFFECTIVELY ( summary of the course “Learning how to learn” ) 1. Avoid procrastination: * Manage your time ...