Book Information: Douban Books
Author Scott H. Young, a renowned ultra-learner and author of "How to Learn Efficiently" and "Ultra Learner," completed the undergraduate computer science curriculum at MIT through self-study in one year. In this era of rapid change, being a standout is temporary; only through continuous self-improvement and the ability to learn quickly and independently can one maintain a leading position and keep up with the changing times.
What the Author Says (1)#
For those who are adept at wisely using technology, now is the easiest time in history to self-learn new things.
What the Author Says (2)#
In the past twenty years, the amount of knowledge accessible through simple online searches has exploded...
However, despite the unprecedented advancements in how we acquire knowledge, this does not mean that the average person today is a million times smarter than the previous generation. While the ability to easily look up information is a significant advantage, if one lacks the necessary knowledge base, merely searching will not effectively solve complex problems.
Ultra Learning#
It is a strategy for acquiring skills and knowledge. As a powerful learning method to cope with a rapidly changing world, it has three main characteristics:
- Strategic: It is not necessarily the only way to solve problems, but it can provide excellent solutions.
- Self-directed: You must decide for yourself what to learn and why to learn it.
- High-intensity: Ultra learners are committed to exploring and implementing innovative learning methods to maximize learning outcomes.
Why is mastering the art of learning a challenging investment?#
- In the economic realm, the average standard no longer meets demand. In the face of rapidly changing economic conditions, we can respond by actively learning the hard skills that help us succeed.
- In education, when returning to school is not a financially viable option, ultra learning can help us fill those gaps.
- On the technical side, the possibilities for learning are vast, waiting for aspiring self-learners to develop new ways to utilize them.
The Nine Principles of Ultra Learning#
Meta-Learning: Before diving in, learn how to learn the field or skill you want to master.#
Meta-learning starts with mapping out. A map is like a guide; for example, if you want to go to Wangfujing, you first need to know roughly where it is and how to get there. Should you take the subway or the bus? Where do you go first and then next? The purpose is to avoid getting lost.
Focus: Set aside dedicated learning time in your daily life to reduce distractions.#
The learning plans we set for ourselves may be perfect, but if we don’t take action, they are useless. Focus is about cultivating the ability to concentrate and avoiding procrastination. During our focus, we may encounter several issues.
Directness: Learn what you want to master through practice.#
Directness means engaging in the skills you want to excel at while learning. Don’t substitute it with other indirect tasks for the sake of convenience or comfort. Direct learning helps knowledge transfer to new learning environments.
Drill Down Weaknesses: Break complex skills into smaller parts.#
Tackle weak points. Relentlessly improve your weaknesses. Break complex skills into smaller units, master them one by one, and then combine them.
Retrieval: Testing is not just a method of assessing knowledge; it is also a process of creating knowledge.#
Use testing to promote learning. Exams are not just a way to assess knowledge but also a way to create knowledge. Before you feel confident in your learning outcomes, test yourself to actively retrieve information rather than passively reviewing.
Feedback: Learn how to effectively use feedback and avoid self-interference.#
Don’t shy away from negative feedback. Feedback can be both positive and negative; we should use negative feedback to help us identify what we don’t understand. We can extract signals from various feedback so that you know what to pay attention to and what to ignore.
Memory: Understand why you forget certain things and learn how to remember them.#
Figure out what you forget and why you forget it. Learning to remember knowledge or skills is not about remembering now, but about remembering forever. Our brains have two types of memory: working memory and long-term memory.
Intuition: Cultivate your intuition through games and exploration of concepts and skills.#
Deep thinking is required before forming intuition. A classic study on chess found that average players generally do not remember many board layouts, but excellent players have about 1,000 layouts in their minds, while chess masters have over 50,000. Thus, chess masters can make intuitive moves in 5-10 seconds, while average players may ponder for several minutes.
Experimentation: Cultivate an experimental mindset to step out of your comfort zone.#
Step out of your comfort zone to explore. All these principles are just starting points. True mastery comes not only from following the paths others have taken but also from exploring possibilities that others have never imagined.
Why Do We Procrastinate?#
We often have an internal urge to do other things or feel unwilling to complete tasks, and sometimes both situations may occur simultaneously.
Many times, our procrastination is unconscious. We procrastinate without realizing we are doing so.
Common Sources of Distraction in Learning#
- Your environment: Identify the work environment that suits you best and experiment. While multitasking may seem fun, it is not conducive to efficient learning.
- The task you are learning: Some activities are inherently more difficult to concentrate on.
- Your mindset: Negative emotions, anxiety, and daydreaming can be the biggest obstacles to concentration.
Three Types of Feedback#
- Result feedback: This feedback reflects your overall performance but does not provide specific improvement methods or point out clear deficiencies.
- Informational feedback: This feedback points out your mistakes but may not tell you how to correct them.
- Corrective feedback: This is the most beneficial feedback. It not only points out your mistakes but also clearly guides you on how to make corrections.
What the Author Says (3)#
As we delve deeper into knowledge, our understanding of ignorance also increases, because studying a field deeply makes us realize that there are many questions waiting to be answered.