Book Information: Douban Reading
Scott H. Young, a famous superlearner and author of "Ultralearning" and "Superlearner," completed a bachelor's degree in computer science at MIT in one year of self-study. In this era of rapid change, becoming outstanding is only temporary. Only by continuously improving oneself and having the ability to learn quickly and independently can one maintain a leading position and keep up with the changes in the world.
What the Author Says (1)#
For those who are good at wisely using technology, now is the easiest time in history to learn new things on their own.
What the Author Says (2)#
In the past twenty years, the amount of knowledge that can be obtained through simple online searches has exploded...
However, despite the unprecedented progress we have made in how we acquire knowledge, it does not mean that ordinary people today are thousands of times smarter than the previous generation. While being able to easily access information is a great advantage, it is difficult to solve challenging problems solely through retrieval if there is a lack of necessary knowledge reserves in the mind.
Ultralearning#
It is a strategy for acquiring skills and knowledge. It is a powerful learning method to cope with the rapidly changing world. It has three main characteristics:
- Strategic: It may not be the only way to solve a problem, but it can provide excellent solutions.
- Self-directed: You need to decide what to learn and why.
- Intensive: Superlearners are committed to exploring and implementing innovative learning methods to maximize learning effectiveness.
Why Mastering the Art of Learning is a Challenging Investment?#
- In the field of economics, the average level no longer meets the demand. Faced with rapid changes in the economic situation, we can respond by actively learning the hard skills that help us succeed.
- In terms of education, when returning to school is not economically feasible, superlearning can help fill the gaps.
- At the technological level, there is a huge space for learning, waiting for ambitious self-learners to develop new ways of utilizing it.
Nine Principles of Ultralearning#
Metalearning: Learn how to learn in the field or skill you want to master before you start.#
Metalearning starts with mapping. Mapping is like a map. For example, if you want to go to Wangfujing, you first need to know roughly where it is and how to get there. Will you take the subway or the bus? Where to go first and where to go next? The purpose of doing this is to prevent us from getting lost.
Focus: Set aside dedicated learning time in your daily life and reduce distractions.#
The learning plan we set for ourselves is perfect, but it is useless if we don't take action. Focus is the ability to cultivate concentration and avoid procrastination. We may encounter several problems during our focus.
Immediacy: Learn what you want to master through practice.#
Directly means doing and learning at the same time for the skills you want to excel in. Don't replace it with other indirect tasks just because it's more convenient or comfortable. Direct learning helps transfer knowledge to new learning environments.
Delve into Weaknesses: Break down complex skills into smaller parts.#
Conquer weak points. Improve your weaknesses mercilessly. Break down complex skills into small units, master them one by one, and then combine them.
Retrieval: Testing is not only a way to assess knowledge, but also a process of creating knowledge.#
Testing promotes learning. Testing is not only a way to assess knowledge, but also a way to create knowledge. Before you feel confident in the learning outcome, test yourself first, actively retrieve information, rather than passively reviewing.
Feedback: Learn how to effectively use feedback and avoid self-interference.#
Don't avoid negative feedback. Feedback can be positive or negative, and we can use negative feedback to help identify information we don't understand. 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 have forgotten and why. Learning to remember knowledge or skills is not about remembering them now, but remembering them 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 before forming intuition. A classic study on chess found that ordinary chess players generally cannot remember many chessboard layouts, but excellent chess players have about 1,000 chessboard layouts in their minds, while chess masters have more than 50,000. Chess masters can make intuitive moves in 5-10 seconds, while ordinary people may ponder for several minutes.
Experimentation: Step out of your comfort zone by cultivating experimental thinking.#
Explore beyond your comfort zone. All these principles are just the starting point. 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 inherent urge to do other things or feel unwilling to complete tasks, and sometimes both may exist at the same time.
Many times, our procrastination is unconscious. We procrastinate, but we are not aware that we are doing so.
Common Sources of Distraction in Learning#
- Your environment: Find the most suitable working environment for you and experiment with it. Although multitasking may seem fun, it is not suitable for efficient learning.
- The task you are learning: Some activities are more difficult to concentrate on due to their nature.
- Your mindset: Negative emotions, anxiety, and daydreaming may be the biggest obstacles to concentration.
Three Types of Feedback#
- Outcome feedback: This feedback reflects your overall performance but does not provide specific improvement methods or point out specific shortcomings.
- Information 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 awareness of ignorance also increases because in-depth learning in a field allows us to realize that there are still many unanswered questions.