I have a system for reading difficult textbooks that I find works well. The basic idea behind my method is that the subject matter is easy once you have the right cached thoughts, so use spaced repetition to cache those thoughts before learning the difficult parts.
For the first reading, have a notebook handy. Make a note of all terminology, definitions, etc.. Don’t spend too much time trying to understand it all, and don’t do any of the exercises or problems. The purpose of this step is to identify any things that will help you understand the material. For example, if a derivation uses a math identity you don’t have memorized, make a note of it.
The second step, which I usually do on the next day, is to take each item I noted in my notebook and put it into my spaced repetition software. This has the added benefit of making me reread just the most important concepts in a chapter. After they are in SRS, I’ll do go through my SRS study.
The third step, which I usually do on the third day (after doing my SRS reps for the day), is to read the chapter thoroughly. This is where I’ll do the exercises and practice problems.
Steps 1 and 3 take the longest, so if I’m working two textbooks, I’ll have them offset on days, with textbook A will be on step 2 when textbook B is on step 1, etc.
This may not be fastest way to read, but I find it works well. It takes me about a month to get through a single textbook, which is why I read multiple texts in parallel—it also takes about a month for me to read three textbooks. The use of SRS also helps with retention of the material after I’ve finished the text.
You could probably improve it slightly further by trying to generate your own theories before reading chapters and learning the material in different locations.
Thanks for the link, that was a very interesting read!
The generation technique reminds me a lot of active recall. In both cases doing some sort of work yourself improves retention.
I imagine it works best with theoretical material, and for many topics it would be near impossible to use. For example, recently I’ve been studying some nuclear physics, which it is very empirically based. The equations are made to fit the experimental data, and so are difficult to generate.
Seemingly a better way to use the technique would be for the material to be presented with key parts missing, and the learner would have to generate just those parts. This, of course, requires specifically prepared material, and not just the conventional textbooks I am using.
There seems to be a definite relation between active recall, the testing effect, spaced repetition, generation, learning in different environments, changing the parameters of learning. They seem to all work with long term memory by either filling short term memory up with different material or waiting until short term memory forgets the material in question. At least, that’s my reading of the research.
I found out about these learning effects while researching the interaction between spaced repetition and deliberate practice. I’m starting to think that certain parts of deliberate practice are wrong. Namely conflating measured improvement in a task directly after training with actual learning (ie how much skill you retain after a couple of days).
I would love to know what long term application of these techniques look like. Are you cumulatively improving faster than if you took a more traditional approach(massing many practice problems in one time frame)?
I would love to know what long term application of these techniques look like.
I’ve only been using SRS for around 6 months, and only starting doing textbooks this way in June, so I have no direct evidence for long term effectiveness. Also, the first five textbooks I Ankified were from classes I had already taken.
Are you cumulatively improving faster than if you took a more traditional approach(massing many practice problems in one time frame)?
Of the texts of previously unlearned material I done this for, most (all but one) have been for classes I am currently taking. In these I have been adding chapters to Anki prior to the material being covered in class and waiting until it’s taught in class to do any practice exercises.
Because of this pacing, I haven’t been progressing any faster, but I am doing significantly better in those courses than before...
...which might only be because I’m using SRS now when I didn’t before.
I like to use use Gingko while I’m hard technical material. I basically just re-write a much more condensed version of the textbook as I read through it.
Here’s my Gingko map of Sivia’s Data Analysis: A Bayesian Tutorial.
EDIT:
fixed the link
Also, I should note that I think a lot of the benefit of using Gingko is the simple act of putting the notes into it (because it changes the reading experience from passive to active).
I’m not so sure it’s that reading the Gingko tree is useful.
Just a heads-up: that’s not a valid shareable link on gingko. What you need to do is go in the “Settings of Current Tree”, and make sure it’s set to “Readable At”. You can set a name for the tree there at the same time, and it’ll give you a link in red. This is the link you have to give others for them to view the tree.
Your current link simply takes us to the Gingko front page or to our own homepage.
I have a system for reading difficult textbooks that I find works well. The basic idea behind my method is that the subject matter is easy once you have the right cached thoughts, so use spaced repetition to cache those thoughts before learning the difficult parts.
For the first reading, have a notebook handy. Make a note of all terminology, definitions, etc.. Don’t spend too much time trying to understand it all, and don’t do any of the exercises or problems. The purpose of this step is to identify any things that will help you understand the material. For example, if a derivation uses a math identity you don’t have memorized, make a note of it.
The second step, which I usually do on the next day, is to take each item I noted in my notebook and put it into my spaced repetition software. This has the added benefit of making me reread just the most important concepts in a chapter. After they are in SRS, I’ll do go through my SRS study.
The third step, which I usually do on the third day (after doing my SRS reps for the day), is to read the chapter thoroughly. This is where I’ll do the exercises and practice problems.
Steps 1 and 3 take the longest, so if I’m working two textbooks, I’ll have them offset on days, with textbook A will be on step 2 when textbook B is on step 1, etc.
This may not be fastest way to read, but I find it works well. It takes me about a month to get through a single textbook, which is why I read multiple texts in parallel—it also takes about a month for me to read three textbooks. The use of SRS also helps with retention of the material after I’ve finished the text.
It actually sounds like you’re getting a third effect out of your setup. Namely interleaving.
http://learninglab.uchicago.edu/Publications_files/5-CogsciIddeas2005.pdf
You could probably improve it slightly further by trying to generate your own theories before reading chapters and learning the material in different locations.
Thanks for the link, that was a very interesting read!
The generation technique reminds me a lot of active recall. In both cases doing some sort of work yourself improves retention.
I imagine it works best with theoretical material, and for many topics it would be near impossible to use. For example, recently I’ve been studying some nuclear physics, which it is very empirically based. The equations are made to fit the experimental data, and so are difficult to generate.
Seemingly a better way to use the technique would be for the material to be presented with key parts missing, and the learner would have to generate just those parts. This, of course, requires specifically prepared material, and not just the conventional textbooks I am using.
There seems to be a definite relation between active recall, the testing effect, spaced repetition, generation, learning in different environments, changing the parameters of learning. They seem to all work with long term memory by either filling short term memory up with different material or waiting until short term memory forgets the material in question. At least, that’s my reading of the research.
I found out about these learning effects while researching the interaction between spaced repetition and deliberate practice. I’m starting to think that certain parts of deliberate practice are wrong. Namely conflating measured improvement in a task directly after training with actual learning (ie how much skill you retain after a couple of days).
I would love to know what long term application of these techniques look like. Are you cumulatively improving faster than if you took a more traditional approach(massing many practice problems in one time frame)?
I’ve only been using SRS for around 6 months, and only starting doing textbooks this way in June, so I have no direct evidence for long term effectiveness. Also, the first five textbooks I Ankified were from classes I had already taken.
Of the texts of previously unlearned material I done this for, most (all but one) have been for classes I am currently taking. In these I have been adding chapters to Anki prior to the material being covered in class and waiting until it’s taught in class to do any practice exercises.
Because of this pacing, I haven’t been progressing any faster, but I am doing significantly better in those courses than before...
...which might only be because I’m using SRS now when I didn’t before.
I have a similar method, which I describe here.
I like to use use Gingko while I’m hard technical material. I basically just re-write a much more condensed version of the textbook as I read through it.
Here’s my Gingko map of Sivia’s Data Analysis: A Bayesian Tutorial.
EDIT: fixed the link
Also, I should note that I think a lot of the benefit of using Gingko is the simple act of putting the notes into it (because it changes the reading experience from passive to active).
I’m not so sure it’s that reading the Gingko tree is useful.
I can’t see your linked Gingko tree. It sends me to the Gingko home page, or my Gingko tree if I’m logged in. Am I doing it wrong?
Thanks, fixed.
Just a heads-up: that’s not a valid shareable link on gingko. What you need to do is go in the “Settings of Current Tree”, and make sure it’s set to “Readable At”. You can set a name for the tree there at the same time, and it’ll give you a link in red. This is the link you have to give others for them to view the tree.
Your current link simply takes us to the Gingko front page or to our own homepage.
Fixed, thanks!