Learning Theory: Combining and Customizing Your Learning Style

Our educational system often encourages us to learn in the same way, but everyone has their own unique learning style. It is worth taking the time to reflect on what has worked for you in the past, such as mind mapping, hands-on learning, gamification, tutorials, building projects, memory palaces, and note-taking techniques. In this blog post, we will explore the principles of Learning Theory and discuss how it can help us create a learning style that works best for us.

Learning Theory

I was trying to come up with a system that would help me learn better, so I brainstormed with my wife Sheetal and we outlined the following:

Environment: Place to study or practice

Having a designated place of learning is important in order to maximize focus and productivity. It is also beneficial to have tools, a playground of sorts, that are intuitive to use and create a positive environment to learn in.

Break down concepts into smaller chunks

Learning larger, more complex systems or components can be a daunting task. But when you break things down into smaller tutorials, the world feels like a better place to learn. As an example, let's say you are trying to cook Biryani, on the whole, it would feel intimidating but let's say it is broken down to you step by step with a good recipe, when you follow it in smaller chunks it feels easier to grasp what needs to be done to achieve the desired outcome. Breaking down concepts into smaller pieces is an effective way to learn.

Why do it a certain way?

This is applicable when your creative brain takes over, there is no hard and fast rule. But in some setups following a certain way helps things, like in coding industry standards of code writing style. For example, PEP8 guidelines for Python. However, being creative and not following a certain way is also a great learning experience. You might discover a better way to do things. But the confidence to bring your creative mind and change some things will be challenging but should be encouraged, as oftentimes we learn from our mistakes (or not just keep learning).

Interactiveness & Quizzes

This is where you simulate the problem-solving part of the brain which helps to increase engagement and makes you feel involved and energized. Gamification, adding humor, and memes helps in relatability and can make learning more enjoyable.

Documenting the journey

Questions and Answers: There are different types of learners, some don't ask questions and try to figure things out by themselves. When these people hit the roadblock, they hesitate to ask for help. For those roadblocks - common pitfalls and blockers can be documented and explained in QnA style.

Learnings and Mistakes: Recording your journey can help in ensuring what can possibly go wrong and how to recover from it. It also makes us feel human, as we are all imperfect.

Resources

For learners who are fast, and the content presented is not enough, or the interpretation is not enough, then pointing to resources will help in understanding how the learning block/explanation was developed. This can also facilitate extended learning and revisiting the concept-building thought.

Above points combined with other known principles such as Active Recall, Spaced Repetition, Elaboration, and Teaching Others, will help in better learning.

After noting our ideas, I discovered the Learning Theory. It was reassuring to see that our ideas were in line with widely accepted principles of Learning Theory, such as Cognitive, Constructivism, and Connectivism. Constructivism has been a great help to me in my personal learning and understanding. It is a form of learning where you attempt to build your own understanding of topics by connecting them to things you already understand. This can be done through analogies, examples, and making connections to seemingly unrelated disciplines.

Ultimately, every person has their own unique learning style. Consider combining and customizing the approaches we've discussed to create a learning style that works best for you. Additionally, find ways to make learning enjoyable, such as adding humor, or using food-based analogies, as this will help to keep you engaged and motivated.