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Chunking - The Essentials

Key points​

  • Chunks
    • Chunks are compact packages of information that our mind can easily access
    • Use chunks to improve understanding and creativity with the material
  • Illusions of competence in learning
  • Challenges of overlearning
  • Advantages of interleaving

A chunk means a network of neurons that are used to firing together so you can think a thought and perform an action smoothly and effectively

When learning new items we are adding more information to the existing chunks and have to be focused so as to create match the old information with new information

Concept for creating chunks​

  1. Focused Attention
  2. Understanding
  3. Practice

Bottom - up Chunking​

There is a bottom-up chunking process where practice and repetition can help you both build and strengthen each chunk, so you can easily gain access to it when needed.

Top Down Big picture​

There is a top-down "big picture" process that allows you to see where what you are learning fits in​

Context​

Chunking may involve your learning how to use a certain problem-solving technique. Context means learning when to use that technique instead of some other technique.

Illusion of competence in studying​

Recalling​

Reading a text and recalling it is far more effective than re-reading the text.

Retrieval​

Retrieval process while recalling a text helps us to build the chunks and solidify the concept that you have just learned

Testing on a matter you just learned is an important step and also making mistakes can be helpful

Highlighting or making notes can also be unproductive if you are doing it unefficiently

Referencing a book or googling a page doesn't meet than you know the concept, that is referred to as illusion of incompetance

The value of a library of chunks

Overlearning, Choking, Einstellung and Interleaving​

  • Delebrate Practice
  • Einstellung (german word meaning mindset) means an already known concept can prevent you from creating a better concept. (blocked thoughts)
  • Interleaving - Creating new concepts by mixing different concepts (creates flexibility and creativity)

Immediately after every lecture, meeting, or any significant experience, take 30 seconds - no more, no less - to write down the most important points

  • Chunking
    • Octopus analogy to chunk together groups of information
      • Focused Attention
      • Understand the concept
      • Practice
  • Recalling is most important to harden concepts
  • Transfer between different chunks
  • Delibrate Practice for hard to understand topics
  • Illusion of Competence