Introducing The Feynman Technique - Learning To Learn

What does it mean to learn something? This is a question that has haunted me for most of my life.

It might seem strange to you that I use the term haunted in this context. However the term fits because I place a high value on education and knowledge, yet I'm not sure what being educated or knowledgeable truly mean.

Lately though, I have come across a technique that I think may finally solve the mystery of learning, and will once and for all define exactly what knowledge is, and how to make it useful.

Education Memorandum

I was a fairly good student at school, I was one of those annoying geeks who would not study for an exam until the last few hours or so, and then pass. Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming genius, I wouldn't get straight 'A's but I would pass.

On the rare occasions I did study for more than an afternoon, I would usually get really good grades. However this wasn't enough to keep me going in the education system.

I never went to university and it's one of my biggest regrets in life. Back then in the England I could have gone for practically free, yet I never took up the opportunity. Why?

A big part of why I never went was because of the role my memory played in my education. Obviously everyone needs to use their memories when learning a subject. However I have (or possibly had) a near-perfect, photographic memory, or as some like to call it total recall.

I heard years later that there is no such thing as a photographic memory, however when I remember things, I am remembering the actual point in time which I was told that thing. I can remember insignificant conversations from early childhood, and can still remember the point at which I was taught certain things in school. So maybe it's not a true photographic memory, however I still call it that.

You might think that it's a good thing to have a near perfect memory when it comes to learning stuff, however remembering isn't knowing and that just spun my obsessive compulsive mind out. I noticed that there were people who didn't have as good a memory as mine, yet they were better students. That's when I realised that I didn't want to just remember something, I wanted to know that thing.

But hey Cryptogee, in order to know something, you have to remember it in the first place; right?

Very true, however I remember a chemistry exam whereby I used the hour or so before the exams to brush up on something called moles. Not the cute little subterranean mammals, rather moles in chemistry refer to the molecular weights of compounds.

I remembered being taught about them in class, however didn't really understand the concept. So I thought I'd try and gain a greater understanding of them by sitting down and reading through my books.

As I was reading the section on moles, I thought to myself; I didn't really understand any of that. However when it came to the exam, I aced it, simply because I could bring to mind the pages of the book I had just read, and 'copied' the text from memory.

This really disillusioned me, I could get 98% on an exam just because I could remember things, not because I understood them.

Richard Feynman Passing On Genius

Richard Feynman was a theoretical physics genius who was responsible for discovering a lot of the concepts and formulas we use today.

Apparently Feynman had a way of explaining complex thoughts and concepts so that the people listening always understood what he was talking about.

This is the very opposite of expert's syndrome, a cognitive bias whereby a person who has become skilled at a particular discipline, can no longer clearly explain their field to a novice.

We see evidence of this all the time in the corporate world. How many times have you gone to a website trying to work out what a company or particular product does, only to be left more confused than when you started?

This is because the more we learn something, the simpler it becomes to understand, yet the harder it is to remember what it was like not to know that information. Therefore it becomes impossible to pass on our knowledge in a simple, jargon-free way.

The Feynman technique recognises this and creates a solution to this problem. Whereby you follow a really simple set of rules, in order to learn a new thing. You can even use the technique on a subject you already know well, which will help you understand it on an even deeper level, and allow you to pass on the knowledge in a coherent fashion.

Check The Technique

The Feynman technique is as follows:

Step 1: Choose the concept you want to learn, and write it down somewhere. So for instance you might want to learn about how the blockchain works. Or more specifically, how the information on the chain is protected from corruption.

The point of this step is to really drill down into exactly what it is you want to learn. Often we have vague ambitions, like learning how the blockchain works. It is much better to be specific as it focuses our learning.

Step 2: Imagine you are trying to explain what you know about the concept to a five year old child. You are going to have to do it without using big words, or complex abstractions.

This is the core concept behind the Feynman technique, by avoiding big words you are clearly identifying what you know. So for instance in our blockchain example above, you wouldn't be able to use words like immutable, as that is something that would in itself need explaining to a five year old.

After doing this step you will understand what the boundaries of your own knowledge are, which of course will help you going forwards as you try and grasp this new concept.

note: You may indeed write little or nothing at this stage. However spend as much time as you can exploring what you know, usually you'll surprise yourself.

Step 3:
By now you have a set of notes written in simplistic terms. You can now compare those notes with some source materials.

Firstly you are checking to make sure you haven't borrowed any jargon from your chosen subject. This is very important, as jargon is language that needs its own explanation.

So returning to our example above, if you find you have used a word such as immutable, then your next step is to find out what immutable means, and to insert the description into your notes.

This is a constant process of reviewing and adjusting your notes accordingly. This is basically the step where all the learning happens. Every time you come across something in your own notes that means you have to go back to the source material. It is because your explanation was not simplistic enough, which means you do not understand it.

Hence the challenge is to re-simplify what you have written until you do understand.

Step 4: Teach & Repeat - The ultimate goal is to understand, the best way to gauge if you have understood is to find someone who does not know about the subject, and teach what you've learned to them.

This will reinforce what you have learnt, whilst highlighting the parts you are not so sure about and still need to work on.

Harness The Power Of Analogy

I've written about the power of analogy previously, so I won't go into it too much right now. Suffice to say that when you are on steps 3 and 4, writing out in plain speak exactly what it is you know. Use analogy as much as possible, and keep in mind that the analogies you use, must also be easily understood by a child.

The mere process of thinking about how you can simplify concepts with the use of analogy, will enhance your own learning process in immeasurable ways.

Cryptogee's Feynman Tutorials

So with all that being said, I'd be delighted if you joined me on my journey to understand a whole range of concepts better than I currently do.

These may be practical challenges, like learning to use a particular piece of software, or learning to code a particular tool. Or perhaps more abstract and educational challenges, like grasping quantum computing, or machine learning concepts.

As I go through I hope to increase my own understanding in a variety of subjects, whilst inspiring you to expand your knowledge as well.

I hope you enjoy following me on what should be an exciting journey of discovery! First one coming soon!

WHAT ABOUT YOU; ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR SUBJECTS THAT YOU HAVE WANTED TO LEARN ABOUT OR INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE IN? PERHAPS YOU HAVE HEARD OF FEYNMAN TECHNIQUE AND HAVE USED IT TO GREAT SUCCESS? OR MAYBE EVEN YOU HAVE YOUR OWN TECHNIQUES FOR LEARNING? AS EVER, LET ME KNOW BELOW!

Title image: Nikhita S on Unsplash

Cryptogee