The problem with the learning techniques most of us use (like highlighting, summarising, and rereading) is that, although they feel intuitively productive, they’re not very effective or useful in improving knowledge retention. Fortunately, this is where the Feynman technique can help.
What is Feynman Technique?
The Feynman technique is based around the idea that one of the most effective techniques to enhance our understanding is to imagine that we’re teaching the material to someone who has absolutely no idea about the topic. Identify the topic, teach it to a child, identify knowledge gaps, and simplify using the Feynman technique’s four steps.
Identify Knowledge Gaps
- Identify areas we found difficult to explain or had to return to our notes/textbooks to refresh our understanding
- Challenge and identify where we’ve made assumptions based on what we already understand intuitively
- A child won’t intuitively know much about our topic so we need to make sure our explanations strip things back to the basics
Simplify
We don’t understand something unless we can explain it simply. If we’re able to teach someone a topic we previously found confusing, it boosts our confidence and encourages us to learn even more. This often involves reorganizing our thoughts so the explanation flows more naturally.
Identify the Topic
- Pick a topic you’ve recently studied and/or one you’d like to test
- Identify a topic that’s narrow enough to explain in no more than 5 minutes
- Focuses your focus on one topic area rather than an entire subject
Teach It to a Child
- Pretend we’re teaching and explaining the topic to a small child or someone who’s never come across the topic before
- Explain the concept using simple language
- Try to keep it brief, avoid technical jargon, and use examples/analogies wherever possible.
