Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects (Coursera)
Have you ever wondered how your brain works when it comes to learning any new piece of information? This course from Coursera offered in collaboration with McMaster University and University of California, San Diego will help you learn that and more, so you can effectively use this knowledge of how your brain actually processes information to learn complicated subjects. Whether it is art, music, science, math, sports, or literature, this course will serve as a guide to help you learn the subject in a more efficient way and improve at it.
This course is the most popular and loved course on Coursera with almost 2 million students enrolled. It is taught by distinguished professors Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski. Dr. Oakley describes how she flunked her way through elementary, middle school and high school math and science and later retooled her brain and has since made it her life’s work to help others learn how to learn by explaining some key principles from modern neuroscience. She takes you through the following topics in a very friendly and insightful manner:
- How the brain uses two very different learning modes – focused mode and diffused mode
- How the brain encapsulates (“chunks”) information
- Illusions of competence (how your mind fools you)
- Memory Techniques
- Dealing with procrastination
- Renaissance Learning
Using the approaches taught in this course, no matter what your skill levels in topics you would like to master, you can change your thinking and change your life.
This course is offered as 4 weekly instalments, and includes 3 hours of video, 3 hours of exercises and 3 hours of bonus material. Though you can complete it at your own pace, it is suggested that you spend 3-4 hours every week. There are quizzes at the end of each video lecture and each module to help you test and validate the learning. The concepts are illustrated with goofy animations, like surfing zombies, metabolic vampires and an “octopus of attention”.
Key Highlights
- Learn the best practices shown by research to be most effective in helping you master tough subjects
- Get easy access to the invaluable learning techniques used by experts in art, music, literature, math, science, sports, and many other disciplines
- Understand how to learn topics that are completely new to you
- Learn counter-intuitive test-taking tips and insights that will help you make the best use of your time on homework and problem sets
- Audit the course for free and enrol for a verified certificate anytime during or after the course by paying a small fee
Duration : 4 weeks, 3-4 hours per week
Sign up Here