Hola! My dearest Learners! If you’re after a way to supercharge your learning and become smarter, you’re most Welcome! You’ve landed on the perfect page. The Feynman Technique might just be the best way to learn absolutely anything.
Before we jump on to the details, it’s essential you know who was Richard Feynman. He was a curious being! Richard Feynman (1918–1988) was one of the great scientists and physicists of his time, truly one of the great minds of humanity.
Not only did he have the ability to grasp and understand complex information, but he also had the rare talent of breaking down sophisticated concepts into a simple explanation. For this innate ability of his, Feynman earned the nickname of “The Great Explainer.”
Here’s how Feynman approached all knowledge: What can I know for sure, and how can I come to know it? It resulted in his famous quote, “You must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” Feynman believed it and practiced it in all of his intellectual work.
When Feynman faces a problem, he’s unusually good at going back to being like a child, ignoring what everyone else thinks… He was so unstuck — if something didn’t work, he’d look at it another way.
If you’re not learning, you’re standing still.
Feynman understood the difference between knowing something and knowing the name of something, and it’s one of the most important reasons for his success. Most of us focus on the wrong type of knowledge. The first type of knowledge focuses on knowing the name of something — what it’s called. The second focuses on actually knowing something — that is understanding something.
Feynman technique is a way of learning better which helps anyone facing a situation similar to those mentioned below:
- a student who has to study for an exam or certification
- a business professional who has to understand a topic
- a baker who has to remember the recipe for a cheesecake
- a mechanic who needs to remember how an automobile functions.
Learning involves using your brain. What we know about the brain, for now, is fairly limited. Reading a book for hours is not the best method to help your brain understand. Our brain does not think linearly because it contains billions of neurons.
In short, the Feynman technique serves as one of the useful self-learning techniques for every single person.
The process helps you solve any of the three common problems faced during learning:
- Not able to understand the concept well enough
- Forgetting what you learned
- Failing to learn effectively
Every action, decision, and thought involves multiple neurons firing into action to make it possible. Therefore, teaching, reviewing and explaining in simple terms brings a larger part of your brain into the act of learning. The more creative you are with your learning, the better you will understand and recall. If you have always wondered how to learn something complex with ease, the Feynman technique is your answer.
Maansee Bakhrey
( Team Zuperly)
