Book Review V: A Mind for Numbers

Overall rating: 4/5

Estimated Reading Time: 4.5 hours 

• (269 pages, ~ 1 minute per page)

Disclaimer:

• My primary reason for summarizing A Mind for Numbers is to complete my final project for the book’s associated Coursera massive online open course (MOOC). It is worthy of making my Recommended Reading List, however without the need to complete a final project I would have chosen another book to review.
• My assignment requests I “substantially address” three topics. Thus three of my key messages will be presented in greater detail than typical.

Why I chose to read -

• I was interested in taking a MOOC and found the course "Learning How to Learn" very intriguing. A Mind for Numbers was the recommended reading.
• I desire to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of my learning.
• Flows from the possibility of enrolling in a one year masters program this fall and my desire to be a life-long learner
• Learning/reading is a shared interest Renae and I hold. We felt taking a course together would be fun and exciting. Indeed it has!

Background Details -

• Subject: A summary of research on how our minds learn and retain information. Specifically details techniques and methods for maximizing one's ability to learn.
• Year Published: 2014
• Author: Barbara Oakley
• MOOC Co-instructor: Terry Sejnowski
• Setting: In the midst of an age demanding a high ability and capacity to learn new information and continually adapt to new technologies and knowledge, knowing how to effectively and efficient learn has never been more essential to career success.

Author Details -

• Education
• Professor of engineering, Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan (current)
• Ph.D. in Systems Engineering, Oakland University (unspecified)
• B.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Washington (1986)
• B.A. in Slavic Languages and Literature, University of Washington (1977)
• Interesting Notes
• Worked on Soviet fishing trawler on the Bearing Sea as a Russian translator
• Radio operator at South Pole Station in Antartica
• Creator of 3rd most popular MOOC on Coursera

Reflections (book and MOOC) -

I feel I am being a little critical as I think both the book and MOOC were really good. However other books have excited me much more (see Recommended Reading List).

What I Appreciated -

• Excellent content – Synthesized hundreds of references to present many effective learning techniques and habits research has found.
• References were also cited extremely well
• Easy and quick read that will benefit my learning for many years to come.
• Utilizes analogies and metaphors to teach and improve the retention of key messages.

Shortcomings -

• Knowledge does not always translate to action.
• I feel realistic expectations could have been stated regarding time to adopt new learning methods.
• Seems almost too basic. But maybe that is because knowing how to learn is basic, but actually doing it is difficult :).
• While it is beneficial to understand the biology and reasons certain techniques work, I feel these at times unnecessarily lengthened the final text.

Key Topics -

1) Focused and Diffuse mode

• Our mind uses two modes, the focused and diffuse mode. Many are aware of the focused mode which we use when intensely concentrating on understanding new material. The focused mode is essential for transferring new information into memory, however in order to fully comprehend our newly acquired material the diffuse mode is also of great benefit. 
• The diffuse mode of thinking is a more relaxed state of learning. The diffuse mode engages when we remove our self from intensely concentrating, and instead loosely hold the information in our minds. It often operates during activities such as light exercise, showering, eating, and even sleeping! Unlike the focused mode, the diffuse mode allows our mind to connect new information with more distant parts of our brain to further our understanding and mastery of new information.
• It is important to recognize both modes of thinking are essential to effective and efficient learning. As one cannot be in both modes at once, it is beneficial to improve one’s ability to quickly switch between the focused and diffuse modes of thinking.
• The Pomodoro technique is an excellent technique to engage both modes. The Pomodoro technique consists of removing distractions and intensely focusing on material for ~25 minutes. After ~25 minutes, a 3-5 minute break with a reward is given. This small break allows one’s mind to transition into the diffuse mode and provides a built in reward system for focused, undistracted learning. Multiple Pomodoro sessions can strung together during longer study sessions. Of note, after the fourth Pomodoro session, it is recommended to take a longer break (~30 minutes).
• To-do lists are a second application of engaging both the focused and diffuse modes. As stated by Barbara Oakley in A Mind for Numbers, it is effective to form to-do lists for the following day the night before. The focused mode is utilized in forming the to-do list, followed by diffuse mode operating during your sleep to prepare you for action the following day. Not only do to-do lists utilize both modes of thinking, but they also aid in learning through freeing up working memory as discussed in key topic #2 below.

2) Working and long-term memory

• Similar to having two modes of thinking, our minds have two memory states, a working memory and a long-term memory. A typical person’s working memory is able to hold four “chunks” of information. Individuals are unable to expand the number of chunks they can hold, but are able to increase the size of the chunks as one becomes more familiar with material. This is demonstrated through the use of to-do lists. If you know what you want to be doing, additional space in freed in your working memory rather than having space taken up by thinking about what you should be doing.
• Working memory is temporal in nature. Barbara Oakley describes working memory as a blurry chalkboard, able to quickly be erased and replaced with new information. In comparison, long-term memory serves as a large storage warehouse. With effort from your working memory, you are able to retrieve long-term memories.
• Many methods and techniques were presented to aid in the development of long-term memory. Utilizing active recall in combination with spaced repetition can greatly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of forming long term neural connections. Anki is a website that uses computer algorithms to optimize the use of spaced repetition via computerized notecards.
• Furthermore, our minds have exceptional spatial and visual abilities. Enlisting the use of evocative images and memory palaces greatly aids one in committing information in working memory to long-term memory. See Joshua Foer's TED Talk for a great video on the use of these techniques in memory competitions. Oakley also promotes the use of meaningful groups and memorable sentences to aid in the storage and retrieval of long-term memories. Two examples of these include the using acronyms such as MONA and “Old People From Texas Eat Spiders”.
• MONA: Morphine, Oxygen, Nitroglycerin, Aspirin. Four interventions for patients presenting to an emergency department with a verified heart attack.
• “Old People From Texas Eat Spiders” is to assist the retrieval of the names of our cranial bones: Occipital, Parietal, Frontal, Temporal, Ethmoid, and Sphenoid.

3) Illusions of Learning

• A third main topic of A Mind for Numbers is to be aware of and avoid illusions of learning. These are behaviors and traps that trick our minds into believing we are learning, when in fact we are forming poor and temporary neural connections that are quickly lost.
• Passive rereading, the process of simply skimming over recently read material, is an illusion I have frequently succumbed to. During passive rereading, I fool myself into thinking I know and understand material only to “choke” when forced to use active recall to retrieve the information (aka tests).
• Another illusion of learning I have experienced in the phenomenon of overlearning. Overlearning is the repetitive studying of the same material during the same study session. Our minds are only able to learn or master a certain amount of the same material in each study session. Studying beyond this is inefficient and tricks our minds into thinking we have learned the material. Instead, we have failed to build strong, long-term neural connections. It is far more effective and efficient to use the techniques of spaced repetition as described above to commit material into long-term memory.
• I find myself engaging in overlearning when I have procrastinated and feel forced to quickly memorize information. While I may remember some of the material during my times of overlearning, I miss how to apply or where the information fits into the big picture.
• Other illusions of learning covered in A Mind for Numbers include the Einstellung effect, only concentrating on “easy problems”, and not utilizing interleaving to know both how and when to use information.

Who do I recommend read -

• Anyone interested how to improve their learning
• High school students who would benefit from the techniques and habits listed not only for their entire lives, but also avoid ingraining poor study/learning habits at an early age which would need to be corrected later.
• Teachers - they are in an ideal position to instruct students on effective learning methods and resources.
• Anyone who considers themselves a poor learner. It may be they received little to no instructed and/or developed productive study habits.

Who do I recommend not reading -

• Someone who does not plan to every learn anything again. I’m not sure who this person is but maybe they exist?

While bordering on lengthy, Barbara Oakley’s A Mind for Numbers compiles and presents in layman’s terms many effective and efficient techniques and habits to improve one’s ability to learn and retain new material. In today’s marketplace, the demand for learning, synthesizing, and teaching new information has never been greater. A Mind for Numbers and Oakley’s associated Coursera MOOC are worthy of your time and effort.

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