The Feynman Technique
When we learn something, its easy to think that we understood that concept. But have we acquired that knowledge, have we mastered it ? Did we learn it effectively, Or have we just memorized some piece of information ?
As I have discussed in my other post " How To Study: Active Recall Technique You Should Be Using " highlighting, rereading and summarizing have shown to be less effective study techniques. Although they feel intuitively productive, they're not very effective. So, we are not using techniques to retain information more effectively, rather it helps us to pass a examination quickly.
The Feynman technique can help deal with this.
Richard Feynman pioneered the field of quantum electrodynamics, he took part in the the Manhattan Project, he re invented the idea of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams, won the 1965 Nobel Prize in physics and had the ability to turn complex ideas to simple terms.
According to Richard Feynman it wasn't his innate intelligence that made him so accomplished. Rather, it was his systematic method of understanding, simplifying, and explaining difficult concepts to simple terms; which lead to his success.
This approach is called the Feynman technique now.
The Feynman Technique
The Feynman technique revolves around the idea that you should be able to teach someone the information you want; some one who has no idea regarding that topic and get them to understand it . This would mean you would have a good understanding of that concept yourself. For example a little child.
This will help you get a better understanding of your own thoughts about the topic, and avoid misunderstandings or linking topics we don't understand well enough. Through the 4-steps of the Feynman technique I’ve outlined below, we are encouraged to break down the information and understand it as a whole, identify the knowledge gaps, turn those knowledge gaps into strengths, and master the concepts.
- Study the topic
- Teach the topic i.e. like a child
- fill in the knowledge gaps
- simply the information
We will go over these 4 steps in turn.
- Study the topic
The first step is to choose a topic you would like to test your knowledge and understanding about. This can literally be any topic you want.
Once we have chosen the topic, you can write it down on a piece of paper; clearly at the top. It's best to choose a narrow topic to do this. Choosing a narrow topic is important here, otherwise it will be difficult to do step 2 properly. We should try to choose a topic that can be explained no more than 5 minutes.
What are the learning benefits of doing this ?
It makes learning specific - It makes us focus on one area of a topic, rather than on a entire subject. So we know exactly what we have to know and learn.
It keeps things simple - Learning a narrow or smaller area of topic, makes it quicker to complete the 4 steps of the Feynman technique. So we're less likely to get distracted, bored or give up while learning or revising.
2. Teach the topic
Try teaching the topic to a child or someone who has no knowledge about it. Here you should try to make the information you are teaching as simple as possible; explain using simple language. Do not simply define the concept. If the topic is around mathematics, give examples to make it easier to understand the concept.
The most common mistake is learning as if it is a passive process. Rereading and highlighting are popular learning techniques, but they are considered to be low utility; less productive. It is less productive because we are not recalling the information actively, or using spaced repetition techniques to bring that information back to our mind. To retain that information.
Teaching is a active method of learning and it is more effective than rereading and highlighting techniques. After all, we can't teach something without first understanding it properly.
To complete step 2 well, we should take a piece of paper write down the topic in detail, in your own words. Keep it brief, avoid technical jargon, and use examples often as possible.
What are the learning benefits of teaching a topic ?
This step will help identify the gap in your knowledge.
The person you're teaching may ask questions, so we are getting external feedback.
3. Fill in the knowledge gaps
Here we would have identified our knowledge gaps in step two, so areas that were difficult to explain; or areas that needed the textbook or notes are the gaps in our knowledge. We would need to fill these in. If we have used any technical term when you were teaching the topic, we should try to break those terms into simpler components.
If the person you were teaching had problems understanding the concepts, than you have identified your knowledge gap. This are the areas that needs to be filled and simplified in step 4.
It is important not only finding the knowledge gaps, but also to identify our assumptions based on what we already knew intuitively. The child you are teaching won't have any knowledge about your topic, so we need to explain it from the start and make it simple.
What are the learning benefits of identifying knowledge gaps?
It is an active way to learn - Helps to identify the what we still need more understanding of. Instead of going over what we already know for instance when we highlight, reread and summarize), we can spend the time on what needs to be worked on more.
Learning becomes iterative - It is very difficult to remember a topic if we go over it just once. By teaching and filling in knowledge gaps multiple times, we are more likely to learn the topic much better and it can be retained in our memory for a longer period of time.
4. simply the information
The final step of the Feynman technique is to rewrite the topic into simpler terms. This includes reorganizing our thoughts, finishing incomplete ideas, providing simpler examples to breakdown the complex concepts. This is to make the topic more understandable and flow more naturally. This could take multiple attempts to get it right.
What is a learning benefits of simplifying the information ?
If the topic is simple; it will be easier to understand.
Why use the Feynman Technique?
It is a simple technique to use for learning, but it is highly effective.
This technique allows us to go over a concept quickly, helps to identity the weaker areas; the knowledge gaps and incorporates active learning. This will help reduce rereading, highlighting and learning passively, and move towards learning actively. In addition to making the topic stick in your long term memory, it makes the topic simple to understand.
It also eliminates memorization from our learning process. Often for school students just memorize alot and end up forgetting everything once the exams are done. But the Feynman technique forces us to gain a better understanding of the topic, and get our thoughts organized.
Finally, the Feynman technique makes us gain a deep understanding of the topic which peaks our interest. This is the fundamental goal of learning anything; to learn something purely for the passion of it. Rather than learning it for various other reasons. If we can have fun and enjoy the journey, then the learning will take care of itself.
"Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don’t think about what you want to be, but what you want to do. Keep up some kind of a minimum with other things so that society doesn’t stop you from doing anything at all" - Richard Feynman
Conclusion
The Feynman technique enables us to learn more effectively, fills up the knowledge gaps, gain a deeper understanding of the topic; it is such a valuable technique to add to your learning system. As a student it can improve performance, increase our understanding of the topic and increase productivity. It really is useful to learn any topic you desire to.