.What is the Feynman Technique?
This realization comes just in time for my last semester of college. There are mainly two types of knowledge: [1] knowing the name of something, [2] knowing the essence of something. I believe most people have the intention of truly knowing a concept well enough to apply but settle for simply knowing the name of a concept well enough to define.
I say this partly from my own experience. From the multitude of fast-paced classes and teaching to tests like SATs or GREs, I have concluded it acceptable to understand just enough... to know just the definition. Ultimately I knew that this was not real learning, but throughout my studies, I never settled on a method to consistently transition my knowledge from definition to application. Enter, the Feynman Technique. Essentially, there are four steps (in my own words):
Choose the Concept
Write or declare the exact name/title of the concept you are planning to understand.
Teach to a Simpleton
Think of being a tutor to someone. How would you explain this? I never wanted to be a tutor, thinking it a mind-numbing task if I already understood the concept... I now realize how beneficial tutoring someone could be in improving my own mastery of a subject!
Write out an explanation which explains the concept in a way that even an ignorant person could understand. I usually do this in a step by step manner, labeling each specific step (1, 2, 2.a, 2.b, 3, etc). This method is specifically helpful in my accounting and business classes.
Baffled? Back to the Book.
If you can't explain something or complete a problem, go back to your book or lectures and re-read until you can properly explain it simply.
Simplify. Analogize.
Read your final explanation and notes out-loud. Make sure your notes do not contain difficult words that are not clear to you. Also, as always, analogies are helpful in remembering!
Thinking and explaining in this way will lead to true learning and knowledge of the concept, which you are able to apply! You will have a much deeper understanding of the ideas and concepts you once struggled with.
I came upon this technique through this article (likely originally roaming Medium). There are much more articles and videos concerning this technique. Honestly, I wrote this article (right, another article on the topic) as a way to solidify the method of this technique in my own mind. Give this Feynman Technique a try though. Since I learned about it a few days ago, this has helped my class learning, and will continue to help in my last semester (too bad I did not discover earlier!).
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