All learning follows 4 basic stages. The four steps to mastery also apply to superlearning. 1. Unconscious Incompetency. This is the phase most people begin from. Typically people read at 200wpm 30% retention and feel good about it. After years of miseducation people either do not believe they can improve or do not want to …
Handling mental blocks
Occasionally we try to focus on the task at hand and our mind goes blank. Now, what should we do next? Do not give up! There are some tricks that can help to some extent… Relax. Very often if you simply relax your mind block will evaporate. Try some simple visualization exercises using simple objects, …
Note taking and study groups
Does superlearning supersede note-taking and study groups? Not sure. Here are some thoughts about it. Note-taking is the most conservative learning method I know. A student seats somewhere int the middle of the room and summarizes everything the teacher says in his notebook. Handwriting works better than typing, since it includes muscle memory, generates more …
Food for your brain
We all kind of know what is the healthy diet for the body, but not for the brain. So I searched for a friendly doctor, and sure enough, found a nice diet for the brain. The cool thing about this diet: it is also very tasty. So please enjoy. One or two cups of coffee …
Forgetting as a way to handle traumas
Occasionally we ask ourselves: why do we forget at all? What if we could remember things forever? Apparently forgetting things helps us to deal with traumas. One of the best ways to deal with traumatic experience is rewriting the traumatic memory. Some courage is required, so do not attempt this if you do not have …
Clear thinking
How analytical and rational is my thinking? Only one way to find out: get tested! I discovered clear thinking site entirely by mistake, and I was shocked by the quality of personality traits testing. Within very few very accurate questions, computer is able to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses of your thinking. The site loads fairly …
Prereading sentences: grammar and meaning
Not every part of a sentence is equally important. When you are prereading/skimming text you need to understand what you are looking for. Is it an event, a definition or a feel? Accordingly you can easily summarize long texts into 1/4 of their original length. The summary words will form the basis of your markers. …
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Memory grandmasters
There are many memory grandmasters. To qualify for memory grandmaster one must complete 3 trials: 10 decks cards in one hour, 1000 numbers in one hour and one card deck in 2 min, not necessarily all in one tournament. There are further standard memory events, like memorizing 200 random words in 10 min or learn 60 …
Memory challenges
The top ranking memory champion recommends this memory sites for everybody willing to become memory sportsman. One of the coolest features of the site is a list on memory challanges. Unlike technical memory exercises, these mental challenges are packed with useful information. If you are premed student or want-to-be memory sportsman and want to check …
Nature vs nurture
Some of our students wonder regarding nature vs nurture controversy. The subject is very much open. See for example this nice article or these inspiring quotes. I will try to share some of my own experience. Back in 2008 came this amazing book which claimed to determine some of the factors that contribute to high …