Ep 145: How To Raise A Better Learner

Dr. Barbara Oakley, author of Uncommon Sense Teaching, delivers
the best ways to get ahead in academics based on her research in
education, neuroscience, and teaching. Is memorizing helpful or a
waste of time? Who can procrastinate and get away with it? How
can we help our teens be better learners?


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Full show notes


Getting teens to sit down and practice math can feel impossible.
We go around in circles trying to convince them to practice the
algebra portion of the SAT, or nag them after school to finish
their calculus homework before turning on the Xbox. No matter how
many times we assure them that math skills are critical to a
successful life, they just don’t seem to care! We can lead them
to water, but we just can’t make them drink.


According to today’s guest, the secret to motivating
math-reluctant teens might lie in cognitive science. In her
recent work, she’s discovered and documented some fascinating
findings about the complexities of the human mind. Specifically,
she's gained some unique insights on the way humans learn. She’s
here to tell parents how they can help kids not only master STEM
material–but have fun doing it!


Her name is Barbara Oakley and she’s the author of both the
bestselling A Mind For Numbers and the brand new Uncommon Sense:
Teaching Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students
Learn. Although she’s now a professor of engineering at Rochester
College, she was once a student who struggled in science and
math. When one of her own students prompted her to think
critically about how she became a whiz at crunching numbers, she
decided to dive into the neuroscience of learning to figure out
how students can master math, even if they tend to lag behind.


In our interview, we’re discussing the difference between long
term memory and working memory, and sharing how understanding
these systems in our minds can help us become better learners.
We’re also chatting about the importance of practice and how you
can get kids to actually do it! In addition, we’re breaking down
misconceptions about procrastination and how to motivate a teen
who’s more interested in video games than cracking open the
books.


Why Memory Matters


When we think about the role memory plays in academics, we
typically think about memorizing enough material to pass a test
or give a presentation. But what about the memory we need to
complete a word problem in just a few minutes? Or to quickly
recite a phone number? In the episode, Barbara defines the
difference between the two distinct types of memory: long term
memory and working memory.


Long term memory is the stuff we recall, well, long term! This
includes everything from remembering how to speak English to
being able to get home without a GPS. Different but equally
important is working memory, or how much information we can store
and manipulate over a short period. For example, when we’re
working on an equation, we've got to hold the numbers in our head
long enough to finish it. This is where our working memory comes
in. Without this function of our mind, we wouldn’t be able to
make it through the day!


To truly get the hang of mathematics, a mastery of the working
memory is invaluable, but not at all required, says Barbara. In
fact, those students with smaller or less efficient working
memories can actually approach math from a different angle,
making them math experts with a unique perspective. In the
episode, Barbara explains how you can help a teen who’s been
pigeonholed as “bad at math” learn to compute like Einstein.


Spoiler alert: the answer mostly lies in practice. But teens
don’t really want to do that, do they? So how can we convince
them to get in some geometry repetition instead of picking up the
ipad and playing Candy Crush all afternoon?


The Power of Practice


We know that practice is extremely valuable when it comes to
learning math, but we struggle endlessly to get kids to actually
do the work. Why is getting kids to figure out equations as
difficult as pulling teeth?


To explain, Barbara contrasts learning math to learning to ride a
bike. When kids are trying to get the hang of biking, they can
see other kids riding down the street, popping wheelies and
having a grand ol’ time. This motivates them to push through the
pain of falling and flailing to become expert bike operators.


Being good at math can be just as fulfilling as riding a bike,
but it’s rare that teens catch a glimpse of someone sitting in
front of a calculator and think “I wish I could do that!” In the
episode, Barbara covers how parents can help teens get past that
“falling” stage when it comes to mastering math.


In addition, practice can help bridge the gender gap when it
comes to STEM subjects. Barbara breaks down why it is that boys
are seen as being naturally good at math, while girls are viewed
as strong in social sciences–even though research shows there is
absolutely no difference in math ability between the sexes. By
pushing girls to practice math instead of leading them away from
it, we can help them overcome the discouragement they might be
facing from teachers or society at large.


So if you’re having your teen do extra math problems in the
summer or signing them up for SAT prep classes, you might be
helping them more than you think, says Barbara. In our talk,
Barbara dives deeper into motivating teens to hit the math books
by dissecting a practice known as the Pomodoro method.


A Unique Approach to Focus


Your teen comes home after school, has a snack...and then flips
on some Netflix. They know they have statistics homework to get
cracking on, but they’re not really interested in that right now.
Next thing they know, it’s ten pm, and they haven’t even glanced
at their textbook. Then they try to cram all that information
late at night to no avail. How can we help teens break this
destructive cycle of procrastination?


To start, Barbara breaks down the misconception that
procrastination is effective. Although waiting all day can help
you process information and brainstorm ideas for a prompt,
procrastination definitely does not come in handy when it comes
to learning new things. The more we put studying off and then try
to squish it all in before a deadline, the more we find ourselves
hitting walls and struggling to remember material.


In order to curb procrastination, Barbara introduces the concept
of a “Pomodoro” in our interview. This consists of focusing for
twenty five minutes, taking a five minute break to do something
rewarding, then going back to the task at hand.


Barbara explains how this is super effective for helping
distractible teens focus, because it allows the brain to transfer
information from the working memory to the long term while also
providing teens with time to chill and breathe. In our talk,
Barbara and I delve into the different types of learning in order
to explain why this Pomodoro method might be the secret to
success for your teen.


In the Episode...


Barbara shares endless fascinating information about how our
mind’s function in this week’s interview. In addition to the
topics mentioned above, we discuss:


How our education system is failing to adapt...