Learning How to Learn = Lead in

It's quite common to get stuck on a problem--often because you have initial ideas about what the solution should be that block your ability to see the real solution. Which of the following are a good next best step to take when you've already spent time reanalyzing the problem by focusing intently, and you find that you are simply stuck?  (Check all that apply)

• If it is toward the end of the day and you are already tired, go to sleep and try again in the morning.

• Keep working away on the problem--the solution will come as long as you keep your focus on it.

• Switch your attention to something completely different, or even better, go for a walk or take a shower--anything that allows your mind to relax and dart randomly around.

Select the following true statements regarding procrastination.

• When you feel neural discomfort about something you don't want to do, switching your attention to something more pleasant can help you feel better--temporarily.

• Procrastination seems to involve an attempt to switch your mental attention away from something that you find slightly painful.

• Procrastination is a rare problem.

Select the following true statements about sleep,

• Dreaming about something doesn't improve your ability to understand it.

• When you sleep, your brain cells shrink, which allows toxins to be more easily washed away.

• It's better to go without sleep and cram what you can into your brain--you can usually rely on short-term adrenaline to help propel you through a test.

• Taking a test without getting enough sleep means you are operating with a brain that’s got metabolic toxins floating around in it—poisons that make it so you can’t think very clearly.

• Sleep has been shown to make a remarkable difference in your ability to figure out difficult problems and to understand what you are trying to learn.

Select the following true statements about memory,

• Research has shown that if you try to glue things into your memory by repeating something twenty times in one evening, for example, it actually sticks better than if you practice it the same number of times over several days.

• If you do not leave time for the mortar to dry (that is, time for the synaptic connections to form and strengthen), you won’t have a very good memory structure.

• Your working memory is like an inefficient mental blackboard--it can only hold a few things in mind, and those things can easily fall out.

• Working memory is like a large storage warehouse.

Which of the following sentences do you think is the best advice for someone who is struggling to learn abstract concepts, such as mathematical ideas?

• If you are not “naturally good” at mathematics, you should consider studying something more in line with your natural abilities. People should only do what they are naturally good at. 

• You should study very intensively for one day a module, as this is the best way to create strong neural connections. After a very intense session of study you will have already learned that concept, and you won't need to study it again.

• You should practice regularly, as practice strengthens the neural connections you make during the learning process. The concepts you are studying might seem abstract, but strong neural connections are real and concrete.

Which of the following statements is true about our current scientific understanding of the brain?

• We're born with a set number of neurons--no new neurons can be born in our brains after infancy. 

• An enriched environment (surrounding ourselves with creative, supportive people) strengthens the synapses in our brains.

• Isolating ourselves and focusing completely on our studies is the only path to success.

• As we get older our brains only deteriorate and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Select the true statements about the human brain.

• Sleeping helps the brain form new synapses (neural connections).

• Once brain connectivity is set, it can't change.

• Brain connectivity is dynamic (that is, it changes), not static.

• Adult brains can't form new synapses.