The Feynman Technique: The Best Way to Learn Anything

Today's blog post is based on an article from Farnam Street.

So what is the Feynman Technique and who was Feynman?

From another Farnam Street article:

Richard Feynman lived from 1918 to 1988. He made his mark as an original genius, starting with his work on the Manhattan Project in his early twenties, through winning a Nobel Prize for his work in developing an understanding of quantum mechanics, and finally as a much-loved professor of undergraduate physics at Caltech.

His lectures continue to be available in many places, providing a deep, fundamental, intuitive way to understand physics.

The Feynman method of thought was developed by a man who refused conventional wisdom at all turns and who sought to build his mental computer from the ground up, starting with an understanding of mathematics at a very young age. (Feynman’s early notebooks are records of him deriving algebra, calculus, trigonometry, and various higher maths on his own, with original results and notation.)

Going back to the original FS article:

There are two types of knowledge and most of us focus on the wrong one. The first type of knowledge focuses on knowing the name of something. The second focuses on knowing something. These are not the same thing. The famous Nobel winning physicist Richard Feynman understood the difference between knowing something and knowing the name of something and it’s one of the most important reasons for his success. In fact, he created a formula for learning that ensured he understood something better than everyone else.

It’s called the Feynman Technique and it will help you learn anything faster and with greater understanding. Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to implement.

There are four steps to the Feynman Technique.

Step 1: Teach it to a child

Take out a blank sheet of paper and write the subject you want to learn at the top. Write out what you know about the subject as if you were teaching it to a child. Not your smart adult friend but rather an 8-year-old who has just enough vocabulary and attention span to understand basic concepts and relationships.

A lot of people tend to use complicated vocabulary and jargon to mask when they don’t understand something. The problem is we only fool ourselves because we don’t know that we don’t understand. In addition, using jargon conceals our misunderstanding from those around us.

When you write out an idea from start to finish in simple language that a child can understand (tip: use only the most common words), you force yourself to understand the concept at a deeper level and simplify relationships and connections between ideas. If you struggle, you have a clear understanding of where you have some gaps. That tension is good –it heralds an opportunity to learn

Step 2: Review

In step one, you will inevitably encounter gaps in your knowledge where you’re forgetting something important, are not able to explain it, or simply have trouble connecting an important concept. 

This is invaluable feedback because you’ve discovered the edge of your knowledge. Competence is knowing the limit of your abilities, and you’ve just identified one!
This is where the learning starts. Now you know where you got stuck, go back to the source material and re-learn it until you can explain it in basic terms. 

Identifying the boundaries of your understanding also limits the mistakes you’re liable to make and increases your chance of success when applying knowledge.

Step 3: Organize and Simplify

Now you have a set of hand-crafted notes. Review them to make sure you didn’t mistakenly borrow any of the jargon from the source material. Organize them into a simple story that flows. 

Read them out loud. If the explanation isn’t simple or sounds confusing that’s a good indication that your understanding in that area still needs some work.

Step 4 (optional): Transmit

If you really want to be sure of your understanding, run it past someone (ideally who knows little of the subject –or find that 8-year-old!). The ultimate test of your knowledge is your capacity to convey it to another.

Jordan Adler explains in his book "Beach Money" that if you can't explain your network marketing business to an eight year old, then you don't understand it well enough.

I wrote about Carol Dweck here:

Feynman’s approach intuitively believes that intelligence is a process of growth, which dovetails nicely with the work of Carol Dweck, who beautifully describes the difference between a fixed and growth mindset.

So, if you learn something well enough to explain it to an eight year old, then you probably know it well enough.

Interesting days

Today - Grammar Day, Fun Facts About Names Day, International Scrapbooking Industry Day, Pound Cake Day, Toy Soldier Day and Marching Band Day

Tomorrow - Unique Names Day, Cheese Doodle Day, Absinthe Day and Dissociative Identity Disorder Awareness Day

Week long celebrations:

Feb 25 - Mar 10: Fairtrade Fortnight

Mar 1 - Mar 7: Universal Human Beings Week, Write a Letter Appreciation Week, Will Eisner Week and Cheerleading Week

Mar 2 - Mar 10: Jewish Book Week

Mar 3 - Mar 9: Procrastination Week, World Orphan Week, Consumer Protection Week, Dental Assistants Recognition Week, Read an E-Book Week, Return Borrowed Books Week, Women in Construction Week and No More Week, 

Mar 4 - Mar 10: British Pie Week, Pet Sitters Week, Schools Social Work Week, School Breakfast Week and Endometriosis Awareness Week

Next Monday - Napping Day, World Plumbing Day, Fill Our Staplers Day and Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day

Week long celebrations:

Mar 10 - Mar 16: Groundwater Awareness Week and Sleep Awareness Week

Mar 10 - Mar 17:  Universal Women’s Week

April 4 - Vitamin C Day, Tell A Lie Day, World Rat Day, Kickball Day, Cordon Bleu Day, D.A.R.E. Day, Carrot Day and Walk Around Things Day