Feynman Technique

The Feynman Technique is a learning concept you can use to understand just about anything. To continuously expand your skill set and achieve mastery over new and complex concepts, it’s crucial to have a framework for conquering puzzling problems ranging from computer science and product design to psychology and evolutionary biology.

The Feynman Technique is a four-step process for understanding any topic..

Choose a concept you want to learn about
Visualize explaining it to a 12 year old
Reflect, Refine, and Simplify
Organize and Review

Step 1: Grab a sheet of paper and write the name of the concept at the top. You can use pretty much any concept or idea – even though the technique is named after Feynman, it’s not limited solely to math and science. In this step you face what you don’t know. Further you start in a specific manner in direction of learning.

Step 2: Explain the concept in your own words as if you were teaching it to someone else. Focus on using plain, simple language. Don’t limit your explanation to a simple definition or a broad overview; challenge yourself to work through an example or two as well to ensure you can put the concept into action. This step works because in this step you don’t trick yourself or others. By explaining in simple terms, you build up confidence about the concept.

Step 3: Review your explanation and identify the areas where you didn’t know something or where you feel your explanation is shaky. Once you’ve pinpointed them, go back to the source material, your notes, or any examples you can find in order to shore up your understanding. By doing this, learning becomes an iterative process. You are actively engaged and you also expand your knowledge base.

Step 4: If there are any areas in your explanation where you’ve used lots of technical terms or complex language, challenge yourself to re-write these sections in simpler terms. Make sure your explanation could be understood by someone without the knowledge base you believe you already have. By making things simpler, you learn the concept for lifetime by properly understanding it. Further this refines knowledge and builds a foundation for further learning.

The Feynman Technique is a method of learning that unleashes your potential and forces you to develop a deep understanding. This technique rejects automated recall in favour of true comprehension gained through selection, research, writing, explaining, and refining

References:

http://www.blog.doist.com

http://www.fs.blog/