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Back to Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects by Deep Teaching Solutions

4.8
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90,724 ratings

About the Course

This course gives you easy access to the invaluable learning techniques used by experts in art, music, literature, math, science, sports, and many other disciplines. We’ll learn about how the brain uses two very different learning modes and how it encapsulates (“chunks”) information. We’ll also cover illusions of learning, memory techniques, dealing with procrastination, and best practices shown by research to be most effective in helping you master tough subjects. Using these approaches, no matter what your skill levels in topics you would like to master, you can change your thinking and change your life. If you’re already an expert, this peep under the mental hood will give you ideas for turbocharging successful learning, including counter-intuitive test-taking tips and insights that will help you make the best use of your time on homework and problem sets. If you’re struggling, you’ll see a structured treasure trove of practical techniques that walk you through what you need to do to get on track. If you’ve ever wanted to become better at anything, this course will help serve as your guide. This course can be taken independent of, concurrent with, or prior to, its companion course, Mindshift. (Learning How to Learn is more learning-focused, and Mindshift is more career-focused.) A related course by the same instructors is Uncommon Sense Teaching. To join the fully translated Portuguese version of the course, visit: https://www.coursera.org/learn/aprender To join the fully translated Spanish version of the course, visit: https://www.coursera.org/learn/aprendiendo-a-aprender To join the fully translated Chinese version of the course, visit: https://www.coursera.org/learn/ruhe-xuexi To join the fully translated French version of the course, visit : http://www.coursera.org/learn/apprendre-comment-apprendre...

Top reviews

RH

Sep 16, 2019

I loved it very much , it helped me in improving my skills and trying to find my passion by learning and have a great energy to do great things , it is my pleasure to have this course from you doctors

JR

Oct 22, 2017

This Course Is awesome it gave me a new look on how my brain works and that i should actually take breaks which is probably why i get frustrated. I am Excited to Put what i have learned into practice.

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551 - 575 of 10,000 Reviews for Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects

By Radha S

Dec 15, 2020

This was an incredibly useful course. It has equipped me with practical tools and learning strategies that I can easily incorporate in my everyday life. In fact, having implemented a few of the techniques taught in the course, I can already find a better version of myself emerging slowly!

What makes this course so impactful is the convincing manner in which the process of learning is explained. l especially loved Prof Barbara Oakley's easy-to-follow pace, and the interviews with Dr Brent, Dr Felder, Keith Devlin and Scott Young.

I am extremely grateful to Prof Oakley and Prof Sejnowski for putting together this invaluable course. I highly recommended it for all those who want to become better learners!

By Thinh P

Jan 21, 2016

This course is extremely helpful! Ironically, I started the course when I just graduated from college. I found out that I have been using inefficient techniques to study all my years in school (e.g. using mere will power to force myself into problem solving, studying long sessions without taking breaks, falling into the trap of procrastination, etc.) This course has provided me with many perspectives in studying, and they are so convincing since they are backed up by evidences from neuroscience. The course is full of to-the-point tips and helpful advice, with a minimal level of technical details (just enough for a general audience).

Many thanks to the team they created this course! Happy learning, everyone!

By Dhwani L

Jun 19, 2021

This has been a super helpful course. The sessions, interviews with renowned personalities and written matter have been very informative. It really teaches one so many methods and gives so many suggestions and ideas with the help of which, one can really improve their learning. Moreover, one can get to learn so many new and interesting facts of the brain, the course is also involved in brain science which is really important to understand, in order to be able to create a good and realistic learning technique for oneself. I truly appreciate the faculty and the team members involved in conceptualizing and presenting this very amazing and helpful course for us students and truly making us learn how to learn!

By Leoh V T

Jun 18, 2020

Thanks to Prof. Barbara and the Coursera team that provide such a wonderful course of learning. I gained a lot of good knowledge, tips, tricks, and experiences during the course, and also, I have been applying it to my study every day effectively. From the neuroscience perspective, I understand more deeply about my weaknesses that I was not able to call out its names exactly and spent many years struggling with them. As a result, I feel more confident when I figured out what procrastination is, how to change my habit, Serependity Law, and so on. I will soon be back to school to continue my learning journey, and also, I wish I could share with others everything I learned from this course.

My gratitude,

Vinh

By Aviv B

Apr 7, 2020

The course delves into a variety of relevant subjects related to the learning process. It is built in an outstanding way, so it is suitable for different age groups with different intellectual levels.

Although I would have liked to see more practical explanations regarding the ways one can apply the information in their own lives, I still enjoyed and gained from every minute of this course.

Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski are doing an amazing job guiding the course. Barbara is very well-spoken and articulated which made it extremely easy to understand the material.

To conclude, I strongly advise those enthusiastic learners, to take this course. I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors.

By Tiago C M

Jan 25, 2020

It really helped me in so many levels that i don't even know how to delimit its influence on my posterior perception concerning on the act of learning. To establish a concrete example, just the idea of modes of thinking and the importance of alternating them to access more of my own cognitive machinery to help me to solve problems is on its own enough to say that doing this MOOC was time well spent. By the way, i plan to redo the course later to better chunk the presented concepts and confront them with the mental images that I've created of them when introspecting between lessons. Many thanks for the shared knowledge, and I've already started reading the Mind for Numbers book influenced by this journey.

By Nada Z

Dec 5, 2015

This is an extremely useful course. I recommend it for everyone, no matter your level of education or indeed your age. I think this course should be mandatory for both high school students and their parents. The main reason being so that students can master these skills early in their years and both parents and students understand, in particular, the value of exercise and sleep in learning. Thank you to all those people who put together this course. Although Dr Oakley and Dr Sejnowski are the faces of this course, I know there were many more involved in the conceptualisation and building of this course. Thank you for making it a MOOC and thank you for such a wonderful clear format that was easy to follow.

By Kishka P

Aug 17, 2015

I loved this course! I was really useful and easy to apply the tools to my behaviour and other learning activities immediately. I even shared with my partner and friends all of whom were very surprised and pleased with the results. Though the course material is REALLY interesting, I believe it is the delivery that made it GREAT! Barbara made this learning experience for me truly memorable. She has a gentle clear approach and a warm and encouraging nature. Thank you to everyone involved, but an especially BIG THANK YOU TO BARBARA. You should be very proud at your contribution to learning, I think it will have a massively positive impact on so many people. Well done! I will look out for your future courses.

By Lucimeire A M

May 15, 2020

This course is wonderful! This was a good opportunity to learn useful tools to improve my knowledges. Most of the videos contain important information to the comprehension about learning process. The interviews are interesting, I loved each piece of advices given by the professors and the specialists, I think this experience has helped me to focus my attention on the diffuse modo, because it is a good way to improve my skills. Another topic I have loved is the procrastination. From now on I understand better what is happening to me, and how to manage my procrastination. I am very grateful to the professors, Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski you are great professors, Thank you very much again!

By Ifiok E

Apr 13, 2020

This course is highly recommended for anyone (regardless of age) who wants to know just how to learn effectively. It is practical and uses metaphors and analogies excellently to drive home the point.If you are having any problem with learning something new, difficult, complex and challenging, here's your solution.If you find yourself banging your head against the wall (literally) when trying to solve problems, then you need to take the time that is required to take this course.If you've been having problems with procrastination (like I was), you'll learn about a tool that will help you tackle and overcome procrastination.Thank you Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski for this. I'm in your debt.

By Lilian F

Aug 9, 2019

With this course, I learned a lot of new techniques and helpful tips that will help me learn and understand any material or concept effectively. I am planning to employ some of these tips and techniques in my upcoming fall semester at university. This course also helped me look at learning from a different perspective, evaluate my current studying methods, and improve my understanding of the brain and the different ways of utilizing its abilities to unlock the hidden potentials that will allow you to succeed in your studies and life. I recommend this course for anyone who is looking to improve and enhance their learning abilities and studying methods to do well in your future studies and upcoming tests.

By Marc G

Dec 13, 2023

Life-changing! I was a fairly decent student throughout and got into a good University because I had stumbled on some of these study strategies in this course, however, I didn't do as well during University because i did not know ALL of the ideas presented here, and seriously wish my University studies would have begun with THIS course! It really taught me a lot about how to overcome procrastination and make my learning stick! I am trying to get my friends and family to take this course, and plan on teaching all the techniques here to my children! If you think you're a decent learner but could do better, or maybe you're not a good learner at all you should take this course! It will change your life!

By Jordan S

May 1, 2022

Absolutely wonderful! This course put into words what I've only grasped at with regards to learning, studying, being more creative, more focused, and improving my study habits for so many years. Dr. Barbara and Dr. Terrence are wonderful instructors! I can use what they've taught me in so many different pursuits, and they overlap so nicely! As a musician, a language learner, and someone entering into the field of IT, I can use this course and the techniques taught in it to help me with learning anything better, faster, and retain it over longer periods of time. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn, be a better test taker, someone studying new topics, or improving on their skills.

By Deleted A

Aug 21, 2018

Really good and helpful course. If you are in a start or middle of the learning process, it helps improve or change learning method in better way.

Lots of interesting information about the brain will be interesting to kids and give them good start.

Older people find a good system for planing their time and get more time to know new things.

Хороший и полезный курс. Если вы начали что-то изучать или еще проходите обучение в школе или университете, курс поможет скорректировать или изменить метод обучения. Интересная информация о мозге будет занимательной для детей, что поможет с младых лет сформировать правильный подход к обучению. Людям старшего возраста поможет правильнее распределять время на обучение.

By Abhishek S

May 5, 2017

This is the best course on Coursera which helps you learn about how to learn anything, how to develop good learning habits , and learning powerful mental tools & strategies for good studying. The instructors are really very engaging and you will love studying with them. As you walk through this course, you will start applying and practicing your learning of the course and by the end of the course, you will be using this knowledge in learning and mastering any tough subjects or new languages or acquiring new skills in a right , easy and efficient way. This course has something for everyone of any age and is ideal for everyone who is keen to learn anything quickly or effectively. Happy Learning!!!!!!!

By Pris T

Nov 16, 2020

Really enjoyed this course, especially appreciated Barbara Oakley's candid way of presenting. I've learnt new perspectives of how our brains work, and I look forward to apply methods for learning more effectively like the Pomodoro, shifting between focused and diffused mode, etc. It's been a real pleasure to learn while enjoying the interesting puns and illustrations during the videos and in the tests. I encourage anyone to take up this course with an open mind, whether you are studying or working. Also felt inspired by Barbara's anecdote of her own experiences of learning and career, it made me think that I can learn things I'm not naturally good at. Thank you for teaching us how to learn better!

By Viktoriia N

Jul 14, 2019

Everybody needs to complete this extremely helpful course, because it changes our understanding of learning. I never thought that these 4 weeks would give me loads of interesting information about my brain's work and how to learn properly. I understood that all of us usually try to trick ourselves in learning, like "Oh, yeah, I already know that" or "Recalling is useless, it's such a waste of time" and so on, but we can avoid such stupid excuses and start to gain real knowledge)) I was especially amazed by the story of Barbara Oakley's career path, she was a real motivator for me during all that time. This course is worth your time, so you can master any subject in the world!!!Thank you so much!!!

By Robert B

Feb 7, 2016

I learned sooooooo many actionable techniques, strategies and concepts that really works if you implement them. One or two tactics in this course I heard about through the accelerated learning grapevine over the years, but here the techniques are backed by credible research, giving me more confidence to apply them consistently.

I was initially concerned this course was going to be full of more dry theory than practical application, that I almost skipped it. Very glad I didn't. Each module succeeds in being engaging and informative in ways that can be applied immediately to one's learning projects for better results or to a less stressful path to the same results....excellence.

Highly Recommended.

By Mariana L d B e L B S

Apr 29, 2020

The course material is great and concepts are awesome. I really enjoyed the video lectures and all the techniques that I learned. The teachers explain everything in an interesting away that allows us to retain our attention. I believe that many concepts I learned will be very helpfull in my future and will allow me change for the better. I already tried to implement some techniques while I was attending the course. I already started to use the Pomodoro clock and how happy I was to check this as a great productivity toll. The course offers a great amount of optional sources of information like more readings and great interviews of special guests. Thank you! I really enjoyed to learn how to learn!

By Aaron R

Apr 22, 2017

Awesome, Mind expanding and contracting! This course will show you how to turn your mind inside out, upside down, and unlock the keys to transforming yourself in ways you have never imagined. I recommend this course to at least one person a day, and to anyone who wants to become a better student in school or of life. Thank you to Dr Oakley, and her team at Coursera. Applying the principals of procrastination, and understanding to the ways my eating habits were influenced by the insular cortex and the process of replacing pain with pleasure helped me stop drinking coffee and alcohol, cut down on "comfort foods" like carbs, and meat, and lose 25 pounds within three weeks of completing the course.

By Peter W

Jul 9, 2020

After 40 years of not attending classes, this was the perfect way to step back into a virtual classroom and reexamine my life as a perpetual student. This class did much to confirm that as a trained musician, I've learned how to learn at a very early age. Also, I've had some great teachers along the way that taught me that the best teacher is one that teaches a student how to learn on their own. Grateful for taking notes once again and doing little quizzes. I also enjoyed the chance to do a little writing for this class, something I don't get to do in much in my normal life. Looking very much to picking some other classes to attend virtually while holed up with this pandemic. What a great gift!

By Carla M

Jul 4, 2020

I truly enjoyed this course and learned new information and strategies I can use personally and professionally to learn and do more with the time available. In my job, I'm constantly learning new things as I work with teams on diverse topics in health and education. While taking the course, I was also writing podcast scripts (for my job) on health and wellness in schools and in the workplace, and I found myself writing them in Barb's voice--kind, pleasant, curious, encouraging. The depth and breadth of this course far exceeded my expectations. I was never bored, and the content was so rich that not a single reading or video felt like a waste of time. I could tell it was a labor of love. Bravo!

By Jens G

Dec 21, 2019

I wish I knew about this before i started to study in University. This is a great starting course no matter your discipline that you are interested in.

This might be the most self improving and valuable course! But you need to have the dedication to stick with this course. I expect that younger people wont have the discipline or interest in this topic even tough it is very important.

If you are like me and studied a couple of years you will recognize your mistaken learning strategies, which is great so you can substantially improve future learning and it makes learning more fun!

Learning is not as easy to understand as it might seem. You need to bring some reflection time with you and patience.

By Gira

Aug 10, 2020

El curso has sido muy bueno y facil de entender. Barbara and Terry explican conceptos que aunque tan odvios hacen que el aprendizaje se haga mas facil y efectivo. Un tema que debiera ensenarse en la education media y en la universidad cuando tenemos que estudiar en forma rapida y efectiva. El curso me hizo recordar mucho mis tiempos de Universidad cuando debido a poco apoyo familiar y estudiantil perdi un tiempo valioso estudiando de la forma incorrecta. Ahora entiendo mucho mas lo que realmente ayuda en el aprendizaje y les he mencionado esto a mis hijas para que puedan tener un proceso de aprendizaje mas efectivo y duradero.

Realmente he disfrutado este curso y la forma como esta disenado.