Einstein was thought to have said, “if you
can’t explain it simply, then you don’t
know it well enough.” If you flip this quote
around, you get a very powerful study tool:
“If you want to learn something well, explain
it to someone.” I touched on this (meaning
I explained it a little) in one of my videos
on how to Study Less Study Smart (based on
a lecture by Dr. Marty Lobdell). And I’ll
put this video up somewhere here or down below.
Since teaching what you’re trying to learn
is such a powerful study technique, the process
of doing it is worth exploring (or going into
more detail about). The process of explaining
what you’re learning is called the Feynman
technique, and it’s named after a top theoretical
physicist called Richard Feynman.
Hello, lovely language learners. It’s Morksensei,
and if you’re new here, welcome to my channel!
I’ve been a language instructor for over
25 years and I’ve learned a few foreign
languages myself (to various degrees), so
I can relate to your challenges. On this channel,
I give advice to students of EFL on how learn
more effectively. If this is you, please stick
around.
OK. Now Dr. Feynman received a Nobel Prize
for his work in quantum electrodynamics. (Please
don’t ask me to explain that!) Feynman was
so good at explaining difficult concepts with
simply language that he also became well known
as an excellent teacher. To test whether or
not his workmates understood the concepts
he explained, he would get them to explain
them back to him in their own simple language.
He believed that if they could do this, then
indeed, they had understood well.
The Feynman learning technique has been proven
an effective method for learning something
new or deepening your understanding of what
you already know. You’ll be learning to
think critically about information, and apply
your knowledge. Obviously, you’ll also get
better at teaching, and you’ll be better
able to study for an exam. And it also works
no matter what topic you’re trying to learn,
and that includes the English language, or
anything you’re studying through English!
How do you do it? Well, there are four steps.
The first step is to pick a topic you want
to understand and start studying it. Once
you think you know what it’s about, take
a piece of paper and write the topic at the
top of the page.
The next step is to write about it in your
own simple English, as if you're teaching
the idea to somebody else. You’ll need to
write simple definitions, but writing examples
will make your explanation stronger. You need
to show that you can use or apply the concept
as well. Ideally, you should write and speak
at the same time, just as a teacher does on
the blackboard. This will make you realize
which part or parts you understand and where
you still have gaps in understanding.
So, the third step is to go back to your notes
or study materials to review when identify
problem areas, or feel lost, or lack confidence
in being able to write down your explanation.
Problem areas can occur at any time during
the process, so you may have to do this step
many times. No problem, this is part of your
learning process! Also, don’t look at sources
and write at the same time because you might
be tempted to mindlessly copy what you’re
looking at without a full understanding.
The fourth step is to repeat what you just
did, but this time simplify your language
or use a graphic analogy or visual (like a
poster or pictures) to make any important
points or examples. If your explanation is
too wordy or confusing, you probably haven’t
understood it well enough, so it’s best
to start over again. Remember, simplicity
is the goal.
You can use this technique when learning new
words in English. Look up a word you need
or want to know in a few dictionaries, study
its meaning and use, and then write and explain
it to a friend or even to yourself. Don’t
forget to create your own example sentences
of the word, remembering that it can probably
be used in different ways or have different
meanings. Keep doing this until you feel confident
you have a deep understanding of its meaning
and how to use it.
I find it helpful to imagine that the people
who are listening to your explanation are just
children; kids aren’t stupid, but they may
not have the base knowledge, experience, assumptions,
and vocabulary that you do. If children can
understand you, then it proves that not only
are you a good teacher, but more importantly
for you, that you also know the content well!
In fact, if there is a younger person in your
family, try this technique with them. Kids
are great because they’ll keep asking “why?
why? why?” until they get a satisfactory
answer. If you get a lot of “why’s”
you’ll have to prepare more or better explanations
or examples.
Thinking about an idea by explaining it is
a very effective learning method. Going through
the process helps you confirm what you know
and remind you what you don’t yet know.
When done correctly, it’s efficient and
helps you waste less time in the long run.
It will take time in the short term, however,
and does require a lot of your effort. But
once you can explain an idea in simple language,
you’ve probably understood it deeply, and
will remember it for a long time.
Have you ever used this technique to help
you learn? Something similar to it? Comment
below! Oh, and why not try explaining the
Feynman technique in English to someone you
think could benefit from it?
OK, that’s all for today. Don’t forget
to like and subscribe, and we’ll see you
in the next video. Morksensei, signing out!
