what is chunking?
is the mental leap that helps you unite bits of information together through meaning.
The new logical whole makes the chunk easier to remember, and also makes it easier to fit the chunk into the larger picture of what you're learning.
what happens when you just memorize the fact without the context?
it doesn't help you understand what's really going on or how the concept fits together with other concepts you're learning.
Notice there are no interlocking puzzle edges on the puzzle piece to help you fit it to other pieces.
what is an anology about focusing your attention on something?
When you're focusing your attention on something it's almost as if you have an octopus. The octopus of attention that slips it's tentacles through those four slots of working memory when necessary to help you make connections to information that you might have in various parts of your brain.
is the analogy about the with focus octopus and the random connections diffuse mods different?
Yes, this is different from the random connections of the diffuse mode. Focusing your attention to connect parts of the brain to tie together ideas is an important part of the focused mode of learning. It is also often what helps get you started in creating a chunk.
what happens when you are stressed in relation to the attentional octupus?
when you're stressed your attentional octopus begins to lose the ability to make some of those connections. This is why your brain doesn't seem to work right when you're angry, stressed, or afraid.
what are chunks in relation to neuroscientifics?
Chunks are pieces of information, neuroscientifically speaking, through bound together through meaning or use. You can take the letters P-O and P and bind them together into one conceptual easy to remember chunk, the word pop. [SOUND]
It's like converting a, a cumbersome computer file into a ZIP file. Underneath that single pop chunk is a symphony of neurons that have learned to sing in tune with one another.
chunk as a network of neurons?
a chunk means a network of neurons that are used to firing together so you can think a thought or perform an action smoothly and effectively.
Once you chunk an idea, a concept, or an action, you don't know need to remember all the little underlying details
what is like getting dressed in the morning?
chunking is like getting dressed in the morning. You just think one simple thought like, I'll get dressed, but it's amazing when you realize the complex swirl of underlying activities that take place with that one, simple chunk of thought.
why is that when you're learning new math and science material, you're often given sample problems with worked out solutions?
This is because, when you're first trying to understand how to work a problem, you have a heavy cognitive load. So it helps to start out with a work through example.
It's like first listening to a song before trying to play the song yourself. Most of the details of the work out solution are right there, and your job is simply to figure out why the steps are taken the way they are. They can help you see the key features, and underline principles of a problem.
what is one concern about using worked out examples in math and science to help you in starting to form chunks?
it is that it can be all too easy to focus too much on why an individual step works and not on the connection between steps.
what is a good analogy of about focusing on the connection between steps instead of focusing on the individual steps
It's more like using a road map to help you when traveling to a new place. Pay attention to what's going on around you when you're using the map, and soon you'll find yourself able to get there on your own. You'll even be able to figure out new ways of getting there.
what is the first step of chunking?
the first step on chunking is simply to focus your undivided attention on the information you want to chunk.
what happens if you are trying to form a chunk when ou had the television going on in the background, or you're looking up every few minutes to check or answer your phone or computer messages
Your octopus tentacles, so to speak, can't reach very well if some of them are off on other thoughts using up some of the limited slots in your working memory.
what happens when you first begin to learn something?
you're making new neural patterns and connecting them with preexisting patterns that are spread through many areas of the brain.
what is the second step to chunking?
understanding the basic idea you're trying to chunk whether it is
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understanding a concept such as continental drift
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seeing the connection between the basic elements of the plot for a story
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grasping the economic principle of supply and demand
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comprehending the essence of a particular type of math problem
how is understanding like super glue?
Understanding is like a superglue that helps hold the underlying memory traces together. It creates broad encompassing traces that can link to other memory traces.
Can you create a chunk if you don't understand?
yes but it's often a useless chunk that won't fit in with, or relate to other material of your learning.
when is the first time you realize you actually understand something?
when you actually understand something is when you can actually do it yourself.
- just looking at someone else's painting doesn't mean you could actually create that painting yourself,
- just hearing a song won't give you the expertise you need to sing it in the same resonant fashion.
Just because you see it or even that you understand it, it doesn't mean that you can actually do it. Only doing it yourself helps create the neural patterns that underlie true mastery.
what is the third step to chunking?
chunking is gaining context, so you can see not just how, but also when to use this chunk.
what is context?
Context means going beyond the initial problem and seeing more broadly, repeating and practicing with both related and unrelated problems,
what is bottom up learning and context?
Context means going beyond the initial problem and seeing more broadly, repeating and practicing with both related and unrelated problems
so that you can see not only when to use the chunk, but when not to use it.
This helps you see how your newly formed chunk fits into the bigger picture.
In other words, you may have a tool in your strategy or problem solving tool box, but if you don't know when to use that tool, it's not going to do you a lot of good.
what is another way to describe bottom up learning?
it is where practice and repetition can help you both build and strengthen each chunk, so you can easily access it whenever you need to.
what is top down f
top down big picture process that allows you to see what you're learning and where it fits in
