📌TL;DR: Feynman technique is a 4 step learning method that involves explaining a topic in your own words as if teaching a child. It helps you to understand & recall complex topics and simplify ideas.
What one fool can understand, another can.” – Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and one of the most remarkable scientists in history. He was a renowned lecturer who taught at Cornell and Caltech.
Feynman made complex topics so clear that anyone could understand them. He would constantly push himself to understand things deeply before he taught it to others.
Today we are breaking down the Feynman Technique that he used to make quantum physics look simple.
Feynman Technique is a study method to learn through the act of teaching. To use the technique, students choose a topic and then explain it in their own words as if teaching a sixth-grader. Then, they improve their explanations and repeat the process until they have mastered the topic.
The four-step technique involves selecting a topic, researching it, writing an explanation, and refining it until it is mastered.
The technique helps learners to simplify complex ideas and use clear and concise language. It is a valuable tool for students, teachers, and professionals to master any subject.
You can apply the Feynman Technique to your studies by following these four steps:
Choose a subject: Identify the specific area of knowledge or understanding you wish to learn about. You can then read about it, make notes and come to your initial understanding as you might normally do so.
Pretend to explain this knowledge to a child
Speaking aloud, act as though you are presenting this knowledge, theory, or other ideas to a child. You will have to simplify your words, perhaps come up with analogies, and be able to cover the necessary details as you go through.
📌 Feynman Razor is named after the famed American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman. It is a simple recognition that complexity and jargon are often used to mask a lack of deep understanding. You don’t understand if you can’t explain it to a 5-year-old. If someone uses a lot of complexity and jargon to explain something to you, they probably don’t understand it.
Reflect on gaps in your understanding
The next step is to look back at your explanation and see the gaps in your knowledge. Which parts did you struggle to explain? Which details did you miss? Answering these questions will reveal where you have failed to pick up on key points, so you can then return to your source material and review those key points to improve your understanding.
Refine your explanation
Finally, refine your explanation by filling in the gaps in your understanding and simplifying any complex ideas. Repeat this process until you have mastered the topic.
I have followed these four steps in everything I try to learn. I found Feynman Technique and Mind Maps very useful for understanding and remembering things for a very long time. I hope this technique will help you learn faster & better.😃
Knowledge isn’t free. You have to pay attention. – Richard P. Feynman
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