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Learning requires effort. As I talked about in a previous episode on Using the SQ3R Reading Method, academic reading is different than reading for pleasure. Academic reading requires greater focus and active effort on the part of the reader. Deep learning and internalizing information will benefit from using tried and trusted strategies. One of these strategies is the Feynman Technique. This technique was named after Richard Feynman, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his and his colleagues’ work in quantum electrodynamics. 

Feynman was recognized and appreciated for his ability to simplify very complex ideas. Feynman asserts that “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough” (Oxford, 2024). This idea provides the foundation for the Feynman Technique. 

In this episode, I will outline a 4-part approach to the Feynman Technique that students can use to deepen their understanding and increase learning. 

1. Study 
2. Teach
3. Fill in the Gaps
4. Simplify

Begin by identifying and studying the topic that you want to learn more about. While some topics may be predetermined by a course or instructor, other topics might be guided by independent research interests and opportunities to shape a project within a set of prescribed parameters, like a paper for a composition course about a topic within the student’s career field. 

The first step is to study that topic. This can include reading assigned chapters, articles, or books for a course, reading materials located through research at the university library, or even listening to lectures or watching presentations about the topic. Expose yourself to the information through a variety of methods and from an assortment of sources. Be sure to complete any learning activities associated with the topic in your course as well! 

Next, teach this topic to someone else. Try to teach what you have learned to a live audience, like a spouse, friend, family member, or co-worker. Explain the concept to them using the most simple language possible. Explain the processes, show the concept in practice, and do all of this using language and examples that a non-expert can understand. 

Teaching includes listening, and during this step, we need to listen to feedback from our audience about what is unclear or confusing to them. What have we not explained clearly enough? What have we not simplified enough for our audience to understand? Let your audience ask you questions and help you further identify the gaps in your knowledge and understanding. 

From there, you can fill in those gaps. Return to study the topic further with those specific gaps or unclear areas as your focus. Through this repetition, we are better able to remember what we have learned and internalize the new knowledge. Think of this step as turning your areas of weakness into your areas of strength! 

The final step is to simplify. Wait, didn’t we already try to use the most simple language we could when we taught this topic to our audience back in step two? Sure, but any complex topic can be further simplified, and making this effort is an important step in learning. By forcing ourselves to further simplify the topic, we have to use critical thinking, re-organize our thoughts, invent simpler examples, and break down complex ideas into even simpler parts. 

Another renowned physicist, Albert Einstein, is credited for saying, “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself” (Goodreads, 2024). Maybe these smart guys were on to something! Even if you don’t have a handy six-year-old standing by to explain things to, work to explain the information as though you are teaching a young child. Use a limited vocabulary and examples that a child can understand. This focus on simplifying and further simplifying the complex ideas that we are learning forces us to master the information or skill, and it allows us to understand connections between elements. 

Use the Feynman Technique by studying, teaching, filling in the gaps, and simplifying. This technique can be a valuable study strategy for students. It helps to shift the reading experience from one of passive enjoyment to active learning and joy in the confidence of learning challenging concepts. 

Until next time, this is Dr. Linscott with another Learning for Success podcast. Happy Learning!

References

Abdaal, A. (2024). The Feynman Technique. Ali Abdaal. https://aliabdaal.com/the-feynman-technique/

Goodreads. (2024). Albert Einstein. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/19421-if-you-can-t-explain-it-to-a-six-year-old#:~:text=and%20meet%20your%20next%20favorite%20book!&text=Sign%20Up%20Now-,If%20you%20can’t%20explain%20it%20to%20a%20six%20year,don’t%20understand%20it%20yourself.

Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. (2024, November 7). The Nobel Prize in Physics 1965. NobelPrize.org. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1965/summary/

Oxford Learning Centres. (2024). The Feynman Technique: Study skills’ secret weapon. Oxford Learning. https://www.oxfordlearning.com/the-feynman-technique-study-skills-secret-weapon/