Ultralearning
Two features of Ultralearning: Self Directed and Intense
The premise for Ultralearning Most of the learning solutions we have now is what I would like to call the “Industrial Model of Education”. A single instructor is there to teach for a class of say 30 students. The models tries to conform the learning process into a one size fits all approach.
As a result we have courses that focuses on theory, tests students for their memory of the theory and its theoritical applications. At the end of a four year degree students are left with may be 5% useful information.
What is Ultralearning ?
In an ultralearning program students take control of what they want to learn and how they want to learn. Instead of following one teacher, the student takes information from multiple teachers and create a learning pathway that’s suitable for them.
Learning path is self directed in Ultralearning. The idea here is connect what you learn with the skills that you will actually need to use in the real world.
Ultralearning in action
There is no tip toeing in Ultralearning. Once you know what is that is you want to learn you jump into with full commitment. The learning schedule should be as aggresive as you can make it.
Ultralearning is more like an accelerated learning program to learn and gain competenence in a specific skill.
How to learn using an Ultralearning program!
There are three components to plan for before you start your Ultralearning program:
- Make an Ultralearning Map
- Design Practise Drills
- Over Learn
Make an ultalearning map Spend 10% of your time understanding the components of the skill you want to learn. This can achieved my researching in google, reaching out to multiple experts, skimming books.
Here is how to start thinking about your ultralearning map: If want to do x, what Concepts do I need to understand, what facts do I need to memorize, what procedures do I need to practise.
Understanding these three things help you focus and assign where you should be spending your time on. This is contrarians to approaching learning from a place of ignorance.
Design Practise Drills For every skill out there are some key components that makes the skill functional. Similar to the [[ 80-20 Rule ]] the key components helps govern the quality of how you execute that skill.
Once you identify what those components are for the skill that you are trying to learn, under ultralearning you are asked to create practise drills addressing each of those components. The practise drills will focus on improving the key things that will help you shine at using that skill.
Practise drill are like excercise designed to target and isolate a key area. Rather than spending time on the 100% of components spending 80% of your time on key components (20%) helps you improve at a faster rate. What components you chose to focus completely depends on your learning goals and what you intend to achieve with the things you have learned.
Thought: Should everything we do be so intensional? Should learning be always result driven? I think the answer is NO. Learning can also be for serendipity and exploration. But then that is not what Ultralearning is here to represent.
Commit to Overlearning To simply put it, you have to learn more than what you are expected to. You learn grade 11 and grade 12 concepts in preparation for your grade 11 exam. Similar to how we play video games in full difficulty at first and then we switch to moderalte difficulty we are more attuned to play at level (allowing us to skip the easy level completely).
Overlean by practising at a higher level.
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