What I learned from Coursera’s “Learning How to Learn”
I’ve been a Software Developer for more than 4 years now and if there’s one thing that never changes about this job it’s that it is always changing. There are always new things to learn. I love that part of it. Learning is the destination.
So, when I saw a course called Learning How to Learn on Coursera, I jumped on the chance to learn about learning from academic experts — Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski from University of California, San Diego.
When learning, there are times in which you are focused and times in which you allow your mind to wander. This unfocused, or diffused, mode is just as valuable as the focused mode in allowing your brain to LEARN something. So — take breaks, meditate, think about other things, and give yourself plenty of time in both modes.
One way of making sure you’re taking regular breaks is to follow the Pomodoro technique. This is where you program for 25 minutes, then take a break for 5 minutes. The work and break time lengths can vary based on what works best for you. The important part is that you have a regular break. There are several applications out there that help you setup a Pomodoro timer. I use Pomodoro Time.
