Essay on Learning How to Learn

John David Garrett

This paper will take three core concepts from the course 'Learning How to Learn' –

Procrastination; Focused vs. Diffuse modes of thinking (along with sleep with memory retention);

and Mindset – and tie them with one key theory, Csikszentmihalyi's (1990) 'flow,' along with

theories behind time management that should create a sound framework for study. The paper will

begin with an introduction to the philosophy behind the paper, the concept of 'flow.' It is with

mindset that recognizes the value of flow that a final strategic learning plan can be developed. The

paper will then discuss 'Topic A,' the difficult problem of procrastination in learning. 'Topic B,' how

to effectively alternate the use of focused vs. diffuse modes of thinking will then be discussed as

one remedy to procrastination. Then, 'Topic C,' the importance of spaced learning sessions will be

discussed as part of an overall strategic plan of time management.

Flow

Csikszentmihalyi (1990) identified a good life as one of 'flow' – full involvement in the

present moment. His idea of flow is that humans by their nature try to move towards a position

where what they are doing is intrinsically motivating, and that extrinsic motivation is much less of a

factor in decision-making. He stated that flow can be found as long as most if not all of the

following conditions are met: challenge and skill are at an equally high level; there is a merging of

action and awareness; there are clear goals with immediate feedback; there is concentration on the

moment and task; there is a loss of reflective self-consciousness for the moment; there is a distorted

sense of time; there is a sense that one can control one's actions; and that the task is intrinsically

rewarding.

Seligman (2002) argued that what is needed in order to live a 'full' life, is a balance between

the 'pleasant life,' the 'good life,' and the 'meaningful life.' The pleasant life, here, is a life of

pleasure in maybe its more base sense. The good life is a life of engagement in what you are doing.

The meaningful life is a life of doing something for the greater good of society, the planet, etc.

While he pointed out that all three aspects are needed to live a full life, the good life is the point of

departure from which the other two aspects are given legitimacy. The essence of which is achieving

a state of flow in doing whatever it is one chooses to do in terms of personal growth. The

meaningful life then allows one to attach their personal growth to the service of the greater good –

necessary for the empathy one develops in wanting others to equally achieve their potential. The

pleasant life allows one to rejuvenate energy in order to better manage flow and 'not take oneself

too seriously.'

Therefore the starting point, or ideological foundation, from which this paper is developed is

understanding that achieving a state of flow is the necessary departure point for fully realizing the

potential to learn and expand personal development. With this in mind, one can then effectively

handle the problems inherent in procrastination using techniques like the Pomodoro technique and

ideas from the '10 Rules of Good Studying' as discussed in class. Developing good time

management utilizing empirical evidence in spaced learning will be the strategic plan in handling

procrastination.

Topic A – Procrastination

As discussed in class, procrastination is the brain's response to what it sees as a painful

experience. Attention is then given to something seen as more pleasurable, therefore offering an

apparent solution to the 'pain' problem. Though, it was then pointed out that this is simply a self-

regulatory failure. It was explained by Dr. Oakley that if a learner could stick with supposedly

difficult task, it wouldn't take too long for the painful experience of the new and difficult task to

disappear.

Further to the idea of procrastination is the Construal Level Theory (Liberman & Trope,

1998). According to this idea, people are less likely to procrastinate as long as there is a concrete

representation of the task. It is when the question of 'why am I doing this' is fuzzy or the goal is

distant that procrastination becomes more of a threat. This idea fits well with the needs of flow –

namely, that the goals of a task are clearly defined with immediate feedback (Csikszentmihalyi,

1990). Working with clear goals at the micro level of a project, while also clearly understanding its

long-term macro level importance, may help one to more easily avoid distortion in thinking that

procrastination may produce. As well, the Pomodoro technique of setting a timer to get one started

on a project as discussed in class, might be just enough of a primer to ease by the psychological

pain of starting a new and difficult task.

Topic B – Diffuse mode and memory

As discussed in class, the brain is operating in, or within some movement between, two

possible modes of thinking. These two modes are called the focused and diffuse modes. The

focused mode is our conscious mode in which we are concentrating on a task or issue, and the

diffuse mode is that which we encounter while sleeping, or even day-dreaming to a certain extent,

where our thoughts are allowed to wander and less-visited neural pathways are encountered.

In fact, research has shown that the supposedly 'idle moments of day-dreaming' aren't idle at

all. During day-dreaming, the brain is entering a default mode of neural processing that is more

introspective than the focused mode and is actively reorganizing what has been taken in during the

focused mode (Immordino-Yang, M. H., Christodoulou, J. A., & Singh, V., 2012). As was

addressed in the '10 Rules of Good Studying' in class, taking a moment to simply walk around and

stretch – taking a break – seems highly efficient in overall learning.

Besides getting rid of the toxins that accumulate in the brain during the day and allowing the

thoughts to wander, it was explained in class that sleep also provides an opportunity for neural

pathways to be strengthened. This is idea is supported by the Consolidation Theory (Drosopoulos,

Schulze, Fischer, & Born, 2007). Here, neural pathways that are weakly structured while conscious

are selectively strengthened by sleep. As also discussed in class, sleep can most effectively do this

if what memory to be strengthened is reviewed right before going to sleep.

Though, research has also found that one should be careful in revisiting a task during 'off-

time,' as it could disrupt the long-term gains of flow (Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Sonnentag, S.,

& Fullagar, C. J., 2012). Detachment from tasks, or experiencing a more diffuse, base pleasure at

the end of the day is apparently an important aspect in mental recover for the next day. As

discussed at the beginning of this paper, the 'pleasant life' is one aspect of an overall plan in

maintaining flow and the 'good life.' Therefore, one might revisit tasks before going to bed

sparingly or within a sort of ritual that separates it from the after-task detachment necessary for

maintaining flow.

Topic C – Spacing & Interleaving

Spacing the repetition of learning and alternating different problem-solving techniques while

studying were addressed as effective strategies in the class and in the '10 Rules of Good Studying.'

Research supports this and actually points to how much spacing is optimal (Carpenter, S. K.,

Cepeda, N. J., Rohrer, D., Kang, S. H., & Pashler, H., 2012). The important question is when the

information needs to be recalled. If one just needs to retain information for a short time, then

shorter spacing gaps with expanding schedules are best. If one wants to achieve long-term

retention, then longer spacing periods with fixed schedules are needed. As well, cumulatively

interleaving different ways of re-introducing the material had the best chance of success in long-

term retention.

Finally, in spacing and interleaving study objectives, focusing on a time management plan

where each day has a tentative plan and has been set out months in advance produces the best

outcome in terms of self-efficacy (Karim, S., & Kandy, M., 2011). Self-efficacy is defined as a

focus on achieving the best qualitative results with what one does with regards to time management.

As such, there has exists a negative correlation between self-efficacy and stress with regards to time

management.

Discussion

Flow is not without its downside. Video games seem to be the one of the best

representatives of flow in action, but there are problems. Schüler (2012) pointed out that the very

qualities that make up flow also make up a check list for addiction according to the World Health

Organization's classification for diseases. As well, she stated that in the loss of self, one is loses

perception of real risk, and with a heightened sense of control, might take unusually high risks that

conflict with one's long-term satisfaction. There are also physiological considerations, namely

hypercortisolism, that might lead to serious medical problems if one stays in a state of flow for

extended periods of time (Peifer, 2012).

Nevertheless, flow seems to be the essential ingredient for tying together and living

effectively the 'good,' 'meaningful,' and 'pleasant' aspects of a fully satisfying life. It is the

successful management of flow that is important in overall success. Through the realizations

brought forward in the class – the problem and management of procrastination, the understanding of

the benefits of the diffuse mode and how to utilize it, and the need for spaced and interleaved

learning – one can better manage flow for an optimal learning and life experience.

References

Carpenter, S. K., Cepeda, N. J., Rohrer, D., Kang, S. H., & Pashler, H. (2012). Using spacing to

enhance diverse forms of learning: Review of recent research and implications for

instruction. Educational Psychology Review, 24(3), 369-378.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York, NY: Harper

and Row.

Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Sonnentag, S., & Fullagar, C. J. (2012). Work‐related flow and

energy at work and at home: A study on the role of daily recovery. Journal of

Organizational Behavior, 33(2), 276-295.

Drosopoulos, S., Schulze, C., Fischer, S., & Born, J. (2007). Sleep's function in the spontaneous

recovery and consolidation of memories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,

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Immordino-Yang, M. H., Christodoulou, J. A., & Singh, V. (2012). Rest is not idleness implications

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Liberman, N. & Trope, Y. (1998). The role of feasibility and desirability considerations in near and

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Peifer, C. (2012). Psychophysiological correlates of flow-experience. In S. Engeser (Ed.) Advances

in flow. New York, NY: Springer, 139-164.

Schüler, J. (2012). The dark side of the moon. In S. Engeser (Ed.) Advances in flow. New York, NY:

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