How to Learn Anything With the Feynman Technique

“I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.” – Richard Feynman

At some point in our lives, we may have resorted to cramming and pulling all-nighters to breeze through and pass a test.

But these strategies only feed into our short-term memory leading us to forget everything after an exam. So how do we learn so that knowledge builds up in our long-term memory?

It all starts with our understanding of a concept and for that, allow me to introduce to you, the Feynman technique.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Great Explainer
How to Use the Feynman Technique
The Benefits of Using the Feynman Technique
Conclusion

The Great Explainer

Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist well known for developing the theory of quantum electrodynamics, working on the behaviour of sub-atomic particles and investigating the causes of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

But above all, he was credited for his superpower ability to explain complex ideas in simple and clear terms. This became apparent, especially in his widely used Feynman diagrams.

And so the Feynman Technique was coined: a method for learning or recalling a concept by communicating it in a simple way.

How to Use the Feynman Technique

The Feynman Technique involves putting yourself in the shoes of a teacher and explaining a concept to someone who has no knowledge of it, say a 12-year-old.

This helps us clarify our thoughts into simple, succinct sentences and avoid skipping over areas we don’t understand. It follows a 4 step framework that I’ve outlined below:

Identify a topic. This can be any topic you want, but it’s more effective to go for a topic that you’re weak in understanding. Writing this topic at the top of a piece of paper helps clarify what exactly you want to learn.
Teach it to a child. Take your piece of paper and explain the topic in your own words. Actively engage with the information by using examples or diagrams where possible, but avoid jargon or brief overviews. Remember to keep it as simple as you can.
Review and reflect. Give yourself an honest reflection of your weak areas.
- What did you find difficult to explain?
- Is there anything you had to assume?
The last step is to simplify. Take the time to re-write parts of your explanation where there were continuous pauses or lots of technical language used.

Rinse and repeat until your explanation can be understood by someone without the knowledge base you have.

The Benefits of Using the Feynman Technique

There is no doubt this technique holds many benefits if used properly and consistently.

The Feynman technique allows us to deepen our understanding of what we already know or learn something new.
Helps us quickly and easily outline areas that need improvement.
Forces us to actively learn by testing our understanding of a topic rather than our ability to memorise.
Increases our creativity and problem-solving skills by testing our ability to grapple with information from a teacher’s perspective.

Conclusion

The Feynman technique deserves to take up a sacred space in every learner’s backpack of study tools. It’s great for learning effectively and broadening our understanding of pretty much anything. Once you’ve used that, you can explore other avenues of evidence-based study techniques to take your learning to the next level!