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edX

Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything

via edX

Overview

Do you spend too much time learning with disappointing results? Do you find it difficult to remember what you read? Do you put off studying because it’s boring and you’re easily distracted? This course is for you!

Dr. Barbara Oakley—instructor of some of the most popular online courses of all time—and her co-instructor Olav Schewe, educational coach extraordinaire, have struggled in the past with their learning. But they’ve found ways to succeed—Barb has gone from a math-phobic failure in high school to become an engineering professor, and Olav has gone from a mediocre, muddling student to become a standout in his graduate studies at Oxford. In Learn Like a Pro , Olav and Barb lay out techniques based on easy-to-understand but cutting-edge neuroscientific research that can also help you master any material.

Learn Like a Pro is like no other course on learning—it weaves late-breaking insights from neuroscience into Barb and Olav’s previous research and teaching to show unexpected, yet practical, new approaches. You’ll learn why note-taking isn’t always beneficial and why speed-reading techniques don’t work (they speed up only your eyes, not your brain—but there is something better you can do instead). You’ll also learn why the best strategies for learning a new language as an adult are inevitably different from the approaches you used as a child. And guess what? The same techniques you might use to boogie-down with dance or sink a basketball share can, with clever retooling, also help you gradually become an expert coder or master at chess.

Think you aren’t so smart? Learn why your slower way of learning can help you see the faulty assumptions and discover deeper truths that even geniuses can miss. In fact, you’ll learn how applying useful learning techniques to your slow-learning approach can help you to sometimes perform better than mental superstars. Are you already a great learner? Learn Like a Pro will give you useful tools to become even more powerful in your learning. (Pro tip—what you’ve previously been taught about how to learn successfully is often the opposite of what neuroscience tells us about how to learn most successfully.) This inspirational course will also teach you how to boost your motivation and creatively handle frustration—no matter what you’re learning. You’ll find new pathways to triumph, and you’ll have a lot of fun while you’re at it. Join us at Learn Like a Pro and boost your learning success today!

Taught by

Olav Schewe and Barbara Oakley

Reviews

4.9 rating, based on 270 Class Central reviews

4.6 rating at edX based on 21 ratings

Start your review of Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything

  • A compact course packed with information and techniques to help you learn more quickly and effectively. While some information is the same as in Barbara Oakley's Learning How to Learn, it introduces new material and explains the "Why" behind the strategies presented. Also includes some interactive activities and encourages effective participation in the discussion forums. A well-made course!
  • Yet another top course from Barbara Oakly, building further on previous successes, improving the material and adding new concepts. This is a short course full of tips & tricks to improve your learning, backed by scientific research. The animation…
  • It has very clear videos and good exercises to practice. Great tools recommended. The two people that teach are very good to explaining the concepts.
  • The best course about how to learn. I became a much better student and more motivate to do everything I need to do. I recommend a lot.
  • Profile image for B Schock
    B Schock
    This course contains easy to follow and easy to use techniques and practice to enhance the learning process.
  • This was an informative course presented in compact learning modules. The instructors did a great job presenting information on the topic in easy-to-digest ways. I appreciated their inclusion of both visual and auditory learning modalities.
  • Excellent introduction to the process and to smart methods of learning. The teachers are engaging and fun; the course is short and well structured.
  • Anonymous
    A brief overview of the science of learning with usable examples that was overall well done. I think there could have been more time and detail focused on the practical application of the theories, but in relation to the length of the course, the content was well balanced.

    This is probably my personal issue, but I would suggest, especially to the younger presenter, to consider less hand movements as they talk. Mannerisms that are probably fine in the front of a college lecture hall are magnified when translated to a computer screen where they become disproportionately exaggerated, creating, what was for me, a continuous distraction that took away from my ability to concentrate on the message.
  • Anonymous
    I only audited the course. I took a similar course/audited on Coursera about a year or two ago. This is a much better, improved, simpler, and shorter course-while very effective. I recommend the course to parents of school-age children as well. I…
  • Anonymous
    The course helped me to better understand concepts and ideas that I didn't know, and also to delve deeper into some that I already knew in their basic version. The teachers are really amazing people who transmit positive energy, showing how much they like what they do, which encouraged me to continue and finish the course. I hope that in the future more exercises will be added to have a more active interaction with the course and its content.
  • Anonymous
    I recently completed the course and found it to be incredibly informative. The content was well-structured and covered a range of relevant topics that will undoubtedly aid in my learning journey. The instructors explained complex concepts clearly and provided practical examples that enhanced my understanding. The course materials were comprehensive and easy to follow, making the learning experience smooth and engaging.
  • This course helps me to identify the key problems in my learning. These are the valuable tools which will help me to use at the right time at the right place. Your video on reading needs to put more content. For this I would suggest, you need watch You Tube videos on how to ready academic content more effectively by Dr. Justin.
  • Anonymous
    Amazing instructors and a great course! I am equipped with many new tools and concepts and now understand how the brain and memory work. There are many 'aha' moments where you realize, 'Oh, that is how it works.' I loved this course and strongly recommend it to anyone who studies or reads regularly.
  • Anonymous
    The instructors explained techniques that were applied immediately and the results were instantaneous. I especially enjoyed the visual description which gave me a picture of what they were talking about and exactly how to apply it.

    Previously, I heard about the concept of a mind palace in the series "Sherlock" and thought it was something only geniuses like Sherlock can use, now I am convinced otherwise and will apply the skills learned in this course to improve my learning of finance.
  • Anonymous
    This course is exciting and engaging. The examples and explanations are obvious and easy to understand. The information is broken down so clearly and concisely. I enjoyed this course and plan on taking other courses by these instructors.
  • Profile image for Liudmyla Isai
    Liudmyla Isai
    Even if you seemingly knew some bits of this and that about learning, this course outlines the structure of the process and equips you with basic tools to pursue your learning goals. Found it immensely useful and ready-to-apply.
  • Anonymous
    It is an incredible continuation of learning how to learn. It brings new insights based on neuroscience and helpful tips.
    It is too bad it's going to be archived in Edx, but I am glad I attended it before this happened.
  • Anonymous
    I highly recommend this course for students of any subject. I have done some of Barbara's other courses; however, this course combines many of the topics from those courses into one easy-to-follow whole.
  • Anonymous
    This course teaches me tools and techniques that I can use to make me a effective learner. This boosts my confidence in learning something news without worrying if I would able to make it through or not.
  • Anonymous
    I highly recommend this course for students of any subject. I have done some of Barbara's other courses; however, this course combines many of the topics from those courses into one easy-to-follow whole.

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