Learning Effectively

When you really need to learn, how do you go about this? And if you help others learn, what really helps?

For decades, Stanislas Dehaene, one of Europe's leading neuroscientists, has been studying how learning changes our brains. In his book ("How We Learn: the new science of education and the brain"), he invites us to focus on four ingredients of successful learning. He also debunks these four myths:

1. Learning styles: "The idea that each of us has a distinct learning style is a myth. Brain imaging shows that we all rely on very similar brain circuits and learning rules"

2. Multitasking: "We are sometimes under the impression that we can simultaneously perform two tasks, or even follow two distinct trains of thought, but this is pure illusion"

3. Taking tests: rather than pointless, testing is "one of the best learning strategies because it forces us to become aware of our mistakes" and shifts information to our retrievable long-term memory

4. Putting in the hours: cramming doesn't work; our brains benefit each time we sleep, including short naps, which allows it to unconsciously process prior experiences and literally embed learning.

Read on to find out how you can learn more effectively, based on science.