What exactly is learning comprehension? What role does comprehension play in learning? Is there anything you can do to comprehend and absorb new knowledge faster and more effectively?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the context of learning, comprehension refers to gaining a deep understanding<\/a> of the underlying principles in order to understand how they apply to different situations.\u00a0There are two steps to improving your comprehension of the learning material: 1) rule learning and 2) structure building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about how you can put them to use to help you learn and study more effectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re learning something new, simply memorizing the information from your textbook or lecture notes leads to a shallow comprehension of the topic. Instead, you\u2019ll gain a more meaningful understanding if you first identify the underlying principles\u2014the rules. The rules are the common denominators among different examples and contexts, and they\u2019ll guide you when you call on this knowledge to solve real-world problems.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n People who are naturally adept at recognizing the key concepts in lessons and situations are rule learners<\/em>. Rule learners know how to weed out irrelevant information to distill the main points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By contrast, example learners <\/em>remember specific examples, but they struggle to extract the underlying principles. As a result, they don\u2019t know how to navigate new situations that don\u2019t match the examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Example learners aren\u2019t destined to struggle\u2014there are strategies to improve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One method is to study multiple examples at once\u2014instead of one at a time\u2014in order to more clearly see the common thread <\/strong>and extract the underlying principles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, another method is to examine two different problems at once, in hopes of finding similarities or differences that illuminate the rules and help you reach each problem\u2019s solution. For example, in one study, students are given two problems: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The students struggle to find a solution to either question in isolation, until they look at both and try to discern the commonalities between them. In both problems: <\/p>\n\n\n\n When students extract these similarities, they\u2019re more likely to reach a solution in which they direct smaller forces at the target through different passages\u2014multiple bridges or different angles of radiation\u2014at the same time. Additionally, once students identify the underlying principles of the solution, they\u2019re able to apply it to all different kinds of problems.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n After you\u2019ve identified the rules, connect those principles with prior relevant knowledge. <\/strong>This process\u2014called structure building\u2014creates context, which is key to improving your learning comprehension. Structure building also develops mental models<\/a>, which bring together interrelated concepts or skills into one fluid skill set. We\u2019ll talk more about mental models next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n High structure builders<\/em> are adept not only at rule learning, but also at recognizing when additional information adds values to their structures. Low structure builders<\/em>, on the other hand, struggle with these skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts are unsure whether high structure builders have an innate cognitive advantage, or pick up the skill intuitively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of the explanation, low structure builders can improve using these methods: <\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 1: Rule Learning <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Example Learners Can Improve<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Structure Building<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Low Structure Builders Can Improve<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n