如何高效学习：是什么让一个人更聪明

The  Holistic Learning Strategy: 整体性学习策略

What is Holistic Learning?

什么是整体性学习

Holistic learning is the opposite of rote memorization.

注重重复的死记硬背vs强调联系的整体性学习

Rote memorization（死记硬背）involves repeating information

enough times with the hopes that it will stick.

Trying to remember a physics formula by repeating it to yourself dozens of times is learning by rote.

死记硬背只适用于电脑程序般的大脑

Rote memorization might work if we had computer brains. All it would take is an accurate copy of information and you could memorize anything.

Unfortunately, we don’t have computer brains and that is why rote memorization is a less effective way to learn.This also a poor way to learn.

Holistic learning（整体性学习）is a theory for learning that more accurately describes how your brain works.

our brain stores information as associations between billions of neurons.

Holistic learning takes a different approach. Instead of trying to memorize information by making a perfect copy in your brain, it uses the web of neurons you have.

Holistic learning creates webs of information. One idea relates to another idea. That interrelating of ideas allows you to easily navigate through complete understandings.

告别孤立的学知识，加强知识间的联系

With holistic learning, ideas aren’t learned in isolation. If you follow holistic learning closely enough, you’ll soon realize that it is impossible to learn an idea in isolation.

Learning anything requires associations. The more associations you can create and the stronger those associations are, the better.

How You Store Information

我们是如何存储信息的？

Holistic learning, similarly, is about providing an easily accessible theory that seems to fit how

information is stored, rather than a description of the biological processes buried in your mind.

Holistic learning is based on three main ideas:

1) Constructs

2) Models

3) Highways

Constructs（知识结构）

知道一个主题以及与这个主题相关的所有知识

A construct defines a set of tightly interlinked understandings.

For example, ifyou’ve tried your hand at learning to create programs with C++, you probably have aC++ construct. 

This construct defines all your knowledge about C++ and is the sum total of all the interconnected ideas about C++.

知识结构就像一座拥有很多建筑的城市。

Think of a construct as being like a city in your mind.

Within a city you have thousands of buildings you can travel between. 

Some are big and important and are linked by roads to hundreds of other buildings in your city. 

Others are less important and only have a few dirt paths leading to them.

When building constructs, your goal is to create as many possible interconnections as possible between ideas. 

Smart people tend to do this process naturally. As each concept comes up, it is automatically linked with other ideas.

Quick Tip!

知识结构的形成需要日积月累

Your constructs weren't built in a day. There is no magical technique to immediately “get”any subject. 

Having a powerful construct comes from linking concepts together, one idea at a time.

Models（知识模型）

Models aresimplified constructs.

知识模型是简化版的知识结构。如果知识结构是本书，那么知识模型就是它的目录。如果知识结构是一章内容，那么知识模型就是它的一个总结。如果知识结构是一段话，那么知识模型就是它的中心思想。

To understand what a model is, think about this book. A model for this book would be the table of contents. 

In a few pages, they summarize the thousands of words contained in the book. 

If you wanted to describe the contents of this book quickly, youwould probably start there instead of reading the entire book word-for-word.

知识模型的种类多样，但是其核心就是一点即：压缩信息。

Models can take a variety of forms. The goal, however, is always the same:compressing information.

By taking several core concepts and linking them together into one form, you create a model. 

Models are essential when you are just starting to build a construct or making large additions to current constructs.

Highways（知识高速公路）

知识跨界的最佳途径。打破局限于一个知识结构里面，进行跨界和组合，进行创造性思维。

A highway is a reference that links two completely different ideas. 

If you were reading a biology textbook and made comparisons from evolution to business courses you are taking, that would be a highway.

The benefit of a highways isn’t an immediately obvious one. 

If you want to succeed in school, most instructors will emphasize having well defined constructs, not having a brain full of highways.

However, highways help with creativity. Thinking“outside the box”might as well describe people who think outside of constructs.

Highways allow them to do this by making connections between areas that they didn’t previously think were connected.

Creativity can be seen as being able to utilize these highways to build new constructs interritories that were previously empty.

Building highways offers you more flexibility as a learner. 

Normally, if you don’t understand the way an instructor teaches a subject, you’re completely lost. 

With highways, you can import your own understandings from different subjects.