Yibie言：這篇文章是我非常喜歡的一個英文博客寫的，叫Think Simple Now，原文的標題是《How to Learn Without Memorizing》，原作者為Scott Young。
Rote memorization is an inefficient way to learn. Just retaining a single formula can mean pounding the same information into your skull dozens of times. If your computer hard drive had this accuracy, you’d probably throw it out.
在學(xué)習(xí)上，死記硬背是一種低效的方法。它僅僅用一種方式不斷地在你的頭顱里面“砰砰”地重擊，將同一種知識重復(fù)上幾十次。如果讓你的硬盤擁有這樣的精度，我看你應(yīng)該會將這個硬盤扔掉。
Unfortunately, you’re stuck with your brain. The good news is that you don’t need to learn by memorization. The vast majority of information is better stored in your head using a completely different system - learning through connecting ideas together.
不幸的是，你不得不擁有這樣的腦袋。有一個好消息，就是你不是必須要通過記憶來學(xué)習(xí)。在你的頭腦里面使用一個不同的系統(tǒng)來儲存絕大多數(shù)知識會比較好——將所有的知識連結(jié)起來，通過這種方式來學(xué)習(xí)。
A few years ago, I noticed that smart people seemed to learn differently than most other people. While most people would review the same information dozens of times, smart people only needed to review once or twice. While most people would apply ideas to problems in the ways that they had been taught, smart people used the ideas in many different contexts.
幾年之前，我注意到，聰明的人在學(xué)習(xí)上看起來與絕大多數(shù)人不一樣。當多數(shù)人將同一種知識反復(fù)回顧了幾十次的時候，聰明的人僅僅需要回顧一次或兩次就足矣。當大多數(shù)人以他們被教導(dǎo)的方式來應(yīng)用他們學(xué)到的知識的時候，聰明的人已經(jīng)在很多不同的場景下使用這些知識了。
While there are undoubtedly some genetic advantages that allow some people to learn effortlessly, I think part of this difference in success comes down to strategy. While most people were trying to memorize, smart people were coming up with creative connections between ideas. These connections made the ideas easier to remember, so less memorizing was required. Additionally, the new connections made the ideas easier to understand, so learning itself was faster.
雖然毫無疑問在遺傳學(xué)上的一些優(yōu)勢，一些人確實是可以輕松如意的學(xué)習(xí)，但我認為這應(yīng)該歸功于學(xué)習(xí)策略。當大多數(shù)人努力的去記憶的時候，聰明的人創(chuàng)新的在知識之間建立起聯(lián)系。這些聯(lián)系讓知識變得容易記憶，所以不需要太多的記憶活動。另外，新的聯(lián)系另知識更容易理解，所以學(xué)起來也更快。
Is Your Brain a File Drawer or a Web of Ideas?
你的頭腦，是一個文件柜，還是一個知識脈絡(luò)？
A computer stores information as thousands of electrical 1s and 0s in a linear fashion. Your brain doesn’t. Your brain is made up of billions of neurons connected together. Many people try to learn as if there brain were a computer: by memorizing the information in a sequence.
電腦以連續(xù)的成千上萬個用電子表示的1或0的方式來儲存知識。你的頭腦并不這樣。你的頭腦由數(shù)十億個神經(jīng)元連結(jié)而成。很多人試圖學(xué)習(xí)——好像把大腦當作電腦那樣：以一種有序的方式來記憶知識。
However, your brain isn’t a sequence of bits and bytes, so this approach doesn’t make sense. It makes more sense to learn the same way your brain is designed, by connecting ideas together into a web, rather than trying to store them with rote memorization.
可是，你的頭腦并不有一序列的比特與字節(jié)組成，所以這種將大腦當作電腦的學(xué)習(xí)方式是行不通的。使用構(gòu)建你大腦的那種方式——將所有知識連結(jié)成一個網(wǎng)絡(luò)，會比用死記硬背將知識儲存起來的方式，更行得通。
Creative Learning
創(chuàng)新型學(xué)習(xí)
What I’d like to advocate in this article is a more creative, spontaneous form of learning than the style you were probably coached for in school. Instead of repeatedly scanning the same information for minimal benefit, invest your time learning in creating connections with the information you are learning. Not only is it a more natural way to learn, it isn’t painfully boring like most memorization tasks are.
在這篇文章里面，我所倡導(dǎo)的學(xué)習(xí)方式大概是比學(xué)校里面的教導(dǎo)風(fēng)格更具有創(chuàng)新性、自發(fā)性的方式。取代基本上毫無益處的反反復(fù)復(fù)的瀏覽同一種知識的方式，將你的時間投資到學(xué)習(xí)創(chuàng)建你正在學(xué)習(xí)的知識之間的聯(lián)系。這不僅僅是一種更自然的方式，還因為它不像大多數(shù)的記憶任務(wù)那樣痛苦無聊。
There are lots of ways you can learn creatively:
你能以多種方式來創(chuàng)新的學(xué)習(xí)：
1. Through Metaphor
1. 通過發(fā)現(xiàn)事物相關(guān)聯(lián)之處
Connect ideas together by relating them to something you already understand. Relate complex physical equations to their real life counterparts. Imagine a derivative as the speedometer on a car. See a binomial equation as a game of Plink-O.
通過你已經(jīng)明白的知識與要學(xué)習(xí)的知識關(guān)聯(lián)起來，以使知識連結(jié)在一起。復(fù)雜的物理方程，以現(xiàn)實生活中的例子與之相關(guān)聯(lián)。想象一下，一個導(dǎo)數(shù)作為車上的車速計。將二次方程視作Plink-0這個游戲。
You can do the same thing with less technical subjects. When I read the book The Prince, I related Niccolo Machiavelli’s thoughts on politics to my own social life. If you relate an abstract example to something more commonplace it is easier to understand. You are effectively creating a bridge between what you understand intuitively and the things you struggle with.
你可以以更少的技術(shù)科目來做同樣的事情。當我閱讀《王子》這本書的時候，我將 Nicclo Machiaveli 的想法與我的生活關(guān)聯(lián)在一起。如果你將一個抽象的例子關(guān)聯(lián)到一些更為普遍的事物上，它將變得更為簡單易懂。你有效的創(chuàng)建了一個你所直觀了解與你不斷斗爭的事物之間的橋梁。
2. Through Diagram
2. 通過圖解
Create diagrams showing the relationships between ideas. This is a manual way you can create connections. The importance is that you explore as many different ways to connect ideas as possible, not just repeating the same diagrams. If you have varied connections, then if you happen to forget one, you’ll remember the ideas through another.
畫出一張表示知識之間的關(guān)系的圖解。這是讓你能創(chuàng)建知識之間的關(guān)聯(lián)的方式，純以手工的。重點在於，你盡可能的摸索關(guān)聯(lián)你的知識的方式，而不僅是重復(fù)一樣的圖解。如果你用各式各樣的知識連結(jié)然后如果你忘記其中之一，你將通過其他的知識連結(jié)來回憶起這個被你忘掉的知識。
Diagram ideas based on time and place, author or other similarities they have. If you’re learning a comprehensive subject, like chemistry or physics, why not diagram out how all the ideas relate. Many equations are counterparts or derivations of each other, so you can learn complicated formulas more easily by connecting them to simpler forms.
將知識轉(zhuǎn)化為圖例，是基于時間和地點、作者或其他不同知識間相類似的地方。如果你在學(xué)習(xí)綜合科目，像化學(xué)或物理，何不將所有知識之間的關(guān)聯(lián)畫出來。許多方程式是相互印證或相互推到的，所以你能通過簡單的方式將它們關(guān)聯(lián)起來，以更輕松的學(xué)習(xí)復(fù)雜的方程式。
3. Through “Like, But…”
3. 通過“好像，不過……”
Another way to link ideas is to relate one piece of information to another, noting their difference. “It’s like this, but it has that instead.” Using this method of understanding can link ideas together, even if you don’t have a perfect metaphor or relationship to diagram.
另外一條關(guān)聯(lián)知識的方法是，將一個知識與另外一個知識相關(guān)聯(lián)起來，記錄它們之間的不同點?！八沁@樣，但它有另外的替代?！笔褂眠@種模式去理解，能叫知識相關(guān)聯(lián)起來，即使你沒有一個完美的相關(guān)聯(lián)之處或關(guān)系圖。
Examples:
例子：
* Confucius was born around the same time as Socrates, but lived in ancient China.
* Amortization is like an asset version of a loan payment, except there’s no interest.
* Acceleration is like gravity, but in any direction.
*孔子與蘇格拉底同時誕生，但生活在古代的中國
*分期付款就像是支付貸款的資產(chǎn)的一個版本，除了它不需要支付利息
*加速度與重力相似，但它沒有方向
The relationships don’t need to be perfect. You aren’t trying to build a perfectly accurate map of the surrounding, just a sketch. Creative connections, even if they are only 80-90% accurate are more memorable than dry connections that have 100% accuracy. If you understood the subject when you were learning it, then the specific accuracy of a metaphor won’t be as important as the connection itself.
知識之間的關(guān)系不需要那么明確。你不用試圖為周遭的事物去構(gòu)建一個完美而精確的地圖，只要像一個草圖就好。創(chuàng)新性的連結(jié)，即使它們僅僅具備 80-90%的精度，也比枯燥無味的連結(jié)要好記的多。如果你已經(jīng)明白你所學(xué)習(xí)的科目，那么知識與知識間連結(jié)的精度就不比知識連結(jié)本身重要。
4. Through Visualization
4. 通過可視化
Another way to make ideas more concrete is simply to imagine them in a visual format. When I was learning computer programming, I often tried to connect the abstract concepts of variables, functions or polymorphism into more vivid, visual descriptions. If a variable becomes a jar or a function becomes a crazy pencil sharpener, you’re more likely to remember the relationship later.
有其它簡單的方法可以令知識變得更具體，那就是將它們想象出來成為一種可以看見的形式。當我學(xué)習(xí)電腦編程的時候，我就經(jīng)常試圖將抽象、概念性的變量、函數(shù)、多形性與更生動的視覺上的描述關(guān)聯(lián)起來。如果一個變量變成一種罐頭，或一個函數(shù)變成一個瘋狂的卷筆刀的話，你會更有可能記憶知識之間的關(guān)系。
If you are a non-visual learner, you can apply the same strategy to your other senses. It may be more meaningful for you if you mentally attach sounds or sensations to the ideas you’re trying to store.
如果你不是視覺類型的學(xué)習(xí)者，你可以將這種策略應(yīng)用到你其它的五感上去。如果你心理上更接近于使用聽覺或觸覺來記憶知識，這種策略對你而言可能會更有意義。
5. Can You Explain it To a Five-Year Old?
5. 你能將之解釋給5歲的小孩聽嗎？
Another trick to connect ideas together is to connect a very difficult idea, to something you understand easily. If you had to teach whatever subject you’re learning right now to a five-year old, what would you do?
其它連結(jié)知識的方法是將非常難以理解的知識與那些你明白易懂的知識關(guān)聯(lián)起來?，F(xiàn)在，如果你不得不將你正在學(xué)習(xí)的科目教給一個五歲小孩，你會怎么辦？
This exercise forces you to simplify. Instead of dealing in abstracts you now have to deal in concretes. I’m not suggesting you can teach senior level chemistry courses to a first-grader. However, if you get in the habit of simplifying things for yourself, it will be easier for you to understand it yourself. Teaching something is often the best way to learn it.
這個練習(xí)迫使你去簡化。你只好以處理具象的事物，取代處理抽象的事物。我不是說，你有能力去教會一個一年級的小孩畢業(yè)班的化學(xué)課程。無論如何，如果你養(yǎng)成了簡化事物的習(xí)慣，你會更容易的了解這些事物。教往往是最好的學(xué)習(xí)方法。
I once heard a story about a prominent university professor who was writing a paper in his field. Instead of using the normal academic speak, he decided to simplify the findings and terms of the article as much as possible. His goal was that, by doing this, the article might be accessible to journalists who don’t have academic training.
我曾經(jīng)聽說一個故事，說的是一個出名大學(xué)里，正在寫論文的教授。他決定盡可能使論文里的結(jié)論與學(xué)術(shù)用語簡單明了，而不是用以正常的學(xué)院的語調(diào)。他的目的是，通過這樣的努力，文章更易于接受，對于那些未進行過學(xué)院系統(tǒng)訓(xùn)練的新聞記者而言。
To his surprise, however, his article became one of the most cited works within his field, from other academics. It appears that the extra simplification of concepts was helpful not only to journalists, but other researchers with doctorates in his field. The lesson: we often underestimate the simplification required.
令他驚訝的是，他的論文開始成為在他的學(xué)術(shù)領(lǐng)域里面被引用的次數(shù)最多的論文之一?？雌饋砗唵我锥母拍畈粌H僅是對新聞記者有助益，于其他學(xué)術(shù)領(lǐng)域的學(xué)者來說也一樣。總結(jié)：你經(jīng)常低估了別人對簡單性的需求。
When you juggle ideas only at an abstract level, you make fewer connections. It’s like trying to weave a basket using two ten-foot pole rods, while the basket is suspended off your roof. Make connections and bring the basket down to earth so you can grab it with your hands and make more tangible connections.
當你僅僅在抽象的層面上耍弄知識，你只能構(gòu)建很少的知識連結(jié)。這就像是在用來兩個十英尺的編織棒去編織懸吊在屋子上的籃子一樣。構(gòu)建聯(lián)系，就像將籃子降到地面的高，那樣你能用手抓住它，這樣你就夠構(gòu)建更多有形的知識連結(jié)。
6. Childhood Creativity Meets University Courses
6. 童心創(chuàng)造力與大學(xué)課程相會
I’m suggesting you bring back the same crayon-box imagination you had when you were five. Back then, nobody told you it was incorrect to link weird and bizarre combinations of ideas together, you did in naturally. However, at some point the system encouraged you to conform, so you started asking what the correct answer was, rather than the most interesting answer.
我建議你帶上想象中你五歲時使用的蠟筆盒。然后想象回到童年，那時候沒人會告訴你，你那些古怪、荒誕的想法組合在一起是不對的，你非常自然的就這樣子去做了。不管怎樣，某些時候你所身處的體制鼓勵你去確認，所以你開始去詢問正確的答案是什么，而不再去問哪些答案最有趣。
Don’t give up your critical thinking, just enhance it by allowing yourself to explore ideas more thoroughly before you decide what they look like. What would happen if you inserted a minus sign in the middle of your physics equation? If you had to explain the formula in terms of real world objects, how would you do it?
不要放棄你的批判性思維，要不斷的提高它——在你對某一事物下結(jié)論之前，允許自己更徹底的探究這一事物。如果你在你的物理方程式的中間插入一個減號，那將會發(fā)生什么？如果你不得不去解釋現(xiàn)實世界中發(fā)生的現(xiàn)象所顯現(xiàn)的物理規(guī)則，你會怎么辦？
These aren’t time-wasting exercises, they are keys to better understanding. The smartest people I’ve encountered are often the people with the easiest time generating creative descriptions of whatever they need to learn. If you didn’t have to review every idea 5-10 times before learning it, then a creative approach would probably save you time, rather than waste it.
這些練習(xí)不會浪費時間，而是通往更深層次理解的鑰匙。我曾遇見過的那些最聰明的人，只要他們需要學(xué)習(xí)，他們經(jīng)常都是可以在任何時間里面中最容易產(chǎn)生創(chuàng)造性描述的。如果你在學(xué)習(xí)之前，不必每天都回顧上5-10遍，那么創(chuàng)造性的方法可以省下你的時間，而不是浪費掉。
7. With a Group
7. 在小組中學(xué)習(xí)
Most memorization is a solo pursuit. But connecting ideas doesn’t have to be. If you get several people together and work to try to explain a subject to each other, you get the benefit of several brains forming connections to the same topic. This is applying the wisdom of brainstorming to help you learn faster.
大多數(shù)的記憶活動是單獨一個人在追求。不過關(guān)聯(lián)知識這種就不必如此。如果你和一些人一起工作學(xué)習(xí)，你們可以嘗試在相互之間解釋一下某一個科目，那么你將在數(shù)個大腦里面形成的關(guān)于同一主題的知識連結(jié)中獲益。這是運用頭腦風(fēng)暴的智慧，幫學(xué)得更快。
As with brainstorming, accuracy isn’t as important as volume. You aren’t trying to remember every specific connection you make, so it doesn’t matter if they aren’t perfect. You are, however, trying to better understand and remember the subject itself, so group exercises where you share ideas are great for this purpose.
和頭腦風(fēng)暴一樣，精度沒有數(shù)量重要。你不必設(shè)法記憶每個你所構(gòu)建的知識連結(jié)，所以即使這些知識連結(jié)并不完美，也不打緊。不管怎樣，你都是想方設(shè)法地去了解與記憶這些知識，因此分享想法的小組，會更好的服務(wù)于你這個目的。
The 70% Rule for Self-Education
自我教育的 70% 原則
Whenever I try to learn anything on my own, I strive to maintain a 70% rule. This means I try to achieve 70% understanding and memory of a set of ideas before moving forward. Even though I’m missing 30% of the information, I can cover ground more quickly. Besides, I can always come back to reacquaint myself with something that was missed in the first pass.
無論何時，當我嘗試自己去學(xué)習(xí)某些東西的時候，我都一直努力的堅持70%的原則。這意味著，在繼續(xù)深入學(xué)習(xí)某個知識之前，我會設(shè)法達到70%的明白程度與記憶程度。就算我漏掉了30%的信息，但我能更迅速的回想起來。此外，我還總是重新熟悉那些我從一開始就漏掉的部分。
The reason this approach works is that it takes as much effort to learn the last 20% of information as it does to learn the first 80%. By moving forward, you can ensure you’re focusing your learning efforts on what really matters, and not the minute details of a subject.
采用這樣的方式，理由是學(xué)習(xí)剩余的20%的知識和開始學(xué)習(xí)80%的知識，所用的努力是一樣的。通過深入探究，你能保證你一直都將你的努力集中在真正有關(guān)系的地方，而不是科目的那些瑣碎的細節(jié)上。
This approach isn’t practiced in school because, for most purposes 70% is a C+ or a B. In some programs, 70% memory could qualify as an F. So following this rule to the letter probably wouldn’t result in an exceptional GPA.
學(xué)校里面不采取這種方式是因為，在大多數(shù)的科目里面，70%僅僅是一個C=或B。在某些科目里面，70%甚至被認為是一個F。所以按這個規(guī)則來做的話，未必能在學(xué)年成績單上取得值得期待的回報。
However, you can modify this rule when creating connections between ideas. Understand something to 70% proficiency, then dive deeper and understand the ideas around it. Here are some examples:
然而，當你在創(chuàng)建知識之間的連結(jié)的時候，你可以修改這個規(guī)則。精熟某些知識達到70%的水平，然后潛得更深，并了解這個知識的外圍。這里有一些例子：
* Understand a formula 70%, and then dive into its proof.
* Learn a philosophical argument to 70%, and then examine the counterarguments.
* Read to understand a management theory 70%, then view it’s applications.
* Remember 70% of the words of a new language, then practice using them in dialog.
*熟悉一個方程到70%的程度，然后去運用。
*學(xué)習(xí)一個哲學(xué)命題到70%的程度，然后嘗試去解釋其中的辯論。
*明白一個管理理論到70%的程度，然后閱覽它的應(yīng)用情況。
*記下一個新語言中的70%的單詞，然后在對話中練習(xí)它。
If you use this approach to study, you can start building those connections earlier. Instead of waiting until you have something memorized before you start connecting ideas, you start exploring immediately. This reduces the burden of memorization and helps you learn faster.
如果你用這種方法來學(xué)習(xí)，你可以更早的構(gòu)建知識的連結(jié)點。而不是等到你有點印象之后才開始將知識關(guān)聯(lián)起來，你可以在探索中立馬開始。這樣可以減少你的記憶量，幫助你更快的學(xué)習(xí)。
When is Memorization Necessary?
什么時候記憶是必需的？
Like all rules, the practice of connecting ideas has places where it doesn’t work terribly well in. When you need to remember bulk information, with no particular meaning, sometimes rote memorization is the best way to go. Human brains are meaning-makers, and learning through connections is an approach built off that function. So when you have to understand copious amounts of information that have no logical relationship, you may struggle to form connections.
就如所有規(guī)則一樣，關(guān)聯(lián)知識，不是那么容易就能精通。當你必須去記憶大量的知識，但它們沒有什么特別的意義，在這種時候，死記硬背是最好的方式。人類的大腦是一個「意義產(chǎn)生機」，通過學(xué)習(xí)構(gòu)建知識連結(jié)的方式，來關(guān)閉這個功能。所以當你要學(xué)習(xí)大量、豐富而缺乏邏輯關(guān)系的知識的時候，你可能難以將知識關(guān)聯(lián)起來。
I hesitate to say this, however, because 95% of information isn’t meaningless, otherwise you wouldn’t bother learning it. There is a pattern, and if you invest some time in finding it, you greatly increase the chances it will stick to the inside of your skull.
我猶豫著要不要說這個，但是，因為95%的知識并不是無意義的，否則你根本就不用去學(xué)習(xí)。有一種模式，如果你將你的時間投入其中，那將增大在腦袋里保留的機會。
