Chevron Left
Back to Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects by Deep Teaching Solutions

4.8
stars
88,662 ratings

About the Course

This course gives you easy access to the invaluable learning techniques used by experts in art, music, literature, math, science, sports, and many other disciplines. We’ll learn about how the brain uses two very different learning modes and how it encapsulates (“chunks”) information. We’ll also cover illusions of learning, memory techniques, dealing with procrastination, and best practices shown by research to be most effective in helping you master tough subjects. Using these approaches, no matter what your skill levels in topics you would like to master, you can change your thinking and change your life. If you’re already an expert, this peep under the mental hood will give you ideas for turbocharging successful learning, including counter-intuitive test-taking tips and insights that will help you make the best use of your time on homework and problem sets. If you’re struggling, you’ll see a structured treasure trove of practical techniques that walk you through what you need to do to get on track. If you’ve ever wanted to become better at anything, this course will help serve as your guide. This course can be taken independent of, concurrent with, or prior to, its companion course, Mindshift. (Learning How to Learn is more learning-focused, and Mindshift is more career-focused.) A related course by the same instructors is Uncommon Sense Teaching. To join the fully translated Portuguese version of the course, visit: https://www.coursera.org/learn/aprender To join the fully translated Spanish version of the course, visit: https://www.coursera.org/learn/aprendiendo-a-aprender To join the fully translated Chinese version of the course, visit: https://www.coursera.org/learn/ruhe-xuexi To join the fully translated French version of the course, visit : http://www.coursera.org/learn/apprendre-comment-apprendre...

Top reviews

JS

Aug 13, 2017

I really appreciate the time these guys invested in this course and am willing to take it again if they re-explain some topics in order to refresh some things that with time haven't stayed in my mind.

RS

Dec 31, 2021

This class really focused on the process of learning. It taught me so much. I even shared ideas with my college and high school student. They were surprised as some concepts were helpful to them also.

Filter by:

551 - 575 of 10,000 Reviews for Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects

By Jens G

Dec 21, 2019

I wish I knew about this before i started to study in University. This is a great starting course no matter your discipline that you are interested in.

This might be the most self improving and valuable course! But you need to have the dedication to stick with this course. I expect that younger people wont have the discipline or interest in this topic even tough it is very important.

If you are like me and studied a couple of years you will recognize your mistaken learning strategies, which is great so you can substantially improve future learning and it makes learning more fun!

Learning is not as easy to understand as it might seem. You need to bring some reflection time with you and patience.

By Gira

Aug 10, 2020

El curso has sido muy bueno y facil de entender. Barbara and Terry explican conceptos que aunque tan odvios hacen que el aprendizaje se haga mas facil y efectivo. Un tema que debiera ensenarse en la education media y en la universidad cuando tenemos que estudiar en forma rapida y efectiva. El curso me hizo recordar mucho mis tiempos de Universidad cuando debido a poco apoyo familiar y estudiantil perdi un tiempo valioso estudiando de la forma incorrecta. Ahora entiendo mucho mas lo que realmente ayuda en el aprendizaje y les he mencionado esto a mis hijas para que puedan tener un proceso de aprendizaje mas efectivo y duradero.

Realmente he disfrutado este curso y la forma como esta disenado.

By Ana R

Nov 10, 2022

I took this course by a recommendation and I must confess I was a bit ceptical, since I thought I never had troubles in learning. But as soon as the course started, I was hooked! The amount of really interesting information with scientific basis is great, and it made me realise a lot of "why's", but mainly how could I fight what holds me back. This couse demistify that some people just aren't cut for some fields and some are. It really has to do with the right mindset, perseverance and good habits. By visualizing how the brain works, it gets a lot easier to understand and acept the importance of changing your methods in order to reach your full potencial. Thank you so much Barbara and Terry!

By KAVYA M

Dec 24, 2020

I loved the course throughout. It is a must-do course for anyone at any stage of learning. It taught me how to learn and also how to approach tests with a positive attitude. I loved the animations in the videos, they kept me glued to the course. I also liked the way the content was presented by amazing professors.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Tamilnadu skill development corporation for sponsoring access to online courses on Coursera during the lockdown. It was immensely helpful to make productive use of the time and also to increase our skills. Many thanks to the professors and Coursera for making quality education accessible worldwide.Thank you Yours gratefullyKavya Mohan.

By Madhav

Jun 1, 2020

What I learned from this course will go a long way in my life. The course was not about tricks and hacks to learn. It was about the art of learning and how to not get frustrated when things don't go as you intended. That process is more important than the product.Dr.Barbara Oakley has a very motivating, warm, and charming personality. Her way of teaching is so visual and full of analogies and metaphors, it is like she practiced what she preached.One more bonus part of the course is that Dr.Barbara Oakley interviews some really renowned and talented people who openly share their experiences.I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is into learning and wants to retain that knowledge.

By Hajj W

Apr 8, 2021

This course offers knowledge comparable to "How To Win Friends And Influence People" in terms of power, but focused on lifelong learning. The instructors lead by example as they apply the very techniques they teach in this course, making the content of this course exceptionally easy to assimilate. At the same time, its value is not diminished: the knowledge offered by this course is applicable from elementary school all the way to graduate school and beyond, and is poised to serve its students for the rest of their careers. Due to the importance of learning in the modern world, Barbara Oakley could be the single greatest contributor toward the progress of humanity in the foreseeable future.

By Mustafa S A

Apr 28, 2020

This is the type of course that all universities or high schools should assure that their students take before any specialized courses. I hope I had this course when I was at university. I am sure it would help me a lot to achieve more than what I already did. The best thing about this course that I feel that it speaks about my inner me. It knew the tricks I did to cheat myself and how I fulfilled myself falsely without gaining the full benefits I planned to gain. It also interprets why I didn't achieve the targets I planned to achieve. Finally, I recommend this course for everybody want to well manage his life, because our lives are a big test in which we need to pass it with high grades.

By Leroy H

Apr 11, 2022

I suffer from severe ADHD. I came into this class expecting the same boring and uninspirational time management advice I've run accross many times before. I was wrong. They un-blinded me with science! More seriously though, the course was engaging and informative. Its well to know how, but to know why is what makes the difference for me.

While this course will literally help anyone trying to learn anything, the techniques involved are extremely useful for overcoming some side effects of ADHD. I honestly feel that this course may be a life changer. Highly recommend for anyone, but especially someone looking to understand and change certain behaviors that are commonplace for people like me.

By Jasmine C

Feb 24, 2023

As someone who has spent years trying to learn effectively through college, grad schools, a return back to college, certifications, etc., if I could go back and change only one thing about my previous learning experiences, I would have taken this course first. It offers incredibly effective techniques for mastering material that I once feared would be insurmountable for me. Applying what I have learned here has helped me so much at work in the last few weeks, and it continues to give me confidence to (re)approach learning challenges that I was nearly ready to give up on. Instead, this course gave me hope (and the ability) to go back and patiently try again at my own pace and in new ways.

By Vikrum

Apr 15, 2020

Incredible. I learnt so much in such a short amount of time. What you learn is super easy to apply and very relevant to every day life and learning. The analogies aid understanding and there are plenty of examples too. The tips are concise, well explained and helpful and I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wishes to learn better, do better in tests, or just generally be more aware of learning methods and ways to stop procrastination etc. Learning how to learn is a beneficial course and I will be implementing the key ideas in my learning. It is also a great way to spend time (I started the course due to the Coronavirus quarantine), and is much more useful than Netflix!!

By Joe K

Oct 30, 2019

They should teach this in schools. Meta learning has been of great interest to me for the past several years and this course has offered many fresh insights and techniques I've never heard of before. What the two hosts may lack in public speaking ability they more than make up for with their broad, detailed knowledge and genuine passion for teaching others the wonderful art and science of meta learning. I bought a certificate not because I wanted to frame my completion of this course on my wall but because I felt guilty taking this course for free. Highly recommended regardless of your occupation or IQ, I honestly believe anyone can benefit from the ideas and techniques discussed herein.

By Kevin M

Apr 9, 2019

Great course. It's simple and straight to the point. This is especially valuable to anyone just entering college or currently in college. Wish I knew a lot of these tricks and hacks and the general understanding of how the brain works back when I was still grinding through 50 topics a week. As an upper 20-something, the most useful parts of this course are the videos that describe the fundamentals of how our brains work and getting through procrastination. Knowing how the diffuse mode works is HUGE. Taking rests are IMPORTANT and I never really thought that it so important. I just kind of had a "feeling" overtime. This course seriously changed my day-to-day learning. For real.

By Andrea M E

Jul 30, 2017

Me ecantó el curso, ha sido muy útil para improvisar mis métodos de estudio, me ayudó orientarme en cómo poder hacer mi propia guía de estudio, incluso con un amigo que estudia lo mismo que yo. Creo que debería de hacer mucho más cursos de estos. Los Directores del curso son muy amables, hablan de forma fluida y entendible (en el idioma original) y queda muy claro. Los exámenes no son difíciles, y son excelentes las preguntas posteriores a los videos, ya que ayuda a probarte que tan bien haz entendido todo el contenido. Muy recomendable para cualquier persona que quiere aprender a aprender. Muchas Felicidades y es un gran trabajo por parte de Dr. Barbara Okley y Dr. Terrence Senjnowski.

By Aron A

Sep 14, 2016

Truly amazing! I'm really glad I've picked this course. It got me hooked from the get go. Knowledge from this course will definitely help me on my future endeavors, and not just in my area of expertise, but in life generally. Awesome and creative approach on this difficult and puzzling topic of brain works by Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski, to which I'm eternally grateful. Also, the rest of the staff and wonderful people from additional video materials have a big shout out and were very helpful. They actually helped me greatly to see the bigger picture. A definitive recommendation to everyone. Best of luck to all who participated in creating this awesomeness. Thanks, Aron

By Riyaz R A

May 31, 2020

Awesome! I find it funny how neither school or college taught us any of this, which essentially ALL humans in this world must know. Learning is something we all do every day and every second and it is my absolute recommendation that every one of you take this course no matter how busy you are in your life. I know it's never too late but I only wish I had known all this during my college days. Dr. Barbara is an absolute beast of a teacher and knows what she's teaching. And it's hard to find teachers who actually KNOW what they are teaching. And so is Dr. Terry.

Leave what you are doing for just a week and complete this. It's worth it. 2 - 3 hours a day and you can complete it. Good luck.

By Mohammed O G

Mar 28, 2019

I enjoyed going through this well prepared course. I liked the idea of having short videos, instead of long lectures, where the danger is that you loose your concentration. I learned a lot to use for myself but also to teach younger staff. As a matter of fact I am thinking now in ways how to implement this knowledge in any new teaching activity. End of this year I am preparing for a scientific (medical) conference. The difficulty remains in switching from the usual (boring) frontal lectures to a combination of lecture, interrupted by questions and showing some interesting cases. All of this in less than 15 minutes. It is a challenge, which I have to discuss with friends and colleagues.

By Dawn A B

Dec 30, 2021

Learning How to Learn was so helpful. I appreciated all the additional resources, such as the videos that highlighted a specific speaker. Listening to the ways that those speakers overcame obstacles and found different methods that enhanced their learning process made it seem like you are not the only one struggling or feeling the way one may about learning and retention. I appreciate the videos were not long, as it helps to stay engaged more and remember more. I liked the quizzes at the end as well. I wish I started paying more attention to why my learning was not as effective but I will now. Great techniques provided and the course instructors were also great! Definitely recommend.

By Rachel K

May 24, 2021

I loved the course and was able to learn great techniques which I will share with other learners. All educators should take this course and it should be compulsory course for all learners as it makes learning that much more easier and actually fun. Regular testing should not create butterflies but should be a regular dose for every learner to be able to help with the retention. I loved the pamodoro - learning in short bursts and taking a walk as a way to help. starting with hard questions in a test was a new concept for me and also reviewing your work from bottom up. Great Course - I am glad I made the time to take it. it gives me more confidence to now register for my masters program

By Veronique M

Apr 19, 2021

A tremendous course that I discovered by chance. As a teacher I feel both instructors and students can benefit of all the great insights provided throughout the course. Teachers can definitely learn how to adapt their course progression to leave time to the diffuse mode to do its job, and to give enough time to practice. Students can understand why they need to give their brains time to create strong connections, and why their teachers and instructors repeatedly advise them to practice regularly - and realize they may not be totally wrong. Thank you to Coursera for making this source of empowerment available to all and thank you Barbara and Terrence for sharing your knowledge with us.

By Shanmugavelu P

May 17, 2021

Its an amazing course for the persons who are interested in learning and also for the people who thought that they were poor in their learning practices. This course will teach you everything about learning, how one should learn and what are the techniques that one should follow for effective learning and for improving their memory. The overall review about this course is just "AWESOME, MIND BLOWING, EXTRA ORDINARY, MARVELLOUS" for learning about "LEARNING HOW TO LEARN".....Most recommended for all the learners in the word....

Thanks, for Barbara Oakley & Dr. Terrance Sejnowski for providing such an awesome course to this world for learners to improve their learning and memory Skills.

By Zoe G

Jul 15, 2021

This is the best course. Out of my immagination and expectation. I found treasure within this course. I have been struggling for long time of how to learn effectively and how to apply. The focus and defuse mode works for me and Pamodora technique is like the medicine exactly fit my problem, I tried to use and focus on process not product which eliminated my fear of taking action, just do it for 25 minuetes. I feel so happy and this enlighted my study life and career. I started fall in love of study, no matter how hard it is, I have tools and I know how to use it, confidence within me , I have so much joy and content. Thank you Professor Barbara Oakley and Dr.Terrence Sejnowski!

By doha f

Sep 5, 2017

No words can give this course and instructors what they really deserve. during this course I was surprised with the good advises, materials, interviews and facts that has brought to us. all techniques that I'v learnt her were really very good and have a strong effect in my way of learning. In the future i'll be back ti this course to study it more and more. one time only watching and following it is not enough. I strongly recommend this course to every one. I hope that we will have a series about learning related to this course to clarify everything related to this path.

thanks a lot to instructors, your work was really great, we all appreciate it.

thanks to coursera for this course.

By Gaby E S F

Oct 15, 2020

Great course which presents a lot of valuable tips and information for learning the best, easiest and smartest way. Dr. Barbara Oakley teaches in a very clear, comprehensible, and even sometimes funny way, so I could really understand everything and I am sure I will be able to recall it whenever I learn something and actually for any endeavour! The course includes many other resources and references to deepen knowledge and understanding. Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski did a great job putting all this useful information together in this really-easy-to-understand course. Congratulations and thank you very much for making it available to so many people around the world!

By Pablo G P B

Apr 10, 2019

It took me way longer than I wanted but I finally completed the course. I had for a long time been interested in improving the way I learn new subjects, specifically abstract ones and was never really satisfied with my performance so I continuously try to find way to improve my process for learning.

This course although really light in terms of the complexity of the ideas captures most of the recurring ideas around how to learn better, diffused vs focused mode, spaced repetition, retrieval practice, active learning, how to deal with procrastination, etc. Although I'm a professional procrastinator, I'm also the proof that these techniques work ;) ... even I can finish this course.

By Imran K

Jan 11, 2017

How interactive and amazing course is this!!!! i am completely astonish there materials and presentation deliberate process also video edit. It was mind blowing course.This course give me much more than my expectation. why i give 5 star, why not!? if it is possible to rate more than 5 , definitely i give them best. I highly recommend everyone , do not waste your time to learn applying ineffective process. Learn Best tips and technique from this course. I want to mention one of the important point in this course that ,this course's mentor and fellow learner are always active for answering your all questions. And also give thanks to coursera because they make this great platform.