Studying Method

[QueryNeurology]

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Is teaching other people/pretending to teach others the best method to learning?

I usually use Anki but I'm getting worried that it's giving a really superficial way of learning. My friends have been telling me this and I recently saw a video from a someone who aced the boards stating that teaching yourself or pretending to teach others is the best method (and it's been scientifically documented.) What do you think?

 

[bashwell]

Is teaching other people/pretending to teach others the best method to learning?

I usually use Anki but I'm getting worried that it's giving a really superficial way of learning. My friends have been telling me this and I recently saw a video from a someone who aced the boards stating that teaching yourself or pretending to teach others is the best method (and it's been scientifically documented.) What do you think?

I'd say I'd like to see the scientific documentation first before I draw any conclusions! 🙂

Ultimately I think the "best" method to learn (if by "learning" you mean not only to crush the USMLEs but to be the best doctor you can be) is person-dependent. But that doesn't mean there aren't things that do work for a majority of people (e.g., spaced repetition).

 

[QueryNeurology]

I'd say I'd like to see the scientific documentation first before I draw any conclusions! 🙂

Ultimately I think the "best" method to learn (if by "learning" you mean not only to crush the USMLEs but to be the best doctor you can be) is person-dependent. But that doesn't mean there aren't things that do work for a majority of people (e.g., spaced repetition).

Oh he was quoting Edgar Dale's Pyramid of Learning.
Also, I guess you can combine spaced repetition with the 'teaching others' method, right? I'm just worried that Anki with the cloze deletions (like Bros etc) is too superficial but I'm hoping I'm wrong on that one.

 

[sovereign0]

You're looking for a simple answer to a complicated question. You probably won't find what you're looking for.

The best method to learning is the method that works best for an individual. Things like Anki, teaching others, qbanks, textbooks etc. are just tools. As a generalization (important), the best methods to learning are going to involve "active" learning - something that forces you to recall, integrate, and re-organize the information. QBanks are the best at this, IMO. People will most likely see the best results when employing a combination of techniques. Anki is good for memorization and recall. Teaching others is a good way to test understanding. QBanks are a good way to test integration and application.

As for Anki being superficial, it's kind of true, but that's not a bad thing. Anki fills it's niche. If you want to have a concept down, there are parts that kind of have to be memorized. Take pneumonia for example. There's lots of superficial details that need to be memorized - what type of pneumonia do certain organisms cause? What are the presentations of typical and atypical pneumonia? What are the drugs of choice? This is all high-yield info, and Anki is good for getting that stuff down.

Other stuff lends itself well to teaching others as a way to solidify your understanding. What is the pathophysiology of pneumonia? Why does it present the way it does? What's the immune response? Why are certain physical exam findings relevant? Reasoning through this stuff is a good way to make sure that's all straight.

QBanks and other methods are a good way to test the integration of the above.

This is obviously very superficial and not a one-size-fits all - there's lots of resources and techniques I didn't even touch on.

 

[QueryNeurology]

You're looking for a simple answer to a complicated question. You probably won't find what you're looking for.

The best method to learning is the method that works best for an individual. Things like Anki, teaching others, qbanks, textbooks etc. are just tools. As a generalization (important), the best methods to learning are going to involve "active" learning - something that forces you to recall, integrate, and re-organize the information. QBanks are the best at this, IMO. People will most likely see the best results when employing a combination of techniques. Anki is good for memorization and recall. Teaching others is a good way to test understanding. QBanks are a good way to test integration and application.

As for Anki being superficial, it's kind of true, but that's not a bad thing. Anki fills it's niche. If you want to have a concept down, there are parts that kind of have to be memorized. Take pneumonia for example. There's lots of superficial details that need to be memorized - what type of pneumonia do certain organisms cause? What are the presentations of typical and atypical pneumonia? What are the drugs of choice? This is all high-yield info, and Anki is good for getting that stuff down.

Other stuff lends itself well to teaching others as a way to solidify your understanding. What is the pathophysiology of pneumonia? Why does it present the way it does? What's the immune response? Why are certain physical exam findings relevant? Reasoning through this stuff is a good way to make sure that's all straight.

QBanks and other methods are a good way to test the integration of the above.

This is obviously very superficial and not a one-size-fits all - there's lots of resources and techniques I didn't even touch on.

Thanks for your reply. Do you know of a good way to test understanding/conceptual material in Anki? I really like the Space Repetition aspect of it. Could open ended answers work?

 

[LyMed]

I'm a tutor, and creating lectures probably helped me understand the material more than any other method. However, it takes a very long time, and unless you have a ton of time or you're starting your first year, I don't know if time allows you to learn all your material that way.


However, the shortened method to really grasp the material is to ask yourself: how would this appear clinically? Or how would this appear in a STEP question? Instead of listing all the associations seen in Turners on an ANKI flashcard, instead word it like this:

[If you need to remember that Turners is associated with coarctation of the aorta] A 14yoF presents with syncope. She is in the 5th percentile in height. Physical exam shows short stature and webbed neck. Pulses are weaker in the lower extremities. What is the likely cause of this finding?

 

[Goro]

Is teaching other people/pretending to teach others the best method to learning?

I usually use Anki but I'm getting worried that it's giving a really superficial way of learning. My friends have been telling me this and I recently saw a video from a someone who aced the boards stating that teaching yourself or pretending to teach others is the best method (and it's been scientifically documented.) What do you think?

I've always felt that this is one of the best ways to learn material.

 

[QueryNeurology]

I've always felt that this is one of the best ways to learn material.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Styrene]

@QueryNeurology

Does your school have small-group cases where they give you a case with associated questions for HW or something? We do that like once a week at my school, and if I go super-hardcore on those, I basically don't even need to study for the unit tests outside of doing UWorld/Rx.

Anki was amazing for Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. I love Anki - used it all of undergrad also. Honestly, the first half of first year just totally burned me out on it. Luckily it's basically useless for pathophysiology.

 

[Doctor-S]

+1 @LyMed and @Goro.

Thus far, I haven't identified the "perfect" study methods in medicine.

However, the *teach others/create a mini-lecture/practice by doing it* triad worked well for me when I was a student myself. I also memorized different mnemonics (e.g., for cranial nerves). I must have memorized mnemonics exceptionally well because I can still recite plenty of them at the dinner table to entertain my captive family and friends!

The study of medicine requires A LOT of reading, memorization, practice, repetition, accumulated experience, hard work, etc.

[If it's any consolation, feel free to ask some veterinary medicine students if they've ever found the ideal "shortcut" in their own study methods (e.g., anatomy and physiology). Unlike their human medicine counterparts, they see many different species. They have to memorize voluminous medical information about diagnosing and treating four-legged beings (e.g., cats, dogs, horses, cow, pigs, sheep), and two-legged critters (e.g., birds), or no-legged critters (e.g., fish).]

The rest of us simply have to worry about a two-legged species - meaning human beings. 😉

 

[Giovanotto]

Is teaching other people/pretending to teach others the best method to learning?

I usually use Anki but I'm getting worried that it's giving a really superficial way of learning. My friends have been telling me this and I recently saw a video from a someone who aced the boards stating that teaching yourself or pretending to teach others is the best method (and it's been scientifically documented.) What do you think?

Works for me. But be prepared to look like a madman.

 

[Goro]

Any other suggestions?

Repetition drives learning. But each person is unique. I have some students who swear by flash cards, and others who have to strongly resist the urge to set them on fire. Others draw mind maps, or figures, still others make outlines.

 

[Med student 18]

Is teaching other people/pretending to teach others the best method to learning?

I usually use Anki but I'm getting worried that it's giving a really superficial way of learning. My friends have been telling me this and I recently saw a video from a someone who aced the boards stating that teaching yourself or pretending to teach others is the best method (and it's been scientifically documented.) What do you think?

I agree that it is hands down the best method to really master a concept. As a matter of fact its called the feynman method (look it up on youtube). For me it was actually a standard to see if I was ready for a test in med school, meaning; if I could explain the concept with all of the pertinent details from memory and using my own words, means I was ready. In addition, it was my method to review concepts as well.

It is a great method, but an incredibly time consuming one. Thus a person could argue that it is not the best method considering the time spent.

This method, like good methods is an active enterprise. Meaning you take the information and you “make it your own”, you manipulate it and thus you remember it better. It isn’t the only active method out there, other methods include: book and lecture summaries, condensing those summaries (condensed notes), proper highlighting (it actually is a skill and 99% of people do it wrong), writing or thinking about questions that can be asked on the topic, etc. The point is not only to read the material, since that is a passive activity and will not stick.

Also, although I do agree that it is the best method, it may not be the best method for YOU (whoever you may be). The best method for a person is the one s/he feels most comfortable with and shows the best results. ALSO! This method may work for some med school classes but not for others, it important to be flexible.

cheers

 

[Username555]

I'd say pretending to teach others is pretty good if you do it right. Because if you get to the point where you can "teach" something to others, that requires you to know it pretty well. And honestly a difficult part of med school is knowing the material in depth, not just seeing it a bunch of times from a superficial level.

 

[Jimson Weed]

Is teaching other people/pretending to teach others the best method to learning?

I usually use Anki but I'm getting worried that it's giving a really superficial way of learning. My friends have been telling me this and I recently saw a video from a someone who aced the boards stating that teaching yourself or pretending to teach others is the best method (and it's been scientifically documented.) What do you think?

I used anki through the first two years and it worked spectacularly for me. I made sure that the cards I was making emphasized understanding of each concept (with pics included as needed), and this allowed me to do very well on each of my block exams and learn the material to a pretty in-depth degree. You've just got to do what works for you!