Adam Ladj

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Introduction
Today Im going to be teaching and informing you about optimal learning habits. Now
you might ask what qualifies me to teach you about this? In high school I got a perfect
score on my SATs Im not more intelligent than anyone in this room Ive just learned how
to use certain optimal learning techniques to learn and understand things at a much faster
pace and with better recall and comprehension. I used this techniques over a weekend
during my junior year, the weekend before a national physics examination and placed 3rd
in the state and 34th in the country.
Traditional Learning Model
The modern school systems teach us in perhaps the most inefficient way. In the
traditional school system you are taught specific field (math, science, english, etc.), you
are taught specific topics within that field while other topics are neglected. You are taught
exactly how to apply that knowledge.
Essentially taught several bad habits. The traditional schooling model limits creativity,
does not allow for different types of intelligence, and doesnt allow for student curiosity,
several bad habits are developed out of necessity.
1. Compartmentalization: Tendency to put things learned into boxes
a) No sense of unity or cohesion in learned material
2. Memorization: Tendency to memorize compartmentalized Information
a) Eg. Cramming before a test
b) Most learned information is unable to be recalled after 48 to 72 hours
3. Created out of importance of tests.
Weaknesses of Compartmentalization-Memorization Model
1. Humans are not designed to compartmentalize and differentiate between highly
specific pieces of information.
a) We are built to generalize and stereotype. The learning and classical conditioner
Pavlov found that if you have a bad experience with a food, youre never eating
anything that looks like that again. If you have a terrible incident with a dog
youre never going near large hairy animals again.
Real World Example (Machiavelli v. Da Vinci)
Both examples of geniuses and tremendous natural aptitude yet Da Vinci is considered
one of the greatest geniuses of all time yet machiavelli is only renown within political
science
1. Machiavelli: Philosophy, Politics, Military Strategy
2. Da Vinci: Mathematics, Botany, Art, Music, Engineering, Cartography, Inventor,
Geology, Anatomy, Writing
Machiavelli was the son of a lawyer. Da Vinci was the bastard child of a notary.
1. Da Vincis key to success was the fact that he was a bastard. While Machiavelli was
groomed to follow in the steps of his father, Da Vinci had no expectations yet had
more resources available than a commoner.
a) Paper was expensive at this time, yet Da Vinci would go into his fathers study,
and remove some of his fathers paper and go draw in a field.

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2. The lack of expectations and attained skill in art led him to apprentice for a great
artist at the time who taught him how to use several different field (including
metallurgy, mathematics, science, botany, and anatomy) in his art.
Da Vinci without knowing it was given all of the resources that now constitute optimal
learning habits.
Optimized Learning Habits
Idealized learning should be holistic.
Opposes compartmentalization and instead focuses on developing a system of boxes and
webs
Takes advantage of the way humans are naturally built to learn via sensory information
and neuro-kinesthetic links.
Humans are naturally creative and holistic learning allows for ideas to naturally develop
in new and innovative ways using an almost sensory synesthetic way.
Synesthesia
1. Psycholocial illness in which one cannot differentiate sensory perceptions
2. Synesthesia is naturally beneficial for learning and idea generation. Aside from
mental illness there are several ways of achieving synesthetic states.
a) Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA while high on LSD, which induces
natural synesthesia
b) There is a theory, popularized by Terrence McKenna, that states human evolution
was facilitated by the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms.
c) Outside hallucinogenic substances there are several ways of accessing synesthetic
states
(1) Optimal learning zone is when brain waves are in beta or gamma phase. But
the brain cannot stay in that zone for prolonged periods of time, which
opposes the traditional school system which forces you to maintain this state
for almost 6 hours at a time.
(2) After while napping or sleeping the brain goes into REM phase during which
dreams occur and the brain practices what its recently learned. Studies show
that the brain retains 75% more information and skill fluency increases after
naps.
Holistic Learning
1. System of Webs and Boxes: Learned information is placed in boxes but information is
connected to what was previously learned and other topics in field of knowledge.
2. Ideally used to establish links between different subject links entirely.
3. Humans are naturally prone to thinking in terms of metaphors and analogizing. By
creating metaphors and analogies .
Bonus Tip
1. Physical Fitness aids in not only learning but total brain function improvement.
Aristotle used to take only physical fit pupils because he believed that intelligence
shouldnt stop below the neck
a) Modern science states that physical fitness increases cortical thickness, grey
matter, white matter, and total blood flow to the brain.
Negatives
If this model is perfect, why isnt it currently instituted?

1. It isnt very cost effective. The current educational system is established to teach the
most students, the most information, for the cheapest cost.
a) To institute a system like this that allows students total access to a multitude of
subjects and more teachers to watch over students progress.
VI.
Conclusion
A. So if we look at what weve talked about today its simple enough to see that there are
several ways to optimize ones learning habits and quadruple ones productivity, learning
twice the material in half the time. And you could use these tips for literally anything, all
topics. Any questions guys?