Day 16: Learning Technique 4: Interleaving

Today we discuss learning technique #4, interleaving, which is the process of mixing different types of tasks, problems or topics together during practice and study. Also known as ‘mixed practice’. You will learn what this technique is, the science behind it, why you should use it, and finally how you can apply it to accelerate your learning.

Resources for this lesson:

• Transcripts
• Worksheet
• List of Scientific References

Summary

What is Interleaving?

Interleaving is the process of mixing different types of tasks, problems or topics together during practice and study. Also known as ‘mixed practice’.

• Interleaving is the opposite of blocked practice, where you focus on plenty of practice with a single concept before dropping it to move on to the next concept.

Why it matters: Beyond improving your understanding of concepts and improving performance in skills, interleaving helps you to solve problems quickly and grasp complex subject material.

What does the science say?

Interleaving helps you to not only learn the concepts you're studying, but also to understand the differences between concepts, as shown by research [1].

It's easier to pay attention to something novel than trying to sustain paying attention to the same material for an extended period of time.

When faced with complex problems in subjects like, math, physics, programming or even cooking a recipe, research suggests [2] interleaving can help you choose the correct strategy to solve the problem.

• You will also know the similarities and differences between those problem solving strategies.

When studying foundational material, interleaving different problem sets or different concepts together creates more anchor points for pre-existing knowledge that you can use to recall from later.

Why should you use it?

Interleaving avoids the fluency effect, as opposed to blocked practice which makes us feel like we're improving quickly, even though it's simply another manifestation of the fluency effect.

• Long-term performance has been shown to be significantly higher in both motor and cognitive skills when interleaving is used.
• Interleaving makes you a better problem solver, drawing distinctions between different topics and problem types, a skill that will be crucial for applying knowledge correctly.

As you're introducing novel concepts during interleaving, you to take advantage for enthusiasm and passion for learning in real time.

How do you use it?

If you're studying concepts under the same subject:

• Switch between concepts within that subject during a study session, not studying one for to long
• In new study sessions, go back over the concepts again in different orders to strengthen your understanding.
• Make links between the different concepts as you switch between them

If you're studying multiple subjects:

• Use cross pollination or skill stacking, which is basically learning the related materials of different subjects at the same time.
• During study sessions, mix materials from the different subjects in that single session.
• This may feel really chaotic, but it's going to help you start connecting the different materials from each one of those subjects into a robust skillset.

If you're not understanding a subject:

• Try brute force learning, which interleaves different sources of learning material in order to attack a subject that you don't understand it from as many different angles as possible.
• By hearing the same subject from different people and mediums, you're allowing your brain to pick up on different concepts that are similar throughout each one of those pieces.

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Activity

To practice interleaving:

• Pick a new topic to learn
• Start reading or consuming learning materials about that topic
• Return to this course and study one of the learning techniques in this course

Or if you're already learning a different subject while you're taking this course, then in the coming days, practice learning each one of these courses by interleaving when you're learning them.

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Skill Lesson Mastered

Demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills presented in this lesson by applying it to the above activity. If, and only if, you have a full understanding and have mastered the knowledge and skills presented in this lesson, select the next lesson in the navigation.