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Learn More by Mixing Things Up
‘Interleaved learning’ outperforms ‘block learning’
Learning is part of becoming a better person, but it’s not always easy. We spend most of our school years studying what curricula tell us to learn, and we rarely focus on improving how we learn. The how is fundamental though; if learning is unnecessarily difficult or boring, quitting is only around the corner.
If you’re trying to master a new skill or develop your knowledge, you should start by setting the right goals and adopting the best learning techniques. But most of us approach learning without considering the simple rules that maximize progress. I’ll focus here on one particular learning principle that is commonly ignored: Instead of learning in blocks — focusing on one thing at a time — you should mix things up. This is what scientists call “interleaved learning”.
Does interleaved learning work in the real world?
In a recent study, researchers at UCLA tested the efficacy of interleaved learning in a real-world setting. Plenty of lab-based research on this question already exists, but it’s important to examine how it…
