Transcript
Studying Efficiently Saving time and understanding wine
Learning and MeBefore• Bad short term memory• Short attention span• Mediocre academic career• Memorization was my
enemy• I never properly studied for
courses or exams
Learning and MeAfter• Passed CWE 1 year, 5
months and 2 weeks after first day of work in wine industry
• Banfi award for highest score
• Youngest CWE
How does that happen?!
What Changed?• I studied Learning.
• I applied the Research to myself.
• I worked harder than I've ever worked before.
Studying wineIt's not that hard!
TheoryExtremely easy to learn:
• Perfectly tailored to use multiple senses.
• Actively involves 4 major senses.
• Can be studied using all 5.
• No complex theories.
• Completely fact based.
RealityHard to learn!
• Pass rates incredibly low.
• Constantly reinforced anecdotally.
• Each of the high level exams only have a few hundred successes in 40+ year histories.
Why do we think it's hard to learn? Perception vs. Reality
Involves huge volumes of
information!
Tasting is hard to learn!
There's lots of different systems and foreign
words!
Why is it actually hard to learn?
We Teach Inefficiently
We Learn Inefficiently
We use outdated methods!
When do you think the forgetting Curve was discovered?
When do you think the benefits of spaced repetition were discovered?
When do you think the Testing Effect was discovered?
When do you think modern memory techniques were pioneered?
The Topic Isn't the Problem!We are the problem!
Let's look at how we fixed us!
How we learn!• Forget about learning
styles!
• All* Humans learn best using multiple techniques together.
• Remember memory is fluid.
• Eliminate distractions!
• Focus on what you find mentally stimulating.
Learning Methods
Method Number AlwaysTaste Incessantly, Read Relentlessly!
• Learning and memory rely on context
• The more you read and the more you taste the more context you create
• Read for fun
• Taste everything deliberately
Step #1: Understand the Big Picture• Big Picture Concepts =
Universal Anchors
• Learn the big picture concepts first and how they relate to each other
• Build on this in layers
• Bonus: With the big picture you can often make educated guesses when needed
How do I build the big picture?• Take a look at light wide
reaching overviews.
• Understand History.
• Anecdotes and Fun stories of interest.
• Wine is tied to society
• Understanding the culture = understanding the wine
Step #2: Fundamentals• With big picture developing
ask 3 questions:
1. How is wine made?
2. How do I personally perceive aromas and taste?
3. What are the Major grapes and general climates of Major regions?
How do I build the fundamentals?• Study winemaking
• Make wine
• Play with structural components
• Study a SLIGHTLY more detailed resource
Step #3: The Details• Focus on STUDYING the
details only once you have a solid foundation.
• Always study slightly further than you need to.
• Prioritize your learning.
• Find a concise resource, encyclopaedias are awfully inefficient.
How do I retain the details?• Learn memorization and
study techniques.
• Adapt your approach constantly to what works best.
• Always try to anchor the details.
• Avoid studying in isolation.
• Study frequently!
The TechniquesHow to retain everything (Well most of it.)
What are we looking at?• General Study Techniques
• Wine Hack Study Approach
What is the Wine Hack Study Approach?• Assembly lining the wine study process
• Easy and Efficient Study Techniques
• Concise Study Materials
• As little wasted time as possible
• Relies on 3 Concepts mentioned earlier.
Concept #1: The forgetting curve• Hermann Ebbinghaus
discovered in 1885!
• Memory of a subject declines exponentially after learning.
• Predictable time periods.
• Effect = Memory fades, after a week or a month you might remember 10-20%
How do we defeat this?
Concept #2: The Testing Effect• Testing Increases Recall
• All material not just tested material
• Works best immediately after learning
• Questions = Not too easy, Not too hard
• Greatly decreases slope of forgetting curve
Concept #3: The Spacing Effect• Also discovered by
Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885
• Each subsequent exposure resets the forgetting curve.
• Each exposure reduces the slope of the curve.
• Gradually increasing time between exposures solidifies long term memory.
What not to do?• Avoid Speed Reading!
• Highlighters!
• Don't mindlessly abuse flash cards!
• Don't Read Passively!
• Don't study while driving!
Technique #1: Active Reading• Always have a pen and
paper when reading to study.
• Take notes about what you read!
• Ask yourself questions about what you read.
• Turn the TV, Music, etc. off!
Effective Note Taking• Don't take detailed word for
word notes.
• Only write down important information.
• Wait until end of paragraph or page.
• Summarize info.
• Write sample test questions.
Approach #1: Standard Notes• Chronological
• Point form or summary paragraphs
• Questions follow
Approach #2: Cornell Notes• System created in 1950's at
Cornell
• Page divided in 3: 2 Columns, small 2" row at bottom of page.
• Small Right Column = Key Words + Questions
• Large Right Column = Main Ideas, Point form Notes
• Bottom = Short Summary
Approach #3: Wine Study Hack Notes• First part of system
• Take notes purely in question form
• No answers on page
• Forces you to think about topic
• Forces you to actively recall while studying
Other Advice for Notes and Reading • Questions, Questions,
Questions
• Try to relate information to similar topics
• Visualize information, create mind maps, diagrams, draw on actual maps, study labels
Technique #2Taking advantage of Testing and Spacing Effects
Immediately After Reading• Notes -> effective q&a pairs
• Concise, Specific, Limited
• Add to Spreadsheet
Why do this?• Force retrieval
• Critical thinking opportunity
• Optimize questions
• Spreadsheet -> Flash Cards or Software
Method #1: Basic Flash Cards• Make physical cards or use
app
• Review all cards in deck cyclically
• Suffer from boredom and wasted time
• Pure repetition and testing, not effective spacing.
Method #2: Leitner System• Very basic spacing effect for
physical flash cards
• Gradually spaced boxes (1 day, 2 days, 4 days, 8 days, etc.)
• Success = Move up a box
• Failure = Down a box or to beginning
• Cumbersome but effective
Method #3: Digital Spaced Repetition• Computer + Phone
• Highly Portable
• Organized
• Less complicated
• Optimizes based on performance
Software Example #1: Anki• Popular in language
learning community
• Windows, Android and iOS
• Strictly Scheduled
• Many Extensions
• Very Utilitarian
Software Example #2: Brainscape• Web and iOS app
• Visually Pleasing and Game Like
• Flexible Usage
• Visual feedback and rating system
Caveats for Flash Cards• Avoid pre-made flash cards
• Learn how to make effective flash cards
• Avoid overly detailed or long answers
• Detailed and Clear Questions
Other uses of Testing Effect
Practice Tests and Quizzes • Seek out practice tests and quizzes
• Only use Trusted and up to date sources
• ie. SWE App, Bubbly Professor, Guild Somm
SWE Online Academy• Easily one of the most effective resources
• Testing before learning to find weak points
• Testing while learning to check comprehension
• Testing after learning to check learning
• 3 Sets of test minimum per module
Other Uses of Spacing Effect
Scheduling extra materials• Use a spreadsheet, app or simple calendar
• Schedule podcasts, articles, chapters, videos about topics to cement information
• Ok to use very basic spacing
Spacing Effect and Tasting• We forget tasting involves a
large memory component.
• We usually taste topically and linearly.
• Revisit areas often.
• Taste minimum once a week.
• Throw in ringers.
• Coravin + Spreadsheet = Blind Tasting SRS?
Memory TechniquesMaking the information Stick
Chunking• Break lists into smaller pieces
• Any more than 5 items becomes difficult
• Break information into branches
• Forms multiple anchors
• Examples:
• Bordeaux
• Burgundy
Simple Verbal Mnemonics• Some easier items work as verbal mnemonics
• Acronyms
• Phrases
• Short Stories
• Associate unknown term with similar sounding term
Incorporate Visual Memory• Associate words with images
• Doesn't have to be literal
• The sillier, more unusual or sexual the better people seem to remember
• Incorporating sounds, movement and smell into imagery increase retention
Incorporating Spatial Memory• Method of Loci or Journey Method
• Visually a familiar location or path
• Insert Visualizations Into specific places in location or path
• For ordered lists place in specific order through journey or palace/loci
• Astoundingly effective
Other Memory Techniques• Peg or Ladder approach useful for ordered lists
• Various number techniques less relevant to wine
• Try a book or two on memory techniques and practice
Bridging it all together1. Find Efficient Study Materials
2. Fill in big picture
3. Build solid foundation
4. Practice active reading
5. Practice thinking of potential test questions
6. Create Q&A pairs
7. Insert into spaced repetition system
8. Use spaced repetition system constantly
9. Use memory techniques for tricky bits
10.Write practice quizzes to gauge progress and cement information
Other Concepts to Explore
Teach• One of the best ways to learn is to teach others
• Join a study group and take turns teaching
• Write blogs about topics you are learning
• Explain it to someone else
• Forces you to be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction• Stress and Test anxiety both slow down success
• MBSR is "meditation" based anxiety treatment
• Simple fears to severe anxiety disorders
• On par with CBT and often more effective than medication for anxieties
• Not what you probably think of: Mindful Eating/Drinking
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