The Journey of Learning: Oakley says ‘Focus’ and ‘Diffuse’.

Since embarking on this journey, I find my brain is constantly whirring away thinking about the ways in which we learn new things. Thinking about learning as an active process (yup – there’s that word again!) where we participate in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills. Today’s ponder is centred around that.

How do we learn?

It’s a bit of a loaded question here, and I could write a whole series of blogs on all the things I’m learning around the intricacies of teaching and learning. Maybe I will! However, for the purposes of this blog, I’m going to draw on a fantastic video I watched recently by Barbara Oakley, PhD. She talks about the ways in which she changed her brain. She went from achieving a BA in Slavic Languages and Literature, to then change direction entirely to Engineering which she now has a PhD in. Firstly, I find this fascinating! As someone with degrees in creative subjects, and little comprehension of anything maths or physics related (which was also the perspective Oakley had at the start), I honestly could not fathom myself achieving a future degree in a STEM subject.
Yet, as I wrote that sentence, I had the realisation that my interests, since starting my own learning journey into learning and teaching pedagogies, have very much shifted, whereby I find myself reading papers on metacognition, psychology, and neuroscience. Something I didn’t think would ever happen if I’m being honest. Therefore, maybe I’m not that far away from a shift as I think. I digress.

Anyway, the premise of what Oakley talks about is the idea that we have two modes of learning, and in being aware of these, accessing them and switching between the two, is the key to achieving our maximum learning potential. The two modes she refers to are the ‘focus’ mode and the ‘diffused’ mode. Think of the ‘focus’ mode as being active when you’re fully engaged and immersed in learning or trying to understand something; the acquisition of new knowledge through problem solving. However, you’re struggling to make sense of it. Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. I vividly remember throwing a French dictionary in a cupboard at home during a tantrum when I was younger. I just couldn’t grasp the work I was doing. I don’t remember what exactly it was at the time, but I do remember the intensity of the frustration and upset of not understanding. This example would be synonymous to being in the ‘focus’ mode. Only getting so far with the understanding, to then be met by a brick wall. She suggests it’s at that point you work towards shifting from the focused state to the diffused state.

The diffused state is essentially letting your mind wander. Trying to create some distance between you and the problem. Giving yourself space to think and ponder, reducing the proximity you are to the problem. Think of a time when you’ve forgotten someone’s name, or the thing you were about to say – as soon as you stop thinking about it, it comes back to you. I think of my own learning, particularly when I was learning lines as an actor. I would often spend hours trying to get them into my head and it just wouldn’t work. Of course, the frustration was impeding the process. However, when I’d go to bed in the evening, and start to relax, the lines would then appear, clear as day, and I’d be able to fully connect to them. All because I put distance between myself and the problem. This is the diffused state that Oakley talks about.

What Oakley believes is that you need to alternate between the two states in order to maximize your learning potential. Based on my own experience, I’d agree.

Listening to her speak made me think of a couple of other learning processes Biggs’ Surface and Deep Learning approach as well as an area of neuroscience on brain waves and states (alpha, beta, theta etc). I’m not going to go into detail about either right now, as each will likely be a blog in and of themselves. However, there are definite links to what Oakley is saying relative to Biggs and the work being done to understand the impact of brain waves and brain states on learning and comprehension.

How can we practice the shift?

It’s funny actually because one of the techniques she referred to is the ‘Pomodoro Technique’ and it’s one I use with my own students and have for some time, especially when they are struggling to engage with their learning.

The technique was first realised by Francesco Cirillo is a time-management approach to working productively. The technique consists of setting a goal – something you want to work on, then setting a timer for twenty-five minutes. During that time there should be no interruptions. Phone and TV off, and ideally in a space where no one else is going to appear to distract you. Then you work for those twenty-five minutes. The thought behind it being that you’re only focusing on short bursts to then allow yourself to shift to the diffused state following your twenty-five minutes. It can be so hard to concentrate in a world where we never seem to stop and are constantly bombarded with demands. However, knowing that twenty-five minutes at a time is all you have to give to a piece of work, seems pretty doable, don’t you think?

Over time you start to work out just how much you can get done in the twenty-five-minute increments and as a result can then better manage both your time and your productivity. Work smart and not hard! I also love the story of how it came to be known as the Pomodoro Technique. I’m not sure if there is truth in it or not, but apparently when Cirillo was first working with setting time frames he would use a kitchen timer. What we in the UK would call an egg timer. Except the one he was using was a tomato. Italian for tomato is pomodoro.

So, there you have it. Why not try this approach when you’re next working on something. Work for those twenty-five minutes in a focussed state, then take a break for a short time in a diffused state. See if it makes a difference to how you’re feeling and how much work you get done! As always, let me know how you get on!

This has been a SmartPonders.
Thanks for reading!

Steph x