January 20: The Feynman Learning Technique

Information is truly learned when you can explain it to someone else.

Source: Farnam Street
Published: October 2021

The Feynman Learning Technique

The Feynman Technique is a four-step process for understanding any topic. This technique rejects automated recall (i.e., memorization) in favor of true comprehension (i.e., understanding). Information is truly learned when you can explain it to someone else.

“I couldn’t reduce it to the freshman level. That means we really don’t understand it.” – Richard Feynman, American theoretical physicist

Step 1: Choose a concept to learn. 

Select a topic you’re interested in learning about and write it at the top of a blank page in a notebook.  

Step 2: Teach it to yourself or someone else. 

Write everything you know about the topic out as if you were explaining it to yourself. Alternatively, actually teach it to someone else.

Step 3: Return to the source material if you get stuck. 

Go back to whatever you’re learning from – a book, lecture notes, podcast – and fill the gaps in your knowledge.

Step 4: Simplify your explanations and create analogies. 

Streamline your notes and explanation, further clarifying the topic until it seems obvious. Additionally, think of analogies that feel intuitive.

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