How do people learn? The National Education Association claims standardized testing is failing some (mostly minority) students. The Fordham Institute argues standardized testing is a useful tool (alongside grades and teacher evaluations) to measure what school kids have learned. Unbelievably, some people even argue that periodic tests on subject matter are harmful, while others point to research that finds students learn more when their knowledge is measured.
It should be self-evident that testing is an important part of learning. Kids are not going to do homework; finish reading assignments or listen in class and cram for tests if there are no tests. Beyond that, how do people actually learn?
There are a few common techniques people use to gain and retain knowledge. Reading is one method people use to learn. Listening to a lecture is another way people learn. Writing down classroom notes and reviewing them later is another common way people study. A study published in the journal, Frontiers in Psychology, claims that listening to audiobooks is less effective than reading. The reason is mostly because your mind wanders more while listening when compared to actively reading. The authors found reading results in less mind wondering and especially reading aloud. From Frontiers in Psychology:
The present study broadly supports the notion that a more physically engaged reading experience means readers are likely to spend less time mind wandering. In two samples participants reported greater mind wandering when they were simply listening to another individual read, compared to when they engaged in more active forms of information consumption, namely reading silently and aloud. Interestingly, participants also reported less mind wandering when they were reading aloud than when they were reading silently, making reading aloud the most effective at preventing mind wandering.
The study also found that reading resulted in more memory retention (in other words, learning).
…[M]ore passively listening resulted in significantly worse memory for the material than either actively reading aloud or reading silently. In this regard it is interesting that, although reading aloud was able to reduce mind wandering relative to reading silently, there appeared to be no associated cost with respect to memory performance. Similarly, participants’ interest in the material also showed no difference between reading silently and aloud, though simply listening, once again, resulted in less interest than when reading aloud.
Interestingly, a different study claims your mind wonders more when reading aloud than reading silently. That sounds counterintuitive. I wonder if the definition of mind wondering isn’t really your mind multitasking to pronounce words. For that matter, there are also those who argue listening is as effective as reading, saying:
In recent years, neuroscientists have been coming out in support of audiobooks too.
For example, in 2019 researchers used brain scans to map how the brain responded when participants listened to and read the same narrative stories. They found that the brain processed meaning in much the same way, whether it received the message through the eyes by reading or by listening through the ears.
Regardless of whether you’re reading or listening, though, there’s a separate habit that will go a long way in helping you get the most from what you read: the habit of taking notes.
There you have it. Taking notes is the key. When I was in graduate school I had a system. I read the textbook, highlighting key sections. I attended class to hear lectures and took notes. I typed my scribbled notes into a Word document to make it easier to read later. Then I would reread and study my notes multiple times. I even read my notes aloud at home, so I heard them while reading. At times I even recorded my notes onto a micro cassette recorder and listened to them repeatedly.
As far as testing goes, students are less likely to read the material and actively listen to lectures if there is no testing of the material learned. That should come as no surprise. However, experts also say do what works best for you. What works for one person doesn’t always work for another.
Read more at:
Neuroscience: Audiobooks Just as Good as Reading. Just Make Sure to Do This.
Frontiers | The way we encounter reading material influences how frequently we mind wander
Science says compared with reading, listening to audiobooks is a terrible way to learn