Examples of a Few Popular Learning Techniques

You + Monika Combine Your Unique Learning Style with Ivy League Learning Techniques

The techniques Monika uses include mind maps, mind palaces/loci, storytelling, acronyms/mnemonics, and so many more. She analyzes your personality, learning style, and social cues, and tailors a group of key learning techniques to your needs. Then, YOU choose which techniques you’d like to include in your unique learning plan and how many consultations with Monika you think you need.

Many of these techniques are taught at Ivy League Universities, such as Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Princeton, Berkley, etc. She even teaches time-management techniques that are also taught at top universities. Some of the techniques she uses are popular in Europe, but not as well known in other countries.

Note: To see the time-management techniques Monika teaches, please go to Consultations with Monika.

Loci (also known as Mind Palaces)

Loci (aka mind palace) is a memory enhancement technique that combines visualization with spatial memory of familiar environments so you can quickly recall information. For example:

1. Imagine a list of items—anything you want to easily remember.
2. Now imagine the layout of a familiar physical space, such as a house, park, palace, and so on.
3. Next, mentally “place” the items on the list in various areas of the house, for instance. Imagine walking through the house, stopping in various rooms, and placing items in those rooms. When you place (or assign) an item in a room, form an image of the item and an item in the room or feature of the room that will trigger your memory of the item later.
4. When you want to remember the list, imagine walking through the house and retrieving the items in each room they were assigned to.

Beverly: Started Using Loci Without Even Thinking About It

Beverly’s video on Vimeo; one of Monika’s students explains how she started just automatically using the Loci learning technique because she knew it worked. Thank you!

Mind Maps + Concept Maps + Flowcharts

How do mind maps, concept maps, and flowcharts differ?

- Mind maps are usually focused around a core point, idea, concept, or purpose. You form the map by then branching out around that core point. For example, mind maps can be really effective for visualizing projects where the core = the purpose of the project. You can usually create mind maps quickly.

- Conversely, concept maps connect multiple ideas or concepts. They’re more for problem-solving or visualizing more involved connections. They usually take a bit longer to create.

- Flowcharts are a type of concept map that shows a process. They are often more linear than concept maps, and like mind maps, can be created more spontaneously (depending on the intricacy of the process). Tip: For some people, a simple flowchart can work well for breaking down math problems.

Tadiwanashe: Wrote a 600-Word Essay in a Foreign Language

Tadiwanashe’s video on Vimeo; one of Monika’s students explains how using mind mapping, concept mapping, and color coding to learn languages and compose essays really helped him because he’s a visual learner. He successfully wrote a 600-word essay in a foreign language that he’d studied for ONLY three months! Thank you!

Focusing Techniques

Have you ever sat in a classroom and realized you just forgot what the teacher was saying for the last few minutes? We’ve all had that experience. However, you can easily learn techniques so that doesn’t happen again.

There are many focusing/refocusing techniques. One technique involves “blocking off” a chunk of time or day of the week (for example) to focus on a specific task, and that task only. Do you know what your optimal focus block Is? Monika can teach you how to calculate it.

Another technique is to interrupt your workflow at certain intervals so your brain thinks about something else, and then refreshes/refocuses on a task when you return to it. This can help you eliminate brain freeze or overload.

Do you want to have the ability to focus at least an 80% of the time? Monika can help you train your brain to focus for longer periods of time.

Lou: Ran His Best Time Ever in a Half-Marathon

Lou’s video on Vimeo; one of Monika’s students explains how the focusing techniques worked well for him in several areas of life. Lou says, “The techniques weren’t just for that class. They transfer to life and the different things you can use on a day-to-day basis.” He talks about using the focusing techniques when he ran a half-marathon, and he ran his best time ever. He also uses the techniques with the ~125 employees whom he oversees, which has helped increase their productivity. Thank you!