Writing to Improve Learning
I recently started a reading habit!
And that alone makes me happy and proud. I did not like it at all! I found reading to be boring and not engaging, but as I get older I understand the many benefits that come with it. I get to satisfy my own curiosity and discover new ways of seeing things.
As I constantly read and absorb new information from many sources, I realize I’m often in a state of always consuming, whether it’s knowledge or entertainment. I want to balance this with creating, and this is where writing comes in.
I recently read a newsletter issue by Anne-Laure Le Cunff that talks about the many benefits of writing. It can help with happiness, health, gratitude, resilience, and communication. I got the nudge I needed to complement my reading time with some writing, especially after reading this quote from the article:
By writing online, you may have some of the same therapeutic effects you would get from writing privately, with the added benefit of accountability.
And this why this piece came to be.
Writing as you learn
Writing is beneficial when reading for the purposes of acquiring knowledge. Writing about what you read can help you process the information better. It’s also a great way of thinking! I have processed complicated emotions just by journaling which has even helped me find solutions to problems.
This article goes more in depth about how writing can improve your learning: Writing is Learning: How I Learned an Easier Way to Write. It talks about the process of reading, taking notes, writing some more, and repeating the cycle. This is done mainly to prevent forgetting what we’ve read after time has passed. I highly recommend reading this article if you want tips on this!
Learning about this technique has validated my approach to how I used to study. Back when I was in school, I realized the only way that I was able to make something new stick was to write notes about it, and if with images or diagrams, even better! And this has stayed with me throughout my professional life.
On a random Saturday I decided to learn about neural networks, something I had no knowledge about but felt inspired to learn due to the AI hype. These are my notes from watching various YouTube videos and going through learning modules from multiple sites. If I hadn’t written these notes, it would be very challenging for me to recall something I learned months ago. But with this resource, I can quickly get up to speed on the subject, even if I haven’t revisited this topic.
So now I am challenging myself to make this a new habit and post more often! This is the first article I write with the intention of creating artifacts to express what’s on my mind, what I have read about or learned recently, and to share it more broadly as my public journal and notes — hint on the accountability part of making this public! I enjoy reading about a variety of topics including tech and engineering, self-help, fashion, business, sewing, and the arts. Let’s see where my curiosity takes us next!
