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Holistic Learning

How to Study Better, Understand More and


Actually Get What You Want to Learn
Scott H Young
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/

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About the Boo
Holistic learning is a process for learning more effectiely. The concept for holistic learning
came out of seeral small articles I wrote beginning with a popular entry entitle", &How to 'ce
Your (inals )ithout Stu"ying.* The main i"ea I presente" was that some people effortlessly
learn new concepts an" material while others struggle. I beliee that the "ifference between
these factors is mostly "ue to a process calle" holistic learning.
's many people who rea" the initial articles on holistic learning commente", you may
notice that your own learning style closely reflects holistic learning. Holistic learning isn!t a new
techni+ue or reolutionary i"ea. It is simply a way of e#plaining how smart people think,
If you "on!t hae time to rea" the book, here is a +uick summary of what it!s
about:

Holistic learning is the opposite of rote memori-ation. Instea" of learning through force,
your goal is to create webs of information that link together.

Your goal when learning anything is to create a construct or an un"erlying un"erstan"ing.

.onstructs are forme" from mo"els, chunks of un"erstan"ing that aren!t completely
accurate but can be use" to sole problems.

You create webs of information, constructs an" mo"els by iscerali-ing, metaphor an"
e#ploring

Holistic learning works with highly conceptual information where there is an un"erlying
system. It "oesn!t work well with arbitrary information or skills.

!able o" #ontents
$ A Quiz and a Contest
% Holistic Learning: Introduction
&' Holistic Learning VS Rote Memorization
&& Creating a Construct
&( Start With a Model
&$ How to Learn Holistically
&) Method ne: Visceralization
&% Method !wo: Meta"hor
*' Method !hree: #$"lore
** Criticisms o% Holistic Learning
*+ Summary
*) Continuing With Holistic Learning

It/s alrea"y noon an" I/m getting that
gnawing feeling in my stomach like a small chil"
making "eman"s in a toy store. I tell myself it/s
lunchtime an" that seems to satiate me as if I 0ust
tol" the ki" he might hae the toy if he 0ust shuts up
for a bit. The intercom interrupts me an" calls me
"own to the office. )hat now1
&2ooks like you hae a test to write,* the secretary says cheerfully. )hat1 I "on/t
remember being aske" to write a test. 3y stomach seems to snarl at me in contempt of my
earlier attempts to placate it. &4ust go "own the hall, you can write your e#am in there.*
.hemistry. 5ne of those scholastic contests. 6sually multiple choice. 'lthough they are
suppose" to test you on the course material, they always slip in +uestions base" on stuff you/e
neer een seen before. 7robably to separate out the ki"s that 0ust went to class an" those that
went to e#ten"e" stu"y sessions an" bought 6niersity te#tbooks. I 0ust wish I ha" known
about it beforehan".
4ust get it oer with. )e "i"n/t coer
most of the +uestions in class, but a little bit
of creatiity can go a long way. I hae si#ty
minutes, but I finish in forty. 2ikely a silent
bargain my subconscious ma"e with my
"igestie system.

Three weeks go by.
&.ongratulations. 2ooks like first place.* Ten names go "own in "escen"ing or"er.
I feel a bit of pri"e being the only person outsi"e the big city to be on the list. (irst
place an" a check for a little un"er fie hun"re" bucks. 8ot ba" for less than an hour.
6n"esere" Talent1
I shoul"n/t hae been able to win that contest.
I wasn/t taught more. 5er half the material on the test was on concepts that were only
aguely familiar. I ha" to write an essay on the chemical properties of soap. The only time soap was
mentione" in my class woul" hae been in a reference to washing your han"s.
I "i"n/t stu"y more. 3y a"ance" warning hoere" at aroun" fie minutes. I can only
assume that the other nine names liste" along with me on the contest results probably at least knew
they were writing it. 9ien the prestige of the contest, I/m guessing they probably at least opene"
their te#tbooks to stu"y.
I "i"n/t try har"er. I "i"n/t bother checking oer my +uestions. I 0ust colore" in the "ots,
wrote the essay an" han"e" it in.
The worst part though, I wasn/t entirely surprise". 'lthough this was my first big win, I ha"
always "one well aca"emically. I rarely stu"ie" for tests an" e#ams an" when I "i" stu"y it was
closer to a +uick skim than a "etaile" session. School was neer really more than an abstraction
while I worke" on more interesting pro0ects.

To someone who struggle" at school or een for someone that coul" succee" but ha" to work har",
my success seems pretty un"esere". This first story may seem like an unnecessary "isplay of braa"o.
:ut I write about my success, howeer minor, not because I/m so special but because I/m actually fairly
common.
I hae met, known an" researche" many people who ha" what appears to be a similar gift. 'n
ability to un"erstan" things effortlessly. )hether insi"e the classroom or in life, certain people seem to
hae a knack for +uickly un"erstan"ing concepts. It can manifest itself in the humble genius who works
as a 0anitor but can tell you about any ma0or historical eent or an $instein who reolutioni-es our way of
thinking an" the worl" we lie in.
This bothers me. I/m not satisfie" with the e#planation of gifte"ness or innate talent. That soun"s
more like an elitist e#cuse "eise" by the smart to e#plain why their results can/t be replicate". I wante"
to know how some people manage" to learn faster. I wante" to know whether it was more than 0ust a
gift but an ability that coul" be practice".
7sychologists hae known for a long time that intelligence is partially genetic an" partially
enironmental. So it can be easy to "ismiss e#ceptional smarts as being from genes, great parenting or
something in the water. :ut remember, before "yes, hair color was entirely genetic too. ' superior
strategy for learning can help shift what was once only a gift to an ability that can be traine".

Holistic 2earning
To say the "ifference in intelligence is the result of a single skill woul" be naie at best an" a gross
misrepresentation at worst. 3ost researchers beliee genius is comprise" of numerous abilities from
creatie problem soling to athletic or musical skill.
:ut in my obserations of how I learn an" how other people, far more intelligent than myself, learn
there was one factor that really stuck out. 7eople who learne" concepts easily "i"n/t learn the same way
other people "i". It wasn/t that they were using the same strategy more effectiely. These people were
operating from a completely "ifferent approach that a casual glance coul" easily miss.
I call this approach, holistic learning. Holistic learning is basically the opposite of rote
memori-ation. Instea" of trying to poun" information into your brain with the hopes it will simply fall
out when you nee" it, holistic learning is the process of weaing the knowle"ge you are learning into
eerything you alrea"y un"erstan".
<ote memori-ation focuses on learning
through in"ii"ual bo#es of information. 2ike a
computer filing system, eerything is neat,
organi-e" an" separate from each other. You hae
a bo# labele" science, one for history, one for the
moie you watche" last week an" another for your
0ob. These bo#es are split into more bo#es. Your
science bo# has a separate one for biology an"
physics. 7hysics has uni+ue bo#es for "ifferent
formulas an" concepts.

The problem is that your brain isn/t a computer
filing system. It/s a network of interconnecte" neurons.
)hen you nee" information you are 0ust hoping that
you stumble upon the threa" that lea"s to the bo# you
want. 5therwise you/re screwe".
Holistic learning is messy. It "oesn/t put things
into bo#es neatly. Instea" it tightly interweaes
concepts together. Science concepts remin" you of
history which remin" you of the moie you saw last
week an" the pro0ect at your 0ob tomorrow. )ithin
each general sub0ect area, your web is een more tightly
interwoen. $ery concept in physics is linke" with
almost eery other.
.
' tight web means that when one pathway is blocke", there are hun"re"s of others that lea" to the same
point of information. Tight webs may seem like an abstract concept, but you know the feeling when you hae
one. ' tight web results in the feeling of &getting* it. You un"erstan" the sub0ect or concept so thoroughly
that aspects of it seem obious an" triial.
)hen I ha" to write the essay portion of my e#am the sub0ect was the chemical composition of soap.
8ow our chemistry class neer coere" soap, or een organic molecules. So how "i" I write the essay1 I use"
the web I ha" create". Thinking about soap remin"e" me of a brief i"eo I saw in biology comparing soap
molecules to fat. It also remin"e" me of a trip to a reenacte" pioneer settlement where they were making soap
from animal fat an" lye. $ach piece of information on its own is incomplete, but together they were strong
enough that I ha" something to write about.

.omparing <ote 3emori-ation to Holistic 2earning
<ote 3emori-ation

5rgani-es I"eas into :o#es

=eeps Sub0ects an" .oncepts


%istinct

(ew 8eural 7aths to the Same


I"ea

>iews .oncepts Through 5ne


7erspectie

'ims to 2earn Through


<epetition
Holistic 2earning

5rgani-e" I"eas into )ebs

Interrelates Sub0ects an"


.oncepts

3any 8eural 7aths to the Same


I"ea

>iews .oncepts Through 3any


6ni+ue 7erspecties an" Senses

'ims to 2earn by <elating



.reating a .onstruct
' brick on its own is 0ust a brick. (ie
hun"re" bricks on their own become 0ust a pile of
bricks. :ut with the right plan an" layout, fie
hun"re" bricks together can buil" a house.
2ooking at each brick "oesn/t gie 0ustice to the
"esign an" usefulness of the house itself.
The linkages in holistic learning are 0ust bricks. 5n their own they aren/t ery impressie or
useful. :ut when you put together properly they form what I/m going to call a construct. Your
construct is the sum total of your web. It is how all the i"eas fit together to create an
un"erstan"ing of a comple# i"ea.
' construct is impossible to communicate, unfortunately. )hen you are being taught a
sub0ect or you are learning it on your own, you are getting bricks fe" to you one by one. If your
lucky you might hae a rough blueprint of how to organi-e the bricks, but if there aren/t enough
linkages or they are assemble" improperly the result is confusion.

&I %on/t 9et It*
You can tell you haen/t learne" holistically when you "on/t &get* the concept. You may hae hear"
an" interprete" the information properly, but you "on/t un"erstan" it on a "eeper leel. 'll you hae is a
pile of bricks, but you can/t see how they fit together.
The first key to buil"ing a house is to reali-e that/s what you are trying to "o. Your goal when learning
any comple# sub0ect or fiel" shoul" be to buil" a construct. ' framework of un"erstan"ing in which your
web of knowle"ge occupies. I take ery few notes in classes an" I stu"y them een less. 3y goal in eery
class is to buil" a construct not to transcribe what was sai". Taking notes can be helpful but reali-e that is
only an interme"iate tool to your greater goal. Haing a workable construct.
The beauty of haing a construct an" not a memori-e" list of information is constructs are much easier
to maintain. If I showe" you a pile of bricks an" remoe" one of them, woul" you be able to tell me where
it goes. 7ossibly if the pile was ten or twenty bricks. :ut what about a hun"re"1 ' thousan"1 ' million
bricks1 )oul" you still know where the missing brick shoul" go1
8ow if I showe" you a brick buil"ing an" remoe" one of the bricks, coul" you tell me where it is
suppose" to go1 7robably imme"iately. $en if the buil"ing consiste" of oer a million bricks, a +uick scan
woul" show where the hole in the buil"ing lay an" where the missing brick coul" be foun".
You "on/t nee" eery brick to maintain the structural integrity of a house. You "on/t nee" eery piece
of information to maintain the integrity of your un"erstan"ing. )hen you hae a construct, you can sole
"ifficult problems een when there is a lot of missing information. You simply look at your construct, see
where the holes point to an" fill them in.
3ost people incorrectly assume you can/t answer +uestions you haen/t been taught how to answer.
:ut as long as you hae a relatiely stable construct, you can fin" ways aroun" the missing information.
)hen one path gets shut "own you take a "ifferent route. )hen I take a test I can usually fin" a way to
sole the problem een if I forget the metho" I was taught.

Start )ith a 3o"el
If you wante" to "esign a skyscraper, you
woul"n/t start by buying some lan" an" laying
bricks, woul" you1 8o, you/" start by buil"ing a
mo"el. ' mo"el is not the same as a construct.
' construct is a complete set of un"erstan"ings.
' construct for math allows you to sole any
problem in math.
' mo"el is a +uick representation of the i"ea you are trying to relate or un"erstan". It is an
incomplete an" temporary solution. )ithout buil"ing a "o-ens of mo"els any attempts to form a construct
will collapse. Trying to un"erstan" eerything at once is impossible for the conscious min" to han"le.
:uil"ing in"ii"ual mo"els can gie you a chance to stitch them together into a complete construct.
<ecently I took a course in >ectors an" 2inear 'lgebra. ' ery abstract course where most people
hae "ifficulty forming a construct. )hen the concept of a subspace was intro"uce", I was lost. I nee"e" a
construct for the concept, but it was too broa" to imme"iately grasp. So I looke" for a mo"el.
The mo"el I chose was a isual representation of what I figure" an i"eali-e" subspace might look like.
I imagine" a subspace as being a plane suspen"e" in three "imensions. The isuali-ation was as ii" as it
was automatic. I can remember the plane being re" an" translucent slicing through a blue-gray acuum of
three "imensional space.

This mo"el was not a construct. ' plane in ?% is 0ust
one of many "ifferent types of subspaces. :ut without it, a
subspace woul" hae 0ust been a bunch of rules an"
numbers. $en if the mo"el was inaccurate, I coul" use it
as a basis for refining an" e#pan"ing the eentual construct.
2inks form into simple mo"els which form into
oerall constructs. 2ayere" creations of un"erstan"ing.
$ffectie constructs also link outsi"e of where they are
applicable. 5nce I ha" a construct prepare" for subspaces, I
starte" to iew my own e#perience as a subspace of reality.
.onstructs that become islan"s are worthless when there is a problem that e#ists between them.
Interlinking your constructs helps funnel problems outsi"e of their influence -one into realms of
un"erstan"ing. )hen I wrote that essay on soap, soap was outsi"e of my constructs. :ut because my
constructs were interlinke", it was funnele" into "ifferent constructs base" on my e#periences in
"ifferent places.

How to 2earn Holistically
I/e 0ust spent a fair bit of time trying to e#plain what holistic learning is an" to break "own
the i"ea of webs into constructs an" mo"els. :ut how the heck "o you actually "o it1 This is a goo"
+uestion. 3ost people who learn holistically use it by "efault. There aren/t that many conscious
techni+ues. )hen I nee" a mo"el, I fin" one. )hen I hae enough mo"els I form a construct.
)hen I learn information I try to link it within an" outsi"e my constructs.
:ut "espite the system I use to form constructs, I beliee it is a skill that can be practice" an"
learne". I/" like to coer some specific metho"s for forming mo"els an" constructs an" interlinking
your web.
)hen you are rea"y, I beliee most these techni+ues can be "one entirely mentally. You
"on/t nee" to use your fingers or a pencil an" paper to calculate @A?. Similarly, with enough
practice you can probably fin" yourself automatically using these techni+ues insi"e your hea". :ut
until you get use" to thinking this way as a habit, you will probably want to actually write out the
process to reinforce it.
Holistic learning is a skill that takes practice. I "on!t beliee in +uick fi# solutions, an" holistic
learning certainly isn!t one of them. These techni+ues shoul" allow a small, imme"iate boost in
comprehension, but the real goal of a highly interlinke" web takes time.

3etho" 5ne: >iscerali-ation
' mo"el isn/t a grouping of i"eas, it/s
an e#perience. ' fre+uent mistake I see
people making is that they try to
un"erstan" something by grouping
together rules an" i"eas. This seems
logical, but it is an inefficient way to
interlink an" is little better than brute
force memori-ation.
Instea" you want to summari-e concepts an" i"eas with a specific image or feeling. I call this
techni+ue &iscerali-ation* an" not isuali-ation because it "oesn/t hae to be a picture. The best
&iscerali-ations* are combinations of images, soun"s, feelings an" te#tures. %epen"ing on your learning
preference you may see, hear or feel i"eas. 3ore than 0ust a picture, you want an e#perience.
:y iscerali-ing you are taking something that is abstract an" making it tangible. This creates a
workable mo"el that can be combine" an" un"erstoo". Think of iscerali-ing like your brains ersion of
-ipping a file. )hen you -ip a file you take many bytes an" compress them into a smaller space remoing
re"un"ant elements. >iscerali-ing means taking a han"ful of concepts an" turning them into a single
workable e#perience.

How To >iscerali-e
You probably alrea"y use this metho" to some e#tent. This often happens when an author
iscerali-es a concept for you. :y "escribing the concept in a mental picture or feeling he or she can push
you towar"s creating a mo"el. Holistic learning means you nee" to "o this process on your own when an
easy mo"el isn/t han"e" to you.
If you aren/t sure e#actly how to "o this, the best place to start is with a pa" of paper. %raw out the
relationship between seeral i"eas in a picture. <emember your goal isn/t a perfect construct but a
simplifie" mo"el. $en if your mo"el is shown to be slightly inaccurate later, it is still better than no
mo"el at all.
'sk yourself what the concept woul" look, soun" or feel like1 How woul" it function an" respon"1
)hen learning computer science I forme" mental pictures of bi-arre machines an" ob0ects that
represente" the "ifferent ob0ects an" functions I learne". Strings an" arrays looke" like colore" cubes
suspen"e" along a cor". (unctions were machines that ate strings an" in"ii"ual blocks an" spat out new
blocks.
's you get better you shoul" be able to "o this without a pencil an" paper. Your imagination is far
faster than your han", so once you begin to un"erstan" the process you can start iscerali-ing how
"ifferent concepts interact. You can see how they s+uish an" respon" to stimuli. :oring i"eas translate
into a bi-arre an" otherworl"ly scene.

3etho" Two: 3etaphor
>iscerali-ation is my key process in
"eeloping mo"els, the first step to a
complete construct. :ut haing mo"els
isn/t enough. It can take time to "eelop a
uni+ue mo"el an" this can be waste" when
you are lost, facing a problem for which
you lack the proper instruction an"
constructs to han"le. To interlink
constructs you nee" to use metaphor.
3etaphor is a literary term use" when you want to relate two things that aren/t actually relate". '
ariation of the metaphor is the simile. You use similes usually when you inoke the wor"s, &like* or
&as.* The i"ea behin" using metaphors in your learning is simple. You want to connect two i"eas
together een though they aren/t really relate". $instein "escribe" the unierse as consisting of a &fabric
of space-time.* This was a metaphor. He "i"n!t beliee the unierse consiste" of cotton threa"s weae"
into a pattern, but he use" the concept of fabric which you alrea"y hae a construct for to link into space,
which you might not.
3etaphors also ai" in buil"ing constructs. If you wante" to buil" a house, the fastest way woul" be
to make minor mo"ifications to a blueprint you alrea"y own. 3etaphors can allow you to relate a new
construct to a preiously establishe" one. This can help you piece together i"eas when your mo"els fail
to gie accurate information.

How to 3etaphor
If you practice accor"ingly, metaphors shoul" be an automatic process. )hen you learn a sub0ect
it shoul" automatically start remin"ing you of completely "ifferent i"eas. )hen I rea" 8icollo
3achiaelli/s, The 7rince, I starte" linking his i"eas about statecraft Bwhich were a rather weak
construct for myselfC an" built them into i"eas about business an" social settings Bwhich were strong
constructsC.
If you "on/t alrea"y use metaphors e#tensiely, a +uick way to start woul" be to play the, &That
<emin"s 3e 5f...* game wheneer you learn something new. You play the game by thinking or
writing "own a list of i"eas that this new concept remin"s you of. It "oesn/t matter if the i"eas are
ri"iculous or completely unrelate". That/s the point, to link together i"eas that "on!t normally
connect.
The i"ea is that by playing this game repeate"ly you can see the new concept through the
antage points where you alrea"y hae un"erstan"ing. This helps you un"erstan" more rapi"ly. If
you alrea"y un"erstan" sports, then you can use sports as a metaphor when trying to comprehen"
economics or science. You can create connections between any sub0ects you 0ust nee" to be patient
enough.
The si"e-benefit of using metaphors is it actiely links your constructs together. This process
eentually means that een when your construct is really poor you can still fill in missing pieces. You
can sole programming problems from an artistic perspectie or relationship problems from an
economics perspectie. They won/t be as i"eal as a perfect construct, but they can be ama-ing
substitutes when you haen/t ha" the time to fully "eelop one.

3etho" Three: $#plore
$#ploration is the process of going through
your constructs, mo"els an" metaphors an"
fin"ing errors. .onsi"er this to be the polishing
phase of your final un"erstan"ing. Scrap mo"els
that "on/t represent what you/e learne" an" fill
holes for where you lack un"erstan"ing.
$#ploration is less necessary when you follow the preious two metho"s rigorously. )hen you
heaily iscerali-e an" metaphor, you en" up with a lot of re"un"ancy. You un"erstan" something in
so many ways that een if one of those metho"s you use" to reach un"erstan"ing is faulty or a gap
e#ists, you hae a "o-en other ways to reach the same point.
:ut if your un"erstan"ing is really important, e#ploring your network of i"eas can help you clean
up mistakes. Holes an" errors will only come up when you actually go back an" test them. 6ntil you
actually reiew the information inole", they will be hi""en from your awareness. This happens
when you go to write an e#am an" you reali-e you "on/t know how to sole a specific problem or you
"on/t hae the right formula. ' strong enough network may mean you "on/t nee" that formula to
sole the problem, but you may hae to take a few "etours to get there.

How to $#plore
The best way to e#plore is to actually face problems. If you are using holistic learning in
school this means homework +uestions, assignments an" tests. Haing to actually use your network
will +uickly point out holes an" errors.
I "isagree with the practice mo"el that says you shoul" "o a +uestion repeate"ly until you
un"erstan" it. This is 0ust rote memori-ation an" it is using +uestions to reinforce a strategy rather
than to e#plore holistic webs. Holistic learning assumes you alrea"y hae a construct an" practice
+uestions are 0ust to fill holes. If you en" up haing to "o the same type of +uestion many times to
un"erstan" it, you nee" to step back, create some new mo"els an" rebuil" your construct.
The secon" best way to e#plore is to stu"y. I "o stu"y a little bit, but it isn/t a source of
learning so much as it is a metho" of e#ploration. <ea"ing oer my notes an" chapters points out
i"eas. 6sually the i"ea is alrea"y reinforce" insi"e my web, but sometimes I misse" it entirely.
Stu"ying isn/t as goo" as testing but it can fi# a few broken paths.
If you hae to rea" something oer seeral times before you can remember it, then you either
aren/t paying enough attention or you "on/t hae a construct, it/s that simple. I "on/t beliee in
stu"ying for hours before an e#am. 6nless I/m learning the sub0ect for the first time or I/e
neglecte" to form constructs until the last minute it only takes a half hour at most for me to +uickly
e#plore a sub0ect before writing a test.

.riticisms to Holistic 2earning
)hen I first "iscusse" holistic learning publicly I got a lot of support but some interesting counter
arguments. 'lthough I/e trie" to integrate an" fi# my un"erstan"ing of holistic learning as a result of
those criticisms, holistic learning is not a perfect reme"y for genius. It is only one way of looking at the
process of learning an" there are areas where it "oesn/t apply.
'rbitrary Information
Holistic learning works best when there is an un"erlying system to be un"erstoo". It assumes that a
proper construct e#ists, 0ust that there is "ifficulty creating it. This applies to most sub0ects. Science an"
math ten" to be the best but relationships, culture, computers, life, health, emotions, an" philosophy all
work well.
:ut where holistic learning breaks "own is where no construct really e#ists. 2aw is a great e#ample.
'lthough there are some weak constructs that can be applie" to laws, they are weak an" arbitrary. 5ne
cannot assume a law e#ists base" on the linking of similar laws. <ule base" systems that are highly
arbitrary re+uire other skills that holistic learning "oesn/t coer.
History works a bit better with holistic learning, but there are many cases where information an"
"ata "on/t fit into an un"erlying system an" are 0ust a series of facts. Spelling, ocabulary an" languages
often hae similarly weak potential for forming constructs. There are other well "eelope" systems for
un"erstan"ing material that "oesn/t easily form constructs, but that is outsi"e the scope of this book.

Subconscious 2earning
Holistic learning focuses on concepts. :ut there are areas of life that "on/t rely on conceptual
un"erstan" at all. Tiger )oo"s "oesn/t hae to be a great holistic learner to win the 79'. Skills are
learne" subconsciously an" "on/t benefit much from holistic learning.
$ery form of learning is somewhere along the scale from highly conceptual to highly skill-
base". Holistic learning emphasi-es the highly conceptual en". These are usually the type of
learning "one in schools an" many professions. :ut 0ust as e#cessie memori-ation is a poor way to
learn concepts, interlinking is a poor way to learn skills.

Summary of Holistic 2earning
'lthough I/e gone through many i"eas, if there is one takeaway i"ea it is that you shoul"
be creating ast webs of interlinke" i"eas rather than poun"ing information into your skull. 8ot
only is this a more effectie form of learning it is more en0oyable. >iscerali-ing an" using
metaphors is fun. Instea" of learning a "ry sub0ect an" trying to force your brain to store it, you
are using your min" the way it was inten"e".
If I/e allowe" one stu"ent to stu"y less in or"er to know his sub0ect or gien one of you the
means to improe her un"erstan"ing, I/e reache" my goal. I absolutely hate haing to resort to
e#cuses of talent or gifte"ness to e#plain skills. Hopefully I/e "one a small part in breaking
"own the intellectual elitism an" giing har"working people a chance to use the skills others take
for grante".

'bout The 'uthor
Scott H Young is a recent high-school gra"uate
with a passion for learning, self-improement an"
getting the most out of life. Starting his self-
improement website in (ebruary, DEEF, it has since
grown to inclu"e close to ?EE articles an" receies
thousan"s of uni+ue isitors eery "ay. Scott is
currently a stu"ent at the 6niersity of 3anitoba.
If you want to contact Scott about business,
speaking engagements or 0ust to chat, you can gie him
an e-mail at:
personalGscotthyoung.com

.ontinuing )ith Holistic 2earning
If you like" this book, you might want to check out these other resources:
3y )ebsite:
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/
How to 'ce Your (inals )ithout Stu"ying:
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/DEEH/E?/D@/how-to-ace-your-finals-without-stu"ying/
Stu"ying an" Holistic 2earning:
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/DEEH/E?/DI/stu"ying-an"-holistic-learning/
This book is completely free, I release" it without e#pecting to make a profit from anyone
who rea"s it. If you en0oye" the book you might want to gie a tip.
9ie a %onation:
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/"onate/


This :ook %oesn!t Hae 2egs,
I wrote this book with the hopes that it coul" help stu"ents, professionals,
e"ucators or anyone that wants to improe the way they learn. If you got some alue
from the i"eas in this book I encourage you to share it with whoeer you can. You can
either attach the "ocument in an e-mail Bask first because it is a bit bigC or een easier
you can 0ust e-mail a link to the original file.
5riginal (ile:
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/7rograms/Holistic2earning$:ook.p"f
This book "oesn!t hae legs, so it can!t trael itself. I nee" your help in sprea"ing it,

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