This Simple Method Helps You Learn More from Podcasts (and Audiobooks!)

There’s a lot of great podcasts out there. But what should we do if we want to learn from them? Here’s a simple method. 00:00 Some drawbacks of using podcasts to learn 01:49 Step 1 - Activate prior knowledge 02:42 Step 2 - Free recall and fill in the gaps 05:49 Step 3 - Consolidate and extend If you want to be the first to know about the courses I’m releasing, sign up here: Sign up to my email newsletter, Avoiding Folly, here: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Screenshots of Twilight of the Aesir and Hardcore History come from . Jutland and Saxony screenshots come from Wikipedia. I use Miro for the visualization software clip. REFERENCES My comments about what free recall self-tests can do for you are based on the large literature related to the testing effect. At a high-level, frequent tests enhance learning in a variety of ways. For a thorough discussion of the possible benefits (including anticipatory/motivational aspects and organizational aspects, like I mention in the video), check out: Roediger III, H. L., Putnam, A. L., & Smith, M. A. (2011). Ten Benefits of Testing and Their Applications to Educational Practice. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 55, pp. 1–36). Elsevier. Here is a recent meta-analysis exploring different potential mechanisms and applications of the testing effect(s): Yang, C., Luo, L., Vadillo, M. A., Yu, R., & Shanks, D. R. (2021). Testing (quizzing) boosts classroom learning: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 147(4), 399–435.