# I Coached 3000 Top Students. Here's What I've Learned...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a620mE9nyBQ

[00:00] your ability to learn is one of the most important skills in your life
[00:05] it is literally life defining but if you've ever tried to get better at learning you probably realize that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another person
[00:14] like have you ever try to copy something that some top student will do but then it just doesn't work for you
[00:19] or maybe you've heard those stories about those students that never seem to study but then they still get first place
[00:25] how do they do that
[00:28] are they just built different and if so what are you meant to do
[00:32] most of the time the answer lies in figuring out your learner type
[00:37] once you figure out your learner type improving is much smoother
[00:41] that's why one of the first things I do when I work with any new learner is to find their learner type
[00:44] and this is not some weird horoscope thing
[00:46] this is not talking about learning styles which are completely different
[00:51] learner types are about assessing your habits and processes
[00:55] the type of learner you are affects what you're good at that what is
[01:00] holding you back and therefore what is the thing that if you were to work on would make the biggest impact for your performance.
[01:09] being able to identify someone's learner type is actually a trade secret of mine that has allowed me to help people improve their learning efficiency more in just 4 weeks than they have been able to in the last four years combined.
[01:23] as a professional learning coach it's been one of my greatest competitive advantages and by the end of this video you'll see why I've actually never revealed this on YouTube before.
[01:30] not not because I didn't want to but because it's been such a core part of my practice for so many years now that I just didn't really think about making a video about this directly.
[01:38] like it literally only occurred to me a couple of days ago that I have never talked about this which is wild.
[01:44] so in this video I'll explain what a learner type is and how it's different to a learning style.
[01:51] I'll go through and explain the different learner types that I've identified over the last decade of working with thousands of students and then I'll go through some recommendations on how you can figure out your own learner type and then what that means for you if you are new to
[02:00] this channel welcome I'm Dr Justin Sun.
[02:02] I'm a learning coach in the head of learning at I can study for the last 10 years.
[02:06] I have helped thousands of people learn to learn more efficiently and for the last few years I have been sharing my experience and a few evidence-based ways that you can approach learning on YouTube.
[02:16] before we jump in as always I would appreciate if you give this video a like.
[02:20] the YouTube algorithm controls my fate and quality of life and the algorithm is controlled by how many likes and comments this video gets so every like is appreciated.
[02:29] okay so what is the learner type and why does it matter.
[02:33] firstly let me make it clear that learning styles are a completely separate thing.
[02:36] learning styles is a theory that became popular in the 7s and it basically says that the human brain has a certain style of learning like visual auditory read and write or kinesthetic that it is bitter at and therefore finding that learning style will make you a bit and more efficient learner.
[02:54] but after Decades of research we know that that is actually not the case.
[02:58] this is not a dedicated video on learning Styles let me know if you want.
[03:00] me to make one but the summary is that all people benefit from using multiple learning styles and the human brain is vastly better at processing visual information than basically any other type of information all humans and certainly there are learning preferences but those are usually because of Prior experiences and habits rather than something that is biological or innate.
[03:25] everyone should get better at using multiple learning styles because number one it's called cognitively Superior and number two you just simply can't choose which style to learn from most of the time anyway so it creates unnecessary pigeon H holding and sets limits on your self-beliefs on how you can or can't learn efficiently rather than just learning to make learning work for you which is called self-regulated learning and self-regulated learning is my area of expertise so that's learning styles and it has nothing to do with learn a types I just wanted to clear that up you'll learn a typ type comes down to
[04:01] the core Dimensions that make up an efficient learner.
[04:03] this is based on a conceptual framework of learning that I created which I'm in the process of getting published.
[04:07] uh it's taking a while but it can be very technical so I'll try to keep this concise.
[04:12] your learning efficiency is mainly determined by five key dimensions and they are number one deep processing.
[04:18] number two self-regulation.
[04:19] number three mindset.
[04:21] number four self-management and number five retrieval practice.
[04:24] as an analogy I like playing video games and characters and games usually have these stats like strength agility defense dexterity or something like that.
[04:34] well these five core dimensions are basically the stats for your ability to learn.
[04:38] the learner types are just a different combination of these five Dimensions.
[04:43] as a quick and Shameless plug the icon study.com guided training program is based on training you through these core Dimensions which is why mapping these with a diagnostic assessment is step one of the program.
[04:56] now in this video I want to focus on just the first three dimensions because these are the ones that are I think the
[05:01] most important and also the ones that people most commonly have issues with.
[05:06] also this video will just get too long.
[05:07] so starting with deep processing deep processing is the raw power of your mind.
[05:14] think of a genius that you know or have heard of what you are thinking about is probably deep processing.
[05:19] it's basically intelligence.
[05:22] deep processing is the ability to think critically make connections between ideas extract meaningful learning from information and understand complex Concepts.
[05:34] most people with deep processing are high Achievers and they have high deep processing because of a combination of genetics and childhood experiences.
[05:43] here's the important part of deep processing though.
[05:44] deep processing can be trained.
[05:47] your brain has this thing called neuroplasticity which is the ability for it to mold and adapt based on the pressures that you put on it.
[05:52] that's how we form new habits.
[05:53] deep processing is just a series of habits related to learning and they can be trained.
[06:01] Every person is going to become the genius, but everyone can get better. FYI.
[06:07] Many, in fact probably most of the videos that I put out on this channel are actually about training yourself to be better at deep processing.
[06:13] The second thing, and this is crucial, is that if you don't have high deep processing, which most people don't, and you try to copy someone that does have Pi deep processing, you will probably not have the same level of success.
[06:29] This single fact is the reason why there is so much bad studying advice out there.
[06:36] People with high deep processing can use ineffective techniques and still do well; their raw processing power can compensate for their bad technique.
[06:47] Let me explain.
[06:50] An effective technique is one that helps you think in a way that is good for learning, and an ineffective technique is one that does not help your brain think in a way that is good for learning.
[07:01] Your cognitive habits are set by your deep
[07:04] processing so if you've got high deep processing.
[07:06] you have good cognitive habits.
[07:07] if you have low deep processing you don't have good cognitive habits.
[07:12] and obviously this is kind of oversimplified.
[07:14] in reality it's more of a spectrum.
[07:15] if you have high deep processing and you use an ineffective technique you can usually still make it work.
[07:24] obviously if you use an effective technique it works even better.
[07:26] now if you have low deep processing which again is most people.
[07:31] they don't have the cognitive habits to pull this off and overcome it.
[07:33] so if they use an ineffective technique they will not be able to make it work.
[07:39] but the thing is that truly effective techniques actually less common.
[07:43] and part of that is because high deep processors don't need to use the most effective techniques a lot of the time.
[07:50] especially when they're in high school or things are a little bit easier.
[07:54] most natural high Achievers are doing well despite their techniques not because of them.
[08:00] that's why you might find that many high Achievers especially
[08:04] on social media and Reddit seem to look down on more deliberate learning methods because they think it's unnecessary.
[08:13] because for them it genuinely may be unnecessary it's like someone who is crazy strong they can lift the weight even if they have bad form but if you aren't you probably can't or you might even injure yourself.
[08:24] most high Achievers are also not experienced learning Cod coaches so what worked for them doesn't necessarily transfer to someone else.
[08:34] this is one of the reasons why I always say take advice from people that have had personal success and have been able to replicate that success in other people.
[08:41] again just because you are a terrific athlete doesn't necessarily mean that you're a good coach but the thing is that if you have low deep processing and you use these techniques that lots of high Achievers are using and then you don't do well which is statistically most people then you can conclude that you're not smart enough or you are just incapable which is sad and
[09:05] Untrue so here's the summary if you have good deep processing good for you you're probably not going to be limited by this dimension you can focus on the other dimensions.
[09:13] If you do have low deep processing this is something that's probably worthwhile for you to work on as well as compensating for it with the other dimensions.
[09:21] So the next dimension is self-regulation.
[09:25] Self-regulation or in other words self-regulated learning is the ability to monitor and adapt your learning methods to achieve your learning goals.
[09:33] An efficient learner is like an efficient builder they have a range of tools and they know how to use each one to achieve the outcome they want.
[09:41] If they're not getting success with one tool they know to change the tool.
[09:43] If one tool isn't working they know how to use it differently to get the job done.
[09:49] For learning that means having mastery over skills like your note taking your listening your pre-study and priming your review and your consolidation skills.
[09:57] All of these things which I talk about in many of my other videos you also need to be able to monitor how it's going and then make adjustments on the fly.
[10:05] This requires self-awareness and the
[10:08] ability to think about thinking which is something called metacognition.
[10:14] one of the most influential factors for academic success.
[10:16] so if you have high deep processing but low self-regulation then you may do well normally but struggle with consistency.
[10:25] especially if unexpected things pop up or when things become more challenging.
[10:29] you might suddenly struggle to keep up.
[10:31] I see this a lot with students going from high school to college or university.
[10:34] where suddenly there's this very big jump from the amount of self-regulation they needed and then now there's more resources to manage.
[10:40] the lectures are faster there's more Content Volume there's just overall less Direction and therefore they need a greater self-regulation ability but they don't have it and then they start struggling.
[10:52] even if you had the raw power to process the information it's just an unnecessary amount of energy that's being spent on.
[11:00] the flip side if you have low deep processing but you've got high self regulation then you can compensate for.
[11:09] having lower level of raar power with just sheer technique and in fact.
[11:14] actually that's what I recommend most of the time because good technique actually helps to train your deep processing over time.
[11:19] however both of these are limited by mindset which is the third dimension.
[11:26] mindset is about your resilience and grit.
[11:29] how do you react to the idea of making mistakes or jumping into the unknown with dealing with uncertainty?
[11:37] do you jump right into it experiment and learn from your mistakes or are you paralyzed by a fear of failure?
[11:45] being afraid of making mistakes and feeling a sense of insecurity with failure is what we call a fixed mindset.
[11:50] whereas the opposite where you're open to making mistakes and you learn from it and you even thrive in it that is called a growth mindset.
[12:00] because both self-regulation and deep processing require practice and time to train.
[12:04] mistakes are unavoidable in fact even if
[12:11] you could avoid them you wouldn't want to avoid them because making mistakes is where you get most of the learning from.
[12:17] so if you are limited by a fixed mindset it's impossible to improve on anything.
[12:24] and knowing this can make a big difference.
[12:26] what I often see is people trying to improve their learning methods which is good by learning about more methods and more techniques which is good but they are so afraid of making mistakes that they don't really practice them or they practice them a little bit it's not really working so well for them.
[12:43] and then they straight away just back off and then they get trapped in the spiral of wanting to improve learning methods to improve not practicing them enough and making enough mistakes to improve and then being again even more desperate to improve.
[12:57] this is a really demotivating and anxious spiral to be in and just knowing that it's the mindset holding them back rather than the technique can be life-changing.
[13:09] fortunately mindsets can also be trained.
[13:11] but the research says that it is challenging and takes a lot of diligence.
[13:15] so those are the three key Dimensions that I think you should know as I mentioned we've got two more in our full program but based on our data less than 10% of Learners are limited by those now.
[13:25] here are the learner types ranked by most common to the least common.
[13:30] these learner types are not set in stone it's not some Cosmic Destiny for you they are just an indication of where you are at right now and therefore what you should focus your efforts and energy on improving next.
[13:42] as you train and change your processes and habits your type will also change.
[13:47] the most common type of learner is one that we call Unchained.
[13:51] Unchained Learners are limited by their mindset and the other dimensions actually don't really matter so much because they're going to be limited by mindset anyway.
[13:58] we call them Unchained because even though they are chained by their mindset right now we found that once we retrain the mindset they actually experience a very rapid growth spirit and I think this is because they're so used to putting in so much.
[14:13] time and energy and effort into trying to improve that.
[14:16] once we reframe the mindset they can direct that time and energy in a way that's a lot more productive and then they get this big grow Spike.
[14:23] based on our data we have found that about 60% of Learners are unch.
[14:29] now I suspect that this number is actually higher in the general population because most of the Learners that we work with in our program are already pretty proactive to begin with.
[14:37] the next most common one is one that we call the Sprout.
[14:39] Sprouts as you can see have a growth mindset but they have low de processing and they have low self-regulation skills.
[14:45] these are usually people that are very early on in their learning skills Journey.
[14:49] it's not a bad place to be it just means that Sprouts need to work on developing good depressing habits as well as creating a good foundation of self-regulated learning skills.
[15:01] the third most common is this one which we call Trooper.
[15:03] Troopers have high growth mindset they've got high self-regulation but they have limited deep processing.
[15:10] Troopers are called Troopers based on storm troopers.
[15:14] from Star Wars because Storm Troopers fire their blasters a lot but they never really hit anything and so Trooper Learners they are really used to experimenting and using lots of different learning methods which is good but they're limited by they deep processing cognitive habits and so even though they use a lot of methods they don't really hit the mark they can spend a lot of time and be quite stressed about changing and adapting their learning methods and not it ever being quite good enough and there's sort of like a seiling of how good it can be this can also be pretty demotivating and frustrating so Troopers need to focus on developing their deep processing abilities to get the most out of the methods that they're using if you think about your learning methods like equipment then and you can see how you can have really Hightech fancy amazing state-of-the-art equipment but if you actually don't know how to use the equipment properly you're actually just not going to get that much benefit it's really exactly the same with learning you can use an effective technique that is helping your brain think in a very
[16:16] productive way but if your brain is just so not used to thinking in that way that it can't keep up with the technique
[16:24] that's where the bottleneck is going to happen and then finally we have carps
[16:27] which is the least common on here but still pretty common which have low levels of self-regulation but they have good mindset and good deep processing
[16:38] we call them carps based on Magikarp from Pokémon because if you've ever played Pokémon magic car has like one attack called Splash and it's not very effective but they evolve into Gyarados which is pretty badass
[16:52] so CS are Learners that don't have very effective methods but if you give them better methods then they can become much more powerful usually very suddenly
[17:04] cars are actually pretty common among top Achievers but they are less common in the general population around 90% of Learners will fall into one of these four categories
[17:12] again there is actually one more type when we introduce the other two key Dimensions but we're just
[17:17] not going to talk about that in this video.
[17:18] so how can you actually figure out your learning type?
[17:22] well trying to explain how you can figure out your own learning type through a video would be insane complicated.
[17:27] on our program we have a very comprehensive diagnostic assessment for all five dimensions that we've collected data on and researched to make it really accurate.
[17:38] but I've gone ahead and created a simplified version using just the three key dimensions that we've talked about in this video that you can do completely for free.
[17:46] it's not quite as accurate as the full one because it's missing a couple of dimensions and the report you get at the end is not as in depth and personalized.
[17:54] but it's less questions takes less time to do and I think gives you a pretty pretty solid understanding about what dimensions are affecting you the most and what you can work on next to make the biggest impact for your learning ability.
[18:07] you can find a link to this quiz in the description below.
[18:11] once you've figured out your learner type you might want to know how you can actually improve on each of those dimensions in an effective way and if so then make
[18:17] sure to stick around to the end of this video where there's a playlist a collection of videos that I think is a pretty good place to start
[18:24] alternatively if you want to do the full diagnostic assessment and jump into our guided program you can check that out at I study
[18:28] if you liked this video which I hope you did I really did try make sure to subscribe thank you for watching and I'll see you next time