Overview
Einstein is credited with a wonderful quote that cuts to the heart of this model: “If you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t understand it well enough.”
The Feynman Technique is a learning and sense-making method that involves explaining a new concept to an imaginary child to expose gaps in your understanding and embed your learning.
KEY STEPS.
The Feynman Technique involves the following steps:
IT’S MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.
The Feynman Technique is a deceptively simple approach that delivers a range of benefits, including increasing your ability to:
MORE THAN A STUDY HACK, A WAY OF THINKING.
The Feynman Technique is generally posed as a ‘study hack’, but we’d argue it has broader application to experiential learning and sense-making. Framing any experience with the need to explain your lessons will help you to embed deeper reflection, sense-making, and learning as habits.
LEARN OUT LOUD.
You can go further with The Feynman Technique by moving beyond pretend conversations with an imaginary child and consider how you might communicate your learning via real conversations, blog/ social media posts, journals, videos, or other forms of presentations.
You can share the fact that you're still new to the topic as a form of 'learning out loud.' Doing this has the joint benefits of learning and helping to build your personal learning network and community.