One of the things I’ve learned in my time as an autistic student is that I have to adapt neurotypical learning strategies to fit the way my brain works. Rather than taking the instructions provided by my teachers at face value, I have to dig into the underlying concepts and find ways to reverse engineer ways to use those concepts that work for me. I need access to the plumbing rather than relying on the porcelain, if you will. While I don’t have a degree in educational psychology, I have found ways to better understand the way that I learn, and I’d like to share some of them. Today, I’d like to talk about concept chaining.
Concept chaining is taking a new concept and mentally connecting it to previously-learned concepts. By connecting a new concept to an existing concept, it becomes easier to reason about and remember, and it fits better within one’s working memory.
This is often capitalized on by textbook authors, by presenting concepts in a logical progression. For example, subtraction can be presented in relation to the similar concept of addition. By connecting subtraction (new concept) to addition (already known concept), it becomes easier to understand and remember than it would be if it were taught in a vacuum. This requires creative thought and relational thinking, rather than rote memorization, and engages very different (and more beneficial) brain function. It can easily be integrated in the Feynman technique and other similar “use your own words” approaches: simply include already-known concepts within your own words. Depending on how far you reach for the existing concept, this can be considered an example of diffuse thinking. The more existing concepts you can connect the new one to, the stronger its foundation will be.
You can use this technique anytime that you’re learning new material. Before starting a new chapter or attending a lecture, think about concepts that can act as foundational concepts to chain the new information to, and then look for those connections as you learn. Let me know if it works for you!