4 Simple Steps :)

Richard Feynman is one of my heroes. Irreverent, funny, brilliant and profound, he saw reality in ways most people can never conceive of in any way, shape or fashion. To that end, his take on understanding and deep learning is equally creative and common sensical to a fault as per this excellent post from Farnam Street titled, The Feynman Technique: The Best Way to Learn Anything.

There are four simple steps to the Feynman Technique, which I’ll explain below:

1. Choose a Concept
2. Teach it to a Toddler
3. Identify Gaps and Go Back to The Source Material
4. Review and Simplify (optional)

In other words ...

If one can't do this, then one cannot learn anything of consequence.

“The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks.”— Mortimer Adler

Read the piece in its entirety, it's the smart thing to do. :)

Richard Feynman