Thomas Heaton

ICM/Anaesthesia consultant in the UK. Focusing on how we can learn and perform better. Skool community here:

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Flashcards NOT working? You're probably making these mistakes!

Stop wasting time on flashcards that don't stick. My FREE guide reveals the 6 rules to make them your secret weapon for medical school.

Get instant access 👇

https://t.co/rctBsEjoxA

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

I've started writing about some of the aspects of medicine that I find most interesting.

Please consider having a look.

https://t.co/Y5tXRwESZL

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

You didn’t forget it. You never actually learned it.

Reading a chapter and recognising the
key terms ≠ knowing the material.
That feeling of “yeah, I know this” is your brain’s most dangerous lie.

Test yourself.
Find out for real.

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

One of the most useful mental models for effective learning is "desirable difficulty".

Like weights in a gym we want learning to be challenging, but not impossible.

Difficult learning stimulates better retention, but if we don't understand it we don't learn much at all.

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

If this sounds interestong I’ve created a free Skool community to bring this all together.

Check it out here: https://t.co/IQFCX3bmM2

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Preparing for an exam? Starting a new rotation?

I've put together a new collection of resources on how best to study medicine.

This includes the evidence-based strategies on how best to understand, retain, and recall the huge amount of stuff that you have to learn.

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

From minor frustrations to catastrophic errors, the way things are designed matters much more than we tend to realise.
I've summarised the key part here:
https://t.co/u3O13AcvTC

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Our environment has a huge impact on our performance.

In his book “The Design of Everyday Things”, Don Norman highlights the key features of object design, and how this can help (or hinder) our intentions.

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

"We have to accept human behaviour the way it is,
Not the way we would wish it to be."

- Don Norman

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

For more learning techniques you can get my FREE flashcard guide here:

https://t.co/rctBsEjoxA

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Difficulty (challenge) is one of the most controllable when planning your learning.

Testing is one of the best ways to do this.

Test yourself on everything that you are learning. 

Avoid passive activities:
Reading
Rereading
Highlighting

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Flashcards NOT working? You're probably making these mistakes!

Stop wasting time on flashcards that don't stick. My FREE guide reveals the 6 rules to make them your secret weapon for medical school.

Get instant access 👇

https://t.co/rctBsEjoxA

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

True learning is "acquiring knowledge and skills so that they are easily accessible for future problem solving and opportunities"

When we understand the components of this, we can better assess and adjust our approach.

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

I'm trying to get back into making some educational material.

Here's my latest approach at videos, this time describing the testing effect.

I'd love your feedback.

https://t.co/8KQJi46uzf

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Learning is all about repetition.

The trick is to make that repetition fun and engaging.

This maximises engagement and progress.

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Hi everyone

I'm close to finishing my course on medical mastery.

It looks at the learning skills needed for thriving in this speciality.

I'd love to get some initial feedback, especially from medical students.

Please send me a message if interested

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Hi Medtwitter,
What are the things you wished you knew about learning when you started med school?

[Thomas Heaton @drtomheaton]

Do people feel that they have a clear model/strategy for approaching postgraduate exams?

I don't think I did until quite late.