Learning Resources and Strategies

Note-Taking & Organizational Strategies

1. Virtual Notebook. Obsidian provides a free, easy-to-use, clean interface for notes. It can also connect between different devices (either through their paid service or options such as iCloud), so you can pull up your information whenever and wherever you'd like. For more information, check out Obsidian here.
   • Pomodoro Timer Plug-In
2. Zettelkasten Method. Zettelkasten describes a method of personal knowledge management where bite-sized pieces of information are written, categorized, and connected. This method is similar, to a certain degree, to Wikipedia and similar knowledge databases. Building your own knowledge database promotes a deeper understanding of not only the material itself but its connections to other areas and larger themes. For information on getting started with Zettelkasten in Obsidian, check out this webpage.

Journal Article Management

1. Zotero is a great, free program for citation and article management. Zotero can be downloaded here and has browser plugins to make citing articles easy.
2. Endnote is a paid program for citation and article management. Endnote can be downloaded here. Some universities and organizations offer free or discounted versions of Endnote.

Time Blocking Strategies

1. Pomodoro Technique. A common technique for time management where time is structured into ~25 minute blocks with 5 minute breaks after each block. This is a good strategy for focused work, and the timing of the blocks can be adjusted to fit your needs.
   • Online Pomodoro Timer
2. Google Calendar. A great tool for blocking out your day, week, or even month. Time can be blocked to varying degrees of specificity, from general time for reading articles to blocking out times for specific research goals.
3. Using a daily productivity notebook: the importance of self-discipline. Using a daily productivity notebook has been extremely beneficial for myself. The format I use allows me to write down what I have accomplished throughout a day along with two priority lists: a main priority list for the following day or two, and a secondary priority list for longer-term goals that do not need to be completed immediately. By having these three sections, I am able to see what I have done and what I want to accomplish in just a few lines.

Project Management

1. Spreadsheets. I have learned that creating extensive spreadsheets for multi-project management has helped me keep my goals in focus. Before starting a project, I create a new section in my spreadsheet that provides a rough outline/checklist of all of the different pieces needed for a specific project and its corresponding goals. As the project starts and continues, I can add or subtract from my project checklist, making sure to touch on "flagstone" parts of a project (e.g., "run geometry optimization", or "calculate atomic displacements"). The spreadsheet is effective for larger goals, and the daily priority notebook, as described previously, is good for the day-to-day finer details.
2. Website with various management techniques
   • Waterfall method
   • Agile method
   • Kanban method
   • Scrum method
   • Lean method

Problem Solving Strategies

1. A nice document on problem solving strategies in chemistry
2. Mise en Place. A French culinary term meaning "putting into place". In cooking, all ingredients needed for a recipe are set out prior to starting to cook. This aids in organization, and makes sure everything needed is within reach. This can be applied to solving problems as well by:
   • Extracting all information from the problem and placing these items in an organized list/list
   • Creating a secondary section that includes information not directly stated in the problem, but will be helpful (i.e., formulae, constants, etc.)
   • A final third section should be dedicated to what the question is asking to be solved
3. Checking Your Work
   • Passive Checking. A less-impactful strategy, where you simply "read" your work to try to spot mistakes. Note: This method is prone to confirmation bias!
   • Active Checking. A much more effective method where the problem is reframed and/or re-solved.
     • Example: Reframing. Tasked to find the electron configuration of carbon, we can check our work by adding up our electrons from our determined configuration and compare it to the atomic number of carbon. These values, for a neutral atom, should match.
     • Example: Re-Solving. Tasked with finding the value of P in PV = nRT, once found, we have two options: 1) We can plug in our value to make sure the two sides are actually equal and/or 2) set a known value (i.e., R which is a constant or a known value given to us in the problem) to be solved for. If the variable was computed correctly, the mathematics should always work out.

Teaching Pedagogy

1. Bloom's Taxonomy
2. Feynman Technique