Feynman technique
The Feynman technique is a study method where you explain a topic in plain words, like you're teaching a kid. Every spot where you get stuck or go vague shows you exactly what you don't really understand yet, so you can go fix it.
It's named after the physicist Richard Feynman. The idea is simple. If you can't say something in easy words, you don't actually get it. Fancy terms can hide gaps. Plain words expose them.
So you pick one topic and try to teach it out loud, in the simplest language you can. When you stumble or fall back on a textbook phrase you can't unpack, that's a gap. Go back to your notes, fill it, then explain it again until it flows. Doing this turns passive reading into active recall, which is why it sticks.
Maya has a biology exam on photosynthesis. She tries to explain it to her little brother and gets stuck the moment he asks where the plant gets its energy. That stumble tells her she never really understood the light reactions, so she rereads that one section and tries again.
- 1Pick one topic and write its name at the top of a blank page.
- 2Explain it out loud in plain words, like you're teaching a 12-year-old.
- 3Mark every spot where you get stuck, vague, or jargon-y. That's your gap.
- 4Go back to your notes or book and fill that gap.
- 5Explain it again until it's smooth and simple all the way through.