Need help with your studies? 5 ideas

If you’re looking for a new way to study or a study aid to help with your studies in certain subjects, look no further than a rubber ducky!

The idea of using rubber duckies for learning was never really thought of in this way. In fact, the original idea was geared towards programmers, who have to decipher multiple and infinite lines of code to understand a problem.

However, over time people realised that this initiative could be used for other areas related to learning. And here we tell you what it is and how to apply it.

Where did this idea come from?

This technique was first implemented in the book The Pragmatic Programmer (by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas in 1999). But over time it has evolved and is now known as rubber duck debugging. Or, more simply, the rubber duck method.

At first, this technique was aimed at programmers and consisted in the fact that when they needed to debug code, they had to explain to a rubber duck all the lines in which the problem was found, one by one and in detail.

This detailed explanation of the lines of code and their functions eventually led to the effective resolution of the problem in question. Which is why it became a classic when it came to providing answers to computer problems.

To this day, this method is still in use. And, although very few people use a rubber duck, it is still the benchmark for solving programming-related obstacles.

How does the rubber ducky method of learning work?

When you are studying, reading aloud activates the sense of hearing and it becomes part of the experience.  With this way of learning, cognitive skills related to memory, attention and comprehension are activated and this in turn activates the ability to store and retain information.

In this sense, the concept of using rubber duckies can be applied far beyond mere programming. This means that it can be used to learn about unfamiliar subjects, prepare for exams, generate good essays, make better presentations, among many other benefits.

The central idea is that speaking out loud to explain something makes it easier to find solutions to problems and to fix these solutions in the mind. Explaining verbally the things you are trying to learn helps a lot in retaining the information because it forces you to pay attention to details.

Learning by teaching does this method work?

If you thought that talking out loud to an object during problem solving or learning a topic was not feasible, you are wrong.

Some of the advantages that can be seen from using a rubber ducky as a learning experiment include:

• Putting the effort into teaching the rubber ducky helps you recognise whether you really understand a topic. As you can only teach clearly what you have learned about.
• Reading an essay aloud to him or her help with your studies to decide whether the sentences are grammatically correct and whether the essay or paper flows well.
• Teaching a rubber ducky is easier than explaining the problem to someone else, because they usually interrupt with suggestions or questions that distract from the topic you want to learn about.

Test your studies with the rubber ducky

When you assume that your rubber ducky is ignorant of a subject, you have to explain more fully and accurately what you probably thought of those specific study concepts in your head. That’s where your study help comes in.

When you test your studies with the rubber ducky, you are compelled by the need to be accurate. While helping another person (ducky) understand your problem or object of study.

If you are one of those who find it difficult to internalise information, it is time to test these perspectives. Which in programming have worked very well, and those who have decided to make it a habit have seen its benefits.

What do I do if I can’t get a rubber ducky?

You don’t have to use a rubber ducky exclusively. If you understand what the technique consists of, you can use any other object that you consider relevant to test.

It is recommended to use one that refers to an animal or a person because it is obviously easier to connect it to someone you have to explain and teach certain things to. However, if you feel that you are not affected by having to use, for example, your own notebook or even a pencil, you can try it.