How to become a Conceptual Learner

Can we see an object in a completely dark room after some time? Where does the mass of a large tree weighing several tonnes come from...given that it started off as a seed that weighed just a few grams? Such questions can puzzle even the best among us. This is because developing conceptual understanding requires ‘connecting the dots’ between different things we learn that are seemingly unrelated. We are naturally curious to engage with such questions, but there seems to be no value to such questions when one is focused on 'doing well in exams'.

This is a dangerous situation. If one gets used to cracking tests and exams based on memorization and ‘figuring out patterns’, one has a much harder time unlearning and relearning when work and life situations require deeper understanding. So why not make conceptual learning a goal in itself? Even though it can be challenging, it…