Education Advice

The Ice Cream Approach to Education

As has become customary, in preparation for writing this quarter’s education advice, I asked my wife what she thought I should focus on. She scrunched up and, in her cute little voice, said, “Ice cream.”

So I got each of us a ramekin of mint-chocolate chip ice cream and thought, “Challenge accepted.”

So what does ice cream have to do with education advice?

Regardless of what you’re learning, be it formal study toward a diploma or degree, training for work, continuing education, or simply learning for the sake of self-improvement: study in scoops, not sundaes.

Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed

“Study in scoops, not sundaes” is a playful way of saying break your learning into small, flavorful chunks instead of overwhelming yourself with one giant session. Plain and simple, feeling overwhelmed results from too many things happening too quickly. Taking on your study in scoops, not sundaes deals directly with problem by slowing it down and forcing things to come in smaller quantities.

Better Than Cramming

Why does it work? Small scoops fit in the bowl, big scoops just fall off the edge. Short, focused study bursts help your brain absorb information more effectively than marathon cramming.

Let’s step away from the metaphor for a moment. When I was a freshman in college, my first semester, all four of my classes had midterm exams on the same day. (It never happened again in my entire academic career.) So I pulled an all-nighter, cramming. What was the result? I was really, really, really tired during those exams. I also received my worst midterm exam scores ever.

This is by no means limited to my experience as evidence of the ineffectiveness of cramming. According to Integrative Psych, “Cramming often fails” and “undermines long-term learning.”

Cognitive science shows that memory consolidation requires spaced practice and sufficient sleep; intensive, massed practice (cramming) can lead to high short-term recall but poor long-term retention. Cramming also increases stress hormones, which can impair working memory and decision-making on exam day.

Furthermore, cramming frequently worsens anxiety, disrupts sleep, and can reinforce avoidance patterns that make procrastination more likely in the future.

Reward Yourself During Breaks

Rewards make motivation sweet. A tiny treat — maybe an actual scoop of ice cream — gives your brain a positive association with the work.

These statistics, just by themselves, are interesting. When looking at how “hard” a major is, it’s even more interesting.

Avoid Burnout

No one learns well when overloaded.

Cognitive Load Theory is one of the most interesting psychological theories in cognitive science. Why? Because most of us have experienced it. In short, when presented with too much information, we stop paying attention. When teaching college, this was a very popular topic of study intended to help us improve the quality of our instruction. In short, the way to avoid cognitive overload was to break it down into smaller chunks. Hmm ... that sounds like “scoops, not sundaes.”

Practical Application

How do you apply this concept in your own life?

Play the Ice Cream Game.

Step 1) Pick a topic or task. We’ll call it a “flavor.”

Step 2) Work for 20–25 minutes. That’s one “scoop.”

Step 3) After two or three scoops, take a break — maybe even a literal spoonful of something cold and celebratory.

Step 4) Repeat as needed.

Playing the Ice Cream Game turns studying into something rhythmic, manageable, and as fun as studying can be.

W.D. Kilpack III: Official Web Site