Stick to what you know
I love to teach - it taught me how to learn.
In my previous life as a mathematics tutor it was always satisfying to witness eyes lighting up when a student really understood the concept you were teaching them. Each learned concept is a foundation on which new things can be learned.
Understanding new concepts usually requires us to attach it to what we already know. This is why algebra will always come before calculus in the mathematics curriculum. The bigger or deeper our pool of knowledge is on a particular subject, the easier it becomes for new information to 'stick'.
With new students I'd first try to establish what concepts they already knew, and build from there - this included things unrelated to mathematics. Over time I learnt that the fastest way to teach a new concept was often through a story or metaphor related to real-world things that I knew they liked or already understood.
As humans we can build patterns, stories, and abstractions to connect the new to what is already known, and help us learn faster.
The more we can weave new information into already established chunks of knowledge in our long term memories, the larger our foundations for understanding more complex topics become.
In short - to learn new things: stick to what you already know.