LEARNING HOW TO LEARN

Irrespective of your learning interest, learning is required before knowledge can be acquired. Simply put, knowledge is only gotten through learning, no matter what it is you seek to learn. Life is a series of lessons – we learn every day and about almost everything. One reason, I am sure, you have embarked on this academic pursuit, is to learn. The importance of learning can, therefore, not be over-emphasized, as it is the pathway to every acquisition we desire from life.

If learning is, therefore this important, why hasn’t much attention been paid to learning how to learn? We are often expected to pick up our intellectual baggage and hop into the learning bandwagon without proper guidance as to the “hows” of learning. Times are changing, however, as we are confronted with the reality that learning how to learn is, in fact, the most vital aspect of learning we can aspire to.

That is why in this article, we will be exploring three best strategies that would help increase learning outcomes. We will attempt to answer the questions of how we learn, how we adapt to various learning situations – pleasant and difficult, how we can accelerate our learning process, etcetera. The following tips are ones I have discovered through my experiences as a student of life’s lessons, and they all come from experts and scholars who are not just pros at educating aspiring learners, but also at teaching how to learn.

BE IN CHARGE

The legendary quote: “Man, know thyself” by Aristotle, expresses the importance of man’s ability to recognize and master the details of his personality. This discovery cuts across every aspect of his life, but most especially, in his ability to learn. What am I saying? To learn how to learn, one must pay attention to self.

You must understand yourself enough to know what, where and how learning works best for you. No matter how confused you are about understanding some learning rudiments, being in charge of what you learn, where you learn, why you choose to learn, who you learn from, what sets you in the learning mode and how best you do learn, are some of the keys to active learning. These details set the mode for an enjoyable learning experience. Learning is a demanding pursuit, and therefore, requires deep reflection on previously experienced learning processes(didn’t understand what this meant.)

Another way to control/be in charge of your learning is to maintain an insatiable mind. Question everything. I have always loved the expression “wide-eyed”. It relates to WONDER. INQUISITIVENESS. INTEREST. It is this wide-eyed state we must assume if we must be great and effective learners. A constant hunger for knowledge must reside in our hearts and minds. Learning to learn involves an open and child-like heart and mind - inquisitive and probing. After all, all answers are only the results of the questions asked.

Research shows that students report the avoidance of help….(add this detail, sis, but in more clear terms. I didn’t catch the explanation. It furthers the point of inquisitiveness and interest as a fuel for learning)

LEARNING IS A JOURNEY

My mother often talked about travel being a significant aspect of learning, and she would often emphasize the journey to the destination as the most vital part of the travel experience. I find this true when it comes to life lessons as well. The journeys we take are as important, if not more important, than the destinations we arrive at.

There is something about “destinations” that is limiting, but not a journey. With the vast opportunity to learn, and unlearn, we find out that in the end, the process of getting to that destination holds all the lessons we require. Learning is not an event, but a journey. It is not a one-and-done enterprise, but a way of life. Too many times, we treat learning as a seasoned occupation, as if learning should be done once and for all.

It doesn’t matter your destination – perhaps to bag a degree in Engineering, or Medicine, or maybe even in Communications, like myself – recognizing that your lessons are in your every day, every event and with every person you meet while on the journey, is a great way to learning how to learn. Recognizing that though the destinations are great, the process to reach them, is often greater.

As college students, we would often have to remind ourselves that precious things are often made precious through the fiery fire, so we must not expect a smooth sail through this learning journey, or any learning journey for that matter. We must have to confront the notion that there is no such thing as failure or success and embrace every experiential form of learning that comes our way. That is how we learn to learn.

EMBRACE YOUR MISTAKES

This point has been briefly explained above, but for emphasis, I will expatiate it here. Consider having to view issues differently, like seeing risk-taking as one side of a coin, and mistake-making as another. Both are not mutually exclusive. But we must question: is there anything such as making a mistake? How does one define a mistake? Let’s say you recognize a situation as a mistake, what effect does it have on you? – withering? Or flourishing?

Whichever way it goes, accepting that we must simply keep trying until we achieve our desired results, is an approach that converts our notion of blaming, to learning. It also forces us to define, measure strategically, and act on what has been learned. This is the way we can advance significantly here in college, and beyond.

So, the next time you cross paths with “failures” or “mistakes”, don’t bury or deny them. Simply learn, learn, and don’t stop learning.

Conclusion

In conclusion, knowing, recognizing and applying these three strategies will lead you well on your way to a blissful and satisfying learning experience as a college student.