I’ve been trying to learn Spanish for a couple of years now… never making much headway. But our upcoming trip to Spain has motivated me to work harder and I think I’ve finally turned a corner – I’m getting it! Nothing like a little motivation…
Are you finding it more difficult to learn new things that when you were younger? One skill we are not taught, is how to learn… or maybe how to convince ourselves that we really do want to learn what we need to know!
Facts are quickly becoming less important in the digital age – what matters is being able to find information we need (or want) to learn and being able to use what we find. So, we need to focus on becoming better at using the information technology that is available to us and better at processing the data that we find. Information is cheap and readily available… it is thinking skills that matter although sometimes we do need to know enough to trigger us to look further. We need a balance of knowledge, and skills to use that knowledge effectively.
How do we learn best? Here are some suggestions I found in a book I recently read:
Establish value – I think this is one of the most important factors. We need to see knowledge and skills as valuable, or the brain simply discards the information soon after we “learn” it. We need to create meaning, make sense of the information, think about how and why it's important to you. This may be best done by thinking how it relates to what you already know. If you’re a Big Bang Theory fan, you may recall the episode where Amy stops reading and stares into space for several minutes, explaining that she’s finished reading and now she’s thinking about what she read… (establishing its value and relating it to what she already knows, no doubt!)
Target your learning – Decide what you want to learn and know why you want to learn it. Set goals and targets. Have a reason to learn.
Be curious – Take on the challenge of learning things you don’t know but find interesting.
Extend your skills – These days, average won’t do, especially in the workplace. Develop skills, knowledge and understanding beyond the basics to become an expert. Expertise is needed if you want to be essential to the system and it’s gratifying to gain a thorough understanding of a subject that interests you, or just to be the best you can at your work!
Relate – Nothing can be isolated. Knowledge needs to be related to other facts/procedures/systems. Understand how new knowledge fits with the old. For my Spanish, I’ve noticed similarities with French (in which I am already quite fluent), and this helps me remember more easily.
Rethink – You need to constantly review knowledge and understanding as the environment changes. You need to “learn from your learning”, updating previous knowledge with new facts and techniques. Keep an open mind to new ideas presented by others in the field you are studying. With the volume of information available in this electronic age, it is impossible to read and learn every aspect of a subject. Discussion and sharing with others enables you to have a broader perspective that may influence your understanding of the subject and future direction of learning.
Constantly ask yourself: “How does this new learning relate to what I already know?” Understanding what you’re learning, versus memorizing facts, increases retention and keeps you more interested in what you’re learning.
But, understanding where to find information quickly is now often more important than acquiring a vast knowledge base. I have my phone loaded with translation files so I will be able to quickly look up the Spanish words I can’t remember.
And, don't forget that You Tube now has a database of videos demonstrating everything from appliance repair to setting up a website and more! A friend we were visiting complained that she had never figured out how to lower the racks in the dishwasher she had bought 2 years before. My husband (who uses the internet regularly to learn how to do all kinds of things!) pulled out his phone and within 2 minutes found a video of how to adjust the racks in her model of dishwasher. We all learned something about learning that evening!
Various fields may have specific sources for the highest quality information. A focus of learning that may give the greatest benefit, especially in the workplace, is to learn the best sources of the information you need. Peer learning – learning from each other – is often a very effective way to gain this type of information. A role for leadership in today’s workplace is helping workers develop skills needed to quickly find information they need themselves. Often, part of this is simply providing an avenue for employees to share the knowledge they already have.
Keep in mind that spreading learning over time and acquiring knowledge when you need it enhances integration into actual practice and helps decrease the inevitable forgetting. Having the skills to learn “on demand”, when the information is needed, avoids the necessity of memorizing facts and processes before they are needed and gives the advantage of better retention because the meaning and need are clear to us!
As a practicing pharmacist, some of my best learning was in response to questions from clients. In fact, I became a “hormone expert” because I received so many questions about menopause, as treatment went through radical change in response to study results. I even received a phone call one morning from a woman asking to speak to the “Hormone Lady” as my reputation spread... all due to learning "on demand" in response to a need.
So, “learning how to learn” (and where to find the info you need) may be the most important skills we can acquire. And our best learning is very often in response to an immediate need…
What do you need to learn about? The goal of my blog, in addition to sharing interesting health information I’ve read, is to help readers with health and wellness related questions they have. Click the red “Questions/Comments” box to let me know what health information you’d like to see in a future blog!
(Note: Names are never mentioned in articles to maintain confidentiality!)
