In the last newsletter I introduced the website Study Guides and Strategies.  Learning to learn is the first topic and guide we’ll cover and summarize. 

Your path for most effective learning is through knowing yourself, as well as the process you have successfully used in the past: it may be easy for you to learn physics but difficult to learn tennis, or vice versa. What strategies can you deploy to succeed in a new learning experience?

The first stage is easy: begin with the past! Think of a memorable learning experience, something that makes you smile and know that you succeeded. What was it about that experience? Was your grandfather or grandmother showing you how and encouraging you? A coach? A teacher? Was the experience hands-on or through a book? If a book, was it verbal and/or illustrated? Were you alone, or in a group? Was it one learning session, or paced over time? Try to think of elements that made it successful and you will get a good sense of your learning style. Those positive elements will help you succeed today.

Now proceed to your present learning challenge. Your plan should consider how interested you are in it, how much time you have available or make available, and what competes for your attention. Are the circumstances right for success, and what can you control, and what is outside your control? How can you build the conditions for success?

Turn your attention to what you want to learn: what do you already know about it, and what will you need to know? For example, what in your pas can you build on? Do you expect to encounter new vocabulary? Can you identify resources to help you, as a friend who also took the class or a superior who is expert? How will you track progress? By tests, or successful experiments? Is there someone who can help you learn from your mistakes?

Finally, build in a review, similar to the first step. What did you discover about yourself? Did you celebrate any accomplishment? What conditions could you have changed to make it even more successful?

Life-long learning implies that there is much to discover in ourselves. Congratulations even for just reading this: it shows that you are on your way! Next time we’ll discuss learning styles in more depth. Meanwhile, I hope this finds you well.