Responsive Gardens

In traditional schooling, people often learn how to ace a test, but frequently fail to gain a more fundamental skill: how to learn. I went through nearly twenty years of school, and it wasn’t until recently that I felt I had a good handle on the best way to learn.

Before I get into how to learn, it’s good to reflect on what is important to learn. Sometimes in our education, the focus is on learning facts that are incredibly easy to google and not that valuable. Facts are easy to look up: education should be about skills, not facts. Skills are learning things like how to google annoying facts I’d rather not memorize, and using an Excel spreadsheet so I don’t actually have to know how to add in my head. Skills are very useful.

Another important part of learning is creativity is key. I hear many people who think they aren’t creative because they can’t draw or do some other traditional creative task…I thought the same thing about myself for a long time. However, creativity is the backbone of mastery in any field. Creativity is applying our knowledge in new and different ways to solve problems and make new things. You can be creative at math, writing, customer service, starting a business, raising children, etc. If you’ve been successful in any capacity, you’ve probably been creative to get there.

Now, back to how to learn. The first step to learning is simply to identify what you want to learn. To use an example: I want to learn how to create a database to organize an aspect of my work. After you identify what you want to learn and remember to focus on skills and creativity, do the learning cycle. There’s a graphic below:

You might have thought that consumption was learning. This is reading an instruction manual, watching a demonstration, etc. But this is only a part of learning. You must also try to do something, and they reflect on your efforts and see if they are successful or not.

When I wanted to learn a new database software, the first thing I did was try to create a database in the program. I started with creation, and that’s a good place to start. I wasn’t that great at it, and that’s okay. Unless you find something that you already know a bunch about, you are going to be unable to adequately do what you want to. I wasn’t.

That leads to reflection. I identified ways I need to improve and areas I simply have no idea what to do. This can be through self-reflection, but it’s also extremely beneficial to have other people give us feedback on how we can improve.

And only then do I start to dig into gaining more knowledge on how I can use this database software. I learned a few best practices and learned the steps I needed to do the tasks I identified I couldn’t do. You can do this through manuals, videos, and advice from others. Even watching someone do the task you are trying to do can be effective. I utilized the learning tools from the software I was utilizing.

Don’t stay there too long though. I quickly tried to implement the best practices I learned about it. And then it goes back to reflection and more learning. Iterative quickly through the cycle for best results.

A couple of tips too: you want this as authentic as possible. If you are an adult learner, you can probably learn in the exact situation you need to apply the knowledge. And don’t worry about all the details in the consumption phase: you are much better off focusing on broader concepts and principles that will serve you in more situations than just one.

Next time you need to pick up a new skill, try the learning cycle. It will work far better than just trying something without reflection and consumption, and a whole lot better than learning about something without actively trying it while learning.