THE GIFT OF LEARNING (11): WAYS TO LEARN V

 "It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning.” - Claude Bernard

Ways to Learn

Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, study, or by being taught. Its acquiring new skills, or modifying and reinforcing, existing knowledge, behaviours, skills, values, etc. It may involve synthesizing different types of information.

In discussing this gift of learning, try experimenting; make mistakes, and ask silly questions; just have fun while at it - fun is a very vital part of learning, especially as an adult. Life isn't a dress rehearsal, so make the most of it. Consider some more tips on learning below.

1. Teach others. To learn a subject better and improve your own understanding, try teaching others. This is a wonderful way to learn. Joseph Joubert once said that "To teach is to learn twice." In teaching others how to learn things, you will find that you learn even more than the students. Not only will you need to have a good grasp of your materials, you will need to respond to the querying minds of your students and extend your understanding beyond what you have considered it to be up to the point of each question asked of you.

2. Observe. Look more intently at your environment, examine both the usual and the unusual, and look at it from varying dimensions. Respond to what you observe, notice then examine your own response. If you find that it's difficult to observe things for long; consider meditating. This will help you to learn to see things you haven't noticed before.

3. Practice. This is a great way to help you learn more completely and retain what you've learned longer. It will also help you to discover flaws and strengths in your learning, which is how we progress as humans. You never know what you might discover, unravel or link together.

We should realize that our lives as humans are shaped more from what we know, than what we don't. We have to make learning a priority in our lives; it gives us an edge - more like life has given us a discount.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (10): WAYS TO LEARN IV

"You aren’t learning anything when you’re talking. - Lyndon B. Johnson

“Almost anything can become a learning experience if there is enough caring involved.” - Mary MacCraken

Most of us today have gotten so submerged in our daily lives that we forget to learn on a daily basis. Family, work, and social media are all great ways to grow and enjoy life; they provide new experience and countless opportunities for daily learning. I believe learning is best gained through concerted effort.

Here are some more simple ways you can learn something new every day.

1. Improve/Get better. Refine your existing skills. Whatever they are; singing, computers, dancing, cooking e.t.c. Hone these skills and take them to the next level. Also try new things, both inside and outside your preferred skill areas.

2. Do things outside your vocation. As a grown up, your experience MAY be your best teacher. Whether you work for pay or not, focus on a project or activity that grabs your attention - try lots of things and notice the results. You never know when an opportune discovery might arise as a result of your observations and innovative approaches.

3. Create. Not all learning comes from the outside. Matter of fact, some of the most powerful learning takes place when you are creating something for yourself. Creation can be artistic or scientific; physical or intellectual; social or solitary. Try different media and refine those you like the most.

4. Touch. Helen Keller knew more about living a fulfilling life than most of us could ever imagine. She was one of the most inspirational minds of modern times. She relied almost 100% on touch to learn about the world in which she lived. Follow her lead and spend a few moments a day just noticing the temperature and texture of the things that surround you.

5. Write. Like a gratitude journal, a knowledge journal is an attempt to take your everyday experiences and extract the most valuable thoughts from them. Keep a notebook to document daydreams, thought experiments, and stressful times and you’ll automatically solidify the knowledge you gained from each.

There's a need to constantly increase our knowledge - learning new skills, and honing old ones cannot be over emphasized. Someone once said "we start dying, when we stop learning". To stay alive in this present age and time, LEARN DAILY, we must.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (8): 3 WAYS TO LEARN

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” - Alvin Toffler
"Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.” - Mark Twain

Ways to Learn

 Really in life unlearning an already learned habit, or knowledge is learning too. Learning new things isn't the only time we learn. Not at all! And there are ways to go about this learning process. We started to talk about ways to learn days ago and in continuing let's consider the following ways also.

Learn the basics. It can be a grind at times, but you'll be able to remember, connect and figure out all kinds of complicated things through relatively few, simple building blocks if you learn some math and natural-science concepts. You can look up precise formulas and trivia again later, but the concepts will do the most good and save a lot of time in repeated look-ups if mostly learned by heart.

Learn the basics: Mix learning the basics with intellectual hobbies and games. Don't space them out so far that you forget what came before.
If you find some issues too complex you can look them up as you learn things that relate to their use. Read books by people who experienced difficulties but have still managed to find workarounds without giving up. Their ways of learning might give you a hint or two to help you improve your own.

Slow Down: like seriously - stop running too fast. If you jump straight from the bed to the shower, to the car and then hit work. You're on the fast lane. How can you uncover the questions life presents in this way – much less their answers. Slow down a little, ride your bike or walk to work one day in a week. I bet you’ll notice things you’ve never seen before.

I once heard that the reason God gave us two ears and one mouth is so that we can listen more and talk less. I doubt if some of us actually do listen at all. I mean really listen – to a lecture, a spouse, a parent, a friend's pain or even the lyrics of a song. Active listening is one way to encourage learning every single time we practice it. Great public speakers are great because they listen; to the feedback (audible and otherwise) that they get from the audience and they respond to it accordingly. Active listening will not only slow you down, but also teach you something new about the sights and sounds we often take for granted.

We all have to once in a while unlearn our hold habits and allow room for new programming so that our Beloved, wlives can tally with the advancements in this 21st century. If we don't make a conscious and deliberate effort to learn, it means we have unconsciously chosen not to learn.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (6): WAYS TO LEARN

"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." -
Abraham Lincoln

Gift of Learning

Learning should be a daily adventure that we carry and examine throughout life. It doesn't stop just because school does. People who are truly effective generally did not get that way by sitting still, they applied themselves to constant learning and fighting against all odds (both themselves and external factors) to grow and learn daily. By making a commitment to learn something new every day, we not only enjoy what we discover, but we'll be able to apply our knowledge and become teachers to future generations. Bill Moyers puts it thus, "When I learn something new – and it happens every day – I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.”

In examining the Gift of Learning, how do you learn? Read the story below.
"Last year my wife was diagnosed with Lymes Disease. I had only met three or four people with the disease. They say "Knowledge is power", and I sure lacked the power to even start on the road of helping my wife through this difficult time. In the four months preceding her diagnosis I immersed myself in studies and articles on Lyme Disease and its cure. Experience alone, wasn't the best teacher. Not only because I didn't have any experience, but also because by studying and reading I was able to glean from thousands of people who had knowledge on the subject."

To answer the question of "how to learn" consider the following random list of several useful tips.

1. Ask. Ask. Ask - This principle follows from the scriptures,“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened."- Mat 7:7-8. There's a saying that, "he who asks questions never gets lost". More than anything, asking questions is the number one way to learn more every day.

2. Read Daily - If you are alive then you have time to read. With the wealth of information available at our fingertips today, there’s not a single reason to not read. If a question comes to mind and you can’t find an answer immediately, write it down for future investigation. If a question was powerful enough to make its way into your thoughts, it'll most likely stick around too - for when it'll be needed.

3. Search (Seek) - hunt down answers to your most basic questions. No question is so small that it doesn’t have an answer worthy of you.

Beloved, for us to remain relevant in every endeavour in life we must constantly give ourselves to learning daily. If we're admonished to study, in the scriptures, then study we must and by all means too