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There is really only one way to learn how to do something and that is to do it.If you want to learn to throw a football,drive a car,build a mousetrap,design a building,cook a stir-fry,or be a management consultant,you must have a go at doing it.Throughout history,youths have been apprenticed to masters in order to learn a trade.We understand that learning a skill means eventually trying your hand at the skill.When there is no real harm in simply trying we allow novices to "give it a shot."
Parents usually teach children in this way.They don't give a series of lectures to their children to prepare them to walk,talk,climb,run,play a game,or learn how to behave.They just let their children do these things.We hand a child a ball to teach him to throw.If he throws poorly,he simply tries again.Parents tolerate sitting in the passenger seat while their teenager tries out the driver's seat for the first time.It's nerve-wracking,but parents put up with it,because they know there's no better way.
When it comes to school,however,instead of allowing students to learn by doing,we create courses of instruction that tell students about the theory of the task without concentrating on the doing of the task.It's not easy to see how to apply apprenticeship to mass education.So in its place,we lecture.
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Build Good Habits.
The key to success in any activity is to develop effective skills.
Practice builds skills
Athletes develop athletic skills; musicians develop musical skills; managers develop managing skills; learners need to develop learning skills.Developing skills means building good habits.
Develop the Habit of Mental Self-management.
Mental self-management or metacognition is the art of planning,monitoring and evaluating the learning process.To be good at metacognition means you have to know the options.Here are the major choices.
Identify your best learning styles - visual,verbal,kinesthetic,deductive or inductive.
Monitor and improve your learning skills - reading,writing,listening,time-management,note-taking,problem-solving.
Use different learning environments - lecture,lab,discussion,study groups,study partner.
Try to complete the learning cycle - For most courses,the learning cycle goes like this:
Memorize new information,rules and concepts - often tedious and boring.
Assimilate and organize this information - often hard,but interesting.
Use this information to analyze,synthesize and problem-solve - often difficult,but satisfying.
Incorporate this information into evaluations,judgments and predictions - often powerful and exhilarating.
Many students never get past the first step.They never experience the joy of learning.
Develop the Habit of Positive Thinking.
Use it for increasing confidence and self-esteem.Use it for setting goals and enjoying learning.Use it for taking charge of your own education.See Section 2 for more ideas.
Develop the Habit of Hierarchical Thinking.
Use it for setting priorities and for time management.Use it for summarizing ideas and for organizing information.See Section 10 on organizing information.
Develop the Habit of Creative and Critical Thinking.
Use it for making decisions and solving problems.Use it for synthesizing and creating new associations.See Sections 20 and 21.
Develop the Habit of Asking Questions.
Use it for identifying main ideas and supporting evidence.Use it for generating interest and motivation.Use it for focusing concentration and improving memory.See Section 6 on asking questions.
10 Steps for Building New Habits
Select a new habit or technique you want to develop,like one found in this book.
Convince yourself it's important.
Make it fairly easy to do.
Write out a schedule for working on it.
Practice using the technique,keep track of progress.
Reward yourself after each practice period.
Use your habits as often as possible,both in simple and in new situations.
Use a coach,teacher,tutor,group or friend.
Identify internal blocks,e.g.,lack of time,poor self-esteem,procrastination,poor techniques,lack of success,lack of confidence,stress,poor organization,poor reading and math skills.Seek help if necessary
Start small,take one step at a time and enjoy each success.