D
Deleted member 22332
Iron
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Introduction:
As a lurker of this forum for some time, I see it pertinent that I start contributing and giving back as I've been given very valuable information from some users here. Anyhow, one thing that I've not seen discussed much is just how humans learn. It should be first priority, I should think, that users here understand the fundamentals (4 Pillars if you will) of learning as that will allow you to garner information quicker and allow more of said information to consolidate within your memory. These are not tips nor strategies, but foundational mechanisms upon the way in which ALL humans learn, regardless of IQ or whatever mental deficiencies you may have.
4 Pillars of Learning:
Firstly, why do I describe these actions as pillars? Well, I am actually only using a phrase of which the esteemed neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene has used in his writings. When he uses such a phrase he is getting down to what is essential for the learning process to take place, and it so happens that there are 4 actions that have to occur to learn proficiently. I am going to describe these four steps within this work, and show how you can apply them to your own life.
Pillar 1 - Attention
FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION UPON THAT WHICH YOU WISH TO LEARN!!! That is the simplified version of it, and I don't wish to become to technical with the science behind it, but I'll provide a better explanation. Think about your attention as though it were a spotlight (spotlight of attention). What can a spotlight do? While it can either diffuse it's light upon a wide array of space, (This would be similar to having multiple tabs opened on your computer or apps on your phone, and you are going through them constantly with little or no connectivity of content) or it can focus it's light upon a single object of attention (Putting your complete focus into your topic you are trying to learn is the first step toward learning said topic). Furthermore, as the spotlight diffuses it becomes weaker within it's light, but when it is focused it is at it's strongest. That is much the same as our attention, and your learning will be retarded if you are trying to multi-task. In fact, multi-tasking is a myth. Mono-tasking is where learning begins.
Pillar 2 - Being Actively Engaged With The Content
YOU HAVE TO DO COGNITIVE LABOR TO LEARN!!!! Yes, sadly for all you lazycels this is imperative to learning. You are going to have to do some work, which could be notes, summaries, self-tests, ect. This is non-negotiable to learning. Also, Past the age of about 25 (sorry oldcels) it becomes more difficult to learn for humans, as neuroplasticity is not as drastic as it was in youth. Learning is still possible throughout life, but 0-25 are the times when humans should learn the large mass of important information as that is when it is easiest.
Pillar 3 - Error Correction
LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES, AND CORRECT THEM!!! This might seem like common sense, but this really is the most important step. Learning is all about having your mental map of reality align with actual reality, and that means correcting your erroneous ideas about the world. I would go as far and say that to fail is to learn, but only if you are willing to learn from your own failures.
Pillar 4 - Consolidate What Was Learned
SLEEP, SLEEP, AND MORE SLEEP!!! THEN STUDY INFORMATION AGAIN!! Sleep cannot be understated within the learning process. It is what consolidates what was learned into the deeper part of your hippocampus (memory region of brain). Also, spacing out study sessions of that which you wish to store long-term in your memory. You will have to frequently go back to information when first learned, but after a while you will be able to go longer time intervals without having to study the material again. IF YOU DON'T USE, IT YOU LOSE IT.
Conclusion:
I hope that this introductory look into HOW WE ALL learn will give some insight and guidance to those who wish to learn on there own. This was my target audience at least, the self-learners of the community. I have taken the time to recc I said earlier that I have omitted the technical jargon, as I don't see much use in bogging down the important information with the details. I don't want you to miss the forest for the trees. This is my first post so any recommendations on how I could improve my posts would be appreciated. Please ask any questions if you have any.
Further Readings:
How We Learn - Stanislas Dehaene (Large portion of information came from this book, and reads well for laymen)
Proust and The Squid - Maryanne Wolf (This is about how humans learned how to read, and the different forms of written language)
https://e-student.org/ebbinghaus-forgetting-curve/ (If you wish to look into how we forget, I recommend this little article)
As a lurker of this forum for some time, I see it pertinent that I start contributing and giving back as I've been given very valuable information from some users here. Anyhow, one thing that I've not seen discussed much is just how humans learn. It should be first priority, I should think, that users here understand the fundamentals (4 Pillars if you will) of learning as that will allow you to garner information quicker and allow more of said information to consolidate within your memory. These are not tips nor strategies, but foundational mechanisms upon the way in which ALL humans learn, regardless of IQ or whatever mental deficiencies you may have.
4 Pillars of Learning:
Firstly, why do I describe these actions as pillars? Well, I am actually only using a phrase of which the esteemed neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene has used in his writings. When he uses such a phrase he is getting down to what is essential for the learning process to take place, and it so happens that there are 4 actions that have to occur to learn proficiently. I am going to describe these four steps within this work, and show how you can apply them to your own life.
Pillar 1 - Attention
FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION UPON THAT WHICH YOU WISH TO LEARN!!! That is the simplified version of it, and I don't wish to become to technical with the science behind it, but I'll provide a better explanation. Think about your attention as though it were a spotlight (spotlight of attention). What can a spotlight do? While it can either diffuse it's light upon a wide array of space, (This would be similar to having multiple tabs opened on your computer or apps on your phone, and you are going through them constantly with little or no connectivity of content) or it can focus it's light upon a single object of attention (Putting your complete focus into your topic you are trying to learn is the first step toward learning said topic). Furthermore, as the spotlight diffuses it becomes weaker within it's light, but when it is focused it is at it's strongest. That is much the same as our attention, and your learning will be retarded if you are trying to multi-task. In fact, multi-tasking is a myth. Mono-tasking is where learning begins.
Pillar 2 - Being Actively Engaged With The Content
YOU HAVE TO DO COGNITIVE LABOR TO LEARN!!!! Yes, sadly for all you lazycels this is imperative to learning. You are going to have to do some work, which could be notes, summaries, self-tests, ect. This is non-negotiable to learning. Also, Past the age of about 25 (sorry oldcels) it becomes more difficult to learn for humans, as neuroplasticity is not as drastic as it was in youth. Learning is still possible throughout life, but 0-25 are the times when humans should learn the large mass of important information as that is when it is easiest.
Pillar 3 - Error Correction
LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES, AND CORRECT THEM!!! This might seem like common sense, but this really is the most important step. Learning is all about having your mental map of reality align with actual reality, and that means correcting your erroneous ideas about the world. I would go as far and say that to fail is to learn, but only if you are willing to learn from your own failures.
Pillar 4 - Consolidate What Was Learned
SLEEP, SLEEP, AND MORE SLEEP!!! THEN STUDY INFORMATION AGAIN!! Sleep cannot be understated within the learning process. It is what consolidates what was learned into the deeper part of your hippocampus (memory region of brain). Also, spacing out study sessions of that which you wish to store long-term in your memory. You will have to frequently go back to information when first learned, but after a while you will be able to go longer time intervals without having to study the material again. IF YOU DON'T USE, IT YOU LOSE IT.
Conclusion:
I hope that this introductory look into HOW WE ALL learn will give some insight and guidance to those who wish to learn on there own. This was my target audience at least, the self-learners of the community. I have taken the time to recc I said earlier that I have omitted the technical jargon, as I don't see much use in bogging down the important information with the details. I don't want you to miss the forest for the trees. This is my first post so any recommendations on how I could improve my posts would be appreciated. Please ask any questions if you have any.
Further Readings:
How We Learn - Stanislas Dehaene (Large portion of information came from this book, and reads well for laymen)
Proust and The Squid - Maryanne Wolf (This is about how humans learned how to read, and the different forms of written language)
https://e-student.org/ebbinghaus-forgetting-curve/ (If you wish to look into how we forget, I recommend this little article)
