Rekindle the fire of learning: Part 1 of 2

Get smart

To be a lifelong learner is an antidote
to personal and career stagnation

Most of us were once natural and continuous learners, brimming with curiosity to explore and learn.

JIM Kwik was an exceptional student in school, but in an unfortunate way. After suffering head trauma at the age of five, learning anything was a big challenge for him. But he somehow struggled through school to qualify for college.

Once there, he decided to overcome his learning problems and enrolled in numerous courses. Being totally committed to studying, he forgot to eat, exercise and sleep well. His obsession soon took its toll on him.

One day, he was so exhausted he passed out in a public library, fell down the stairs and woke up in a hospital, broken, bruised and dejected.

Then came a nurse with a cup of coffee on which was written this quote by Albert Einstein: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!"

After reading Einstein's definition of insanity, Kwik realised that school and college had been great places to learn "what" but not "how". He realised that if he were to overcome his limitations to learn, he would have to first learn how to learn.

Kwik started studying the art and science of learning, and within 30 days he could read faster, focus better and retain more. Within 60 days, his grades were on the upswing. And the rest is history - a story of trouble turned into triumph.

Kwik went on to become a learning expert and is now a celebrity, the chief executive officer of Kwik Learning and founder of Superhero You. He says: "Knowledge is power. Learning is super power."

Losing the fire

Learning is not an alien activity; don't we all start learning right after birth? If you watch how children learn, you can't help but realise that you too were once a natural and continuous learner, brimming with curiosity to explore and learn.

But somehow, with age, that innate fire to learn was extinguished, turning us into reluctant learners who need constant prodding, nudging and incentives to embrace learning.

Soon the gap between our age and capabilities continues to grow bigger, paving the way for career stagnation and job insecurity.

Barriers to learning

What prevents us from learning naturally and continuously? There are two barriers:

■ Inability to connect dots: Somehow, most people still cannot connect the dots between their appetite for learning and their capability, and between their capability and market value in the fast-changing world around us.

■ Sub-optimal learning: Even if we do appreciate that continuous learning is essential, we have not been trained in strategies to learn more effectively. Without fixing the fundamental problem - our own lack of desire and the ability to learn - it is hard to be a lifelong learner, even with abundant resources like books, educational courses, training, free online courses and so on - at our disposal.

But what is learning in the first place?

Three dimensions of learning

In an environment infused with constant pressure to "upgrade': most people equate learning with pursuing some new certificate, diploma or degree course. That is a narrow view of learning.

Can you guess what percentage of your waking hours you would have spent in a formal learning setting (for example, a classroom or a training programme) by age 70?

Don't be surprised to find that the figure is around 5 per cent. The more important question is, how do we spend the remaining 95 per cent of our time?

Fortunately, the concept of learning is much broader and involves the following three dimensions:

■ Knowledge: What we know is knowledge. For example, if someone knows about economics or mediaeval history or business management, that's knowledge. Usually, we acquire knowledge through academic programmes, books and so on.

■ Skills: A skill is an ability to do something. So if someone can sell products, write code for software programmes or fix a malfunctioning escalator, that's a skill. Skills are often acquired through both formal and on-the-job training.

■ Attitude: Perhaps the most important, but often ignored, dimension of learning is our attitude. Without growth in this dimension, the gains in the other areas - knowledge and skills - are often shortlived.

True continuous learning is about expanding all three dimensions and going to bed each night smarter than when you got up in the morning. How is that possible? By learning to learn.

Tomorrow: The one skill that gives you the best returns

Article by Atul Mathur, an engineer, technical writer and Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment-certified trainer. He will conduct a half·day workshop, Rekindle The Fire Of Learning, on Wednesday, July 30. To register, visit www.atulmathur.com, e-mail [email protected] or call 9489-6150.

Recruit, The Straits Times, Wednesday July 9, 2014, Pg C30

Rekindle the fire of learning: Part 2 of 2

Be thirsty
to know

Asking questions is the hallmark of the lifelong learner

Periodic reflection is the key to continuous learning.

OF ALL the skills you have, which one can give you the best returns by boosting your career and personal growth - over a lifetime?

That precious skill is "learning to learn", a meta skill that affects everything else you will ever learn in your life.

Futurist Alvin Toffler warned: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn."

If you do realise the vast implications of mastering "learning to learn" and want to make some progress in that direction, here are a few small steps - tiny matchsticks - to rekindle the fire of learning inside you:

Reflect and write

Many people do not do it, but periodic reflection is the key to continuous learning. Confucius highlighted when he said: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is the noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest."

Peter Drucker, the management thinker, also stressed reflection when he said: "Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action."

To be on the path of continuous learning, do three things:

■ Start a diary;

■ Reflect at the end of each day on "what I learnt today"; and

■ Note it down.

Author Mark Twain, General George Patton, naturalist Charles Darwin, composer Ludwig Beethoven, American founding father Benjamin Franklin and Renaissance artist and thinker Leonardo da Vinci all had one thing in common: They kept notebooks to record their observations, ideas and impressions. Why not follow in the footsteps of the greats?

Be thirsty and ask questions

Without the thirst for knowing and understanding, one cannot learn. But where does the thirst come from?

Before visiting a foreign country, what do you do? You ask questions: Which are the tourist attractions? Which hotels are within your budget? Which connecting flights are available? When you gather information from the answers to these questions, you quickly learn about the new place.

According to Paul Harris, a child psychologist and professor at Harvard, a child asks about 40,000 questions between the ages of two and five.

How many questions do we ask as adults? Do we realise that with Google around, questions matter more than the answers? To be thirsty, be curious and ask questions, remembering that every question is a door to new learning.

Know how you learn best

In one of the classic Harvard Business Review articles, Managing one self, Drucker wrote: "Of all the important pieces of self-knowledge, understanding how you learn is the easiest to acquire."

Not everyone learns the same way: Some people learn by hearing, some by reading, some by pictures and some by moving around. Drucker gives examples of British politician Winston Churchill who was a great a great writer and learnt by writing and Beethoven who kept copious notes. Drucker himself learnt by talking.

To know how you learn best, visit the VARK Inventory at http://business.vark-learn.com/questionnaire/

VARK stands for Visual, Aural, Read/write and Kinaesthetic. Initially developed by Neil Flerning'in New Zealand in 1987, VARK is a 16-question inventory to understand your unique learning preferences.

VARK provides feedback on the following four learning preferences:

■ Visual (V): People with visual preference soak up information more easily if it is in the form of maps, diagrams, charts, graphs, flow charts, pictures and so on. Visual learners prefer explanatory diagrams in a user manual of a new camera to bullet-point instructions.

■ Aural/auditory (A): Auditory preference implies an affinity for information in the spoken form. Auditory learners are more comfortable with phone conversations, group discussions, meetings, oral feedback and the opportunity to talk
things through.

■ Read/write (R): These learners are more comfortable with information in the written form, such as reports, papers, lists, hand-outs, books, bullets points, written plans and manuals. They enjoy an advantage in the academic phase of
their career where information is mostly in the form of words.

■ Kinaesthetic (K): Kinaesthetic preference suggests learning through action, personal experience, practice, movement or simulation. People with this learn more easily by watching a demonstration or trying things out themselves.

Conclusion

These three actions - starting a learning diary, being curious and using your own learning style - can unleash the lifelong learner in you, someone Toffler would describe as truly a literate person.

There is a wise Chinese saying: "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now!" Why not plant the seed of learning today?

Article by Atul Mathur, an engineer, technical writer and Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment-certified trainer. He will conduct a half-day workshop, Rekindle The Fire Of Learning, on Wednesday, July 30. To register, visit www.atulmathur.com, e-mail [email protected] or call 9489-6150.

Recruit, The Straits Times, Thursday July 10, 2014, Pg C30