If you feel that to be an expert in your field, you either have to be born genius, or you should have a lot of good memory or if nothing but at least, you have to keep your head in the books for years. Then it's not the truth. Actually, all people can become experts in their own field. For this, you do not need to be next to newton or you don’t need to have a photographic memory. You only need special learning methods. By adopting these methods, you will be able to prepare yourself to become an expert in any field. Here in this article, you will be able to know six essential steps to mastering the Art of Learning. As well as helping you enjoy the learning process, it will show you how to excel in those areas where you usually perform poorly.
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For years it has been believed that our ability to learn depends on our inherent intelligence. But, now the experts started telling us that this is not the truth. With the help of some tools and strategies, you can improve your learning significantly. The biggest discovery in this is that by implementing some strategies, you can greatly improve your results.
In the 1980s, Anastasia Kitsantas conducted an experiment in a girls’ school. They divide the girls into three teams and taught them how to play darts( an indoor game)
"Team performance" members were told that they could win by hitting the Bulls-Eye. The members of the "Team Learning method" were told to use the tactics needed to scold them, such as keeping their hands close to their bodies. And the girls of "Team Conventional Wisdom" were simply asked to do their best. In the end, not just the “Team Learning Method “beat everyone but its members enjoyed playing too.
Also, there is another useful learning tool called ‘self-quizzing learning tool. This involves repeatedly memorizing what you have learned and taking your own test. This technique is designed to remember new ideas for a long time. In fact, research suggests that self-quizzing IS 50 percent more effective than any other learning strategy.
A study at the University of Washington in 2006 showed the same. Researcher "Jeffrey Karpicke" and "Henry Roediger" gave a sentence to two groups of participants. The first group reads it four times, and the second group reads it only once but remembers it three times by practicing it. When Karpicke and Roediger took their test a few days later then he founds that the group which had self-quizzing, that sentence in their mind had sat down much better.
The last way to increase learning ability is to block external noise using earplugs. When the author was 11 he used this technique. They had trouble focusing on math problems, and he found that using the earplugs properly, really helps to keep them focused.
We saw how effective some learning strategies are. Not only those, help in learning but they make learning even more fun.
By using these six steps you can make learning more effective. The first is about step value. If you make your skills or knowledge valuable and meaningful, so you will be motivated to take the first step and keep perseverance. For example, you can take the case of Jason Wolfson, he is an engineer running in the 40 stages of his age. His basement is a field with Lego toys. An older man playing with toys, shuffling, and fixing them looks a little strange maybe, but there is a story behind their creation. The blue police phone booth is inspired by ‘Dr. Who’, and Gonzo’s replica is a tribute to his wife, who is a big fan, of the ‘Muppet’ character.
Wolfson gives so much time and effort to these creations because they really matter to him. And just because of this he became a master of it! But, counts and importance do not thrive on trees, which are gone and broken them. It takes time and hard work to find. Like some students are very obsessed with their statistics. And so them to inspire a group from the University of Virginia, Psychology Professor Chris Hulleman Devised created a small strategy. He asked to write an essay to his students, how the data can enhance them and their interests. He introduced some amazing ideas, like how can figures help their chances of becoming nurses, managers, or marketers. As a result, they began to take more interest in the subject. Rather some felt a worm of data that they went one class ahead.
Small, specific goals have to be made, but that first you learn your basic elements
Learning success comes from setting goals. And, step number 2 is about: break the big goals into smaller ones, so that you can focus on one place at a time. Let’s say you want to improve your marathon running time. Instead of just trying to run fast, target the smaller and improvable aspects of running. Like you can give this week in hilly areas for better training. Such small targets are not only challenging tasks, but they will make it even easier to track your best. But, to master your skills, it is important to do more than break your big goal into small traits. You must have some background knowledge before getting started. This is because the new subject area is difficult to understand. Unless you have control over its basic element.
For example, suppose you have no knowledge of the French language and suddenly someone asks you, “Comment Allez-Vous? ” without the knowledge of some basic French words and grammar, you will not even know they asked you in French, “How are you”? You should apply this concept everywhere in your life. After all, you will not try to fix it without knowing anything about computers right? And once you know your important things, then you will get better at setting your small and achievable goals.
The importance of feedback increases, when it comes to learning
Have you ever made a presentation in front of your friend before finals day? This is a common thing to do and also it has a good reason too. Audience evaluation would be a great way to improve. This is why the third step is ‘developed’. Develop your skills further by getting feedback. When you’re learning, you often don’t know which areas you need to improve. Someone else’s vision will prove to be good for you in the long run, even if you feel like you are slowing down at that time.
The writer really personally benefited from the move. He always loved playing basketball, but he never been very good but he was one of the worst players on his team. He used to play basketball in his local court for half an hour every day. Despite this, his steps and footwork were disappointing. This was because his effort was not focused, and they were not receiving any feedback. Again, one day while crawling, craigslist met their basketball coach “Dwayne Samuels”. With the help of Samuels, the author worked on some special tricks such as one-dribble, pull-up jump shots. The trainer told him how to rotate the ball by the middle finger and in which posture the feet should be. Within a few weeks, the writer's jump-shots began to go into the basket and they also started making three-pointers.
Another way to improve is to reduce the rate of mistakes by monitoring and recording your mistakes. If you monitor your work, then you will know more about your performance and also where are you making mistakes. In short, you will not repeat the mistakes.
Brain surgeons also take advantage of this technique. Mark Bernstein had his Toronto operating room over a period of ten years and he recorded every mistake that he made. Misconception, delaying sponges, or delaying anesthesia; everything moved to their database. Due to this feedback system, his team’s rate of mistakes in operation was decreased from 3 to ½ in a month.
You can improve your learning by immersing yourself in your field and making things visual
You might think that famous writers, artists, or scientists were born to succeed in their respective fields. But, in reality, such people become genius only by constantly meditating in the furnace of practice. This is step number 4. Expand the knowledge that you already have. In other words, if you want to touch the highs, then you will have to constantly increase your understanding of the subject. The painter Jackson Pollock knew it well. At the age of 23, he joined the workshop of Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros. Siqueiros encouraged Pollock to experiment. Right there Pollock has learned the techniques of drip and pour, later he earned so much fame in the world, but it took him a long time to become proficient in this technique. They learned to work with fractal structures which are geometric patterns that are repeated on even the smallest scale like you will find in Romanesco broccoli or spiral galaxies.
First, in Pollack’s early drip paintings; fractal complexity was equal to no. But over time, their fractals become more complex. Rather, they had become so complicated that Richard Taylor, who was a physicist, first noted them.
Increasing the relationship between concepts and skills will make your learning even better by practicing different methods
It’s been that the best way to master skills is to practice them again and again. But the problem is that just keeping trying is not so effective. This is where the fifth step comes. You have to relate things. In other words, you need to make connections between your concepts.
In 1908 psychologist Charles Judd conducted an experiment to prove it. They had two groups of children, those who had to aim with a dart on the target placed 4 inches below the water. The first group only practices throwing darts underwater. But the second group had already told about the refraction. They now understood that the goal where it appears, it is not his actual position. They knew how light moves in the water. After this, Juddplaced the target underwater at a depth of 12 inches, where the refraction was more obvious. This makes the situation even more difficult because the target looked even farther from its actual position. Of course, the group that had a grip on physics could relate their learned knowledge in this situation. As expected, they defeated the first group.
Practicing in various ways also proves very effective. A study of 1993 was compared two women groups who trained students about free throwing. One group only practiced free throws, and the other group practiced different things. They practiced free throws as well as shooting from 8 and 15 feet distance from the basket. In the end, the group who practiced different types of shots performed better in the free-throw line.
Review your knowledge and eliminate your overconfidence
Have you ever wondered you are running here and there for hours, just because you are confident about the destination that you will somehow reach there and do not think it necessary to ask anyone the way? The sixth and final step will give you your knowledge to encourage you to review your knowledge and protect yourself from such mistakes. Overconfidence regularly promotes mistakes. People usually assess they're more on their previous performance and their knowledge. They think they really know how to win, come more than that can, and so they hope to do well in the future.
The military has also given it a name. They call it victory disease. A general can judge his ability because he has won many times before. There could be no better example than General George Armstrong Custer, who was constantly defeating enemies during the time of the American Civil War. But it proved all wrong in 1876 the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He leads his 200 men against more than 1000 Native Americans. It’s believed that only one of all Custer’s men was left. Hence reviewing your knowledge and understanding will help you deal with over-confidence.
For example, psychologist Art Markman was convinced that he knows how to do the toilet works. After all, he also used a lot all day, and when he was a child, he opened the tank a few times to check the stopper, and the handle was also tampered with. But one day he realized that he doesn’t know anything about a toilet, and if they were asked to open it and add it back, they might not be able to do it. Only after acknowledging his lack of knowledge he could ask himself the necessary questions like, “How does water flow to the toilet”? Where does it go after flushing? “And so he was ready for better learning.
By following these six steps you will become a better learner. Now, whatever you want to learn, whether it is to correct the toilets, improve your game or learn a new language, by adopting these simple exercises, you will become an expert in your field of knowledge.
Conclusion
With effort and focus, almost anyone can become an expert or master of any field. But to do this, you will need to take time and use tried strategies. You just remember these six steps: Value, Target, Development, Extend, Relate, and Rethink. With these methods, you will be on the path to better learning.
What to do?
The next time when you are studying for your important exam, divide your learning into several sessions. All of us must have felt the anger of reading when we do not remember things throughout the day. To avoid these things, you have to divide your studies into small pieces to improve your learning, which will be read in a short time interval. Your brain needs a break to remember things too. so don’t forget to take your break!