{"id":26680,"date":"2014-07-23T19:59:22","date_gmt":"2014-07-24T03:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=26680"},"modified":"2014-07-27T22:41:37","modified_gmt":"2014-07-28T06:41:37","slug":"top-5-paradoxes-of-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/top-5-paradoxes-of-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Paradoxes of Learning \u2013 Is Your Usual Method Backfiring?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sometimes we charge into learning something new full of excitement. But as the weeks go by, our passions sometimes fly away. What seemed exciting at first can grow tedious\u2014even frustrating. Why? Because we aren\u2019t aware of the fundamental paradoxes of learning<\/em>! Surprisingly often, the very things that we should be doing can also end up getting in our way. Here\u2019s a roadmap to help you be aware of the paradoxical pitfalls of learning, and how to avoid them.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Persistence:<\/strong> We\u2019re often told that to be successful learners, we\u2019ve got to be persistent. That\u2019s true in the long run\u2014but not in the short run! Here\u2019s what neuroscience is telling us. When you\u2019re learning something new, the best way to approach it is to focus and do your best to understand it. But if you get stuck, you need to stop<\/em> focusing. By temporarily taking your attention off the problem, you allow other neural modes of thinking to attack the problem in the background. Later, when you try again, new understanding can suddenly appear! Good learning often means knowing how to balance your persistence\u2014stop when you get frustrated, and return later after your other thinking modes have had a chance to work on the problem in the background.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Success:<\/strong> We always want to be successful in our learning. But this means that we sometimes shy away from making mistakes. As it turns out, however, if you make a mistake when you\u2019re studying\u2014and just catch it with a tiny chagrined \u201couch\u201d\u2014that\u2019s one of the very best ways to learn! As you\u2019re learning, celebrate each mistake. The goal is to make those mistakes before<\/em> your high stakes tests. (And also keep in mind that the ones who never make mistakes are the ones who never do anything! Go for it.)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Concrete learning:<\/strong> We often want to learn something in concrete terms. If you\u2019re learning math for a professional program, for example, you often want to be able to apply your learning directly to the type of problem you\u2019ll be expected to solve on the job\u2014calculating doses of medication, for example. But instructors often want us to first step back and learn ideas more abstractly\u2014they want us to understand the fundamentals behind the concrete problems. It turns out that the instructors have a point. Being able to solve not only concrete problems, but also to understand the abstract ideas behind those problems, helps us to transfer our thinking to new situations. Sometimes the real world throws problems at us that we\u2019ve never seen before, and it\u2019s important to be flexibly ready! Take the time to understand the abstract concepts that are being presented; ironically, this leads to solving problems in more concrete situations.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Study with groups? Or alone?<\/strong> Some people like to study with groups\u2014the give and take of learning with others can make everything more fun, and can also allow them to catch errors in their thinking. Other people like to learn alone\u2014the quiet lack of distractions allows them to focus more fully on their learning. Which is best? Both! By alternating your ways of learning, you get the benefits of both approaches. Resist the idea that one or the other is best: use both.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Memorization:<\/strong> We\u2019ve often been told that memorization is bad for us\u2014that understanding alone is the essential key to learning. While it\u2019s true that understanding is important, it turns out that memorization can also be very helpful when you are learning something new. Experts in any domain generally have great swaths of memorized information directly at their fingertips. If you try memorizing some of the key ideas you are learning about, you\u2019ll find that the memorization process can, perhaps surprisingly, lead to deeper understanding. It might seem counterintuitive, but it\u2019s true!<\/p>\n

Learning, as it turns out, is a paradox of contrary, often contradictory approaches. Being aware of these paradoxes can help make your path to learning much more fun\u2014and successful!
\n________________________________________<\/p>\n

Barbara Oakley, PhD, is the author of A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)<\/em><\/a>, (Penguin \u2013 Random House, July 31, 2014)<\/p>\n

Dr. Oakley has been dubbed a female \u201cIndiana Jones\u201d for her mix of adventure, research, and wit in her writing. A Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Michigan, she is the acclaimed author of Evil Genes<\/em>, Pathological Altruism<\/em>, and Cold-Blooded Kindness<\/em>, behavioral study books that have been lauded by Joyce Carol Oates, Steven Pinker, and Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson. Her newest release is a collection of tips, tricks, and techniques for efficient, stress-free learning.<\/p>\n

Learn more at www.barbaraoakley.com<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes we charge into learning something new full of excitement. But as the weeks go by, our passions sometimes fly away. 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