Learn To Learn: Teach Yourself

  Lou Russell, Russell Martin & Associates

President/Learning Facilitator

mailto:info@russellmartin.com

 You need to learn a new system or a new technology. Maybe your needs require an entirely new way of doing business. You don’t have the time or the money to spend on training so you’re going to have to teach yourself. The first step is to understand how you learn.

Our experienced facilitators can show you how to evaluate the best method of learning for you. Through an understanding of your own learning history and style, a customized approach can be built so that you use your learning time productively, saving you both time and money!

"Successful adaptation to the environment requires that an organism be capable of learning." - Richard Restak, MD, "The Brain"

If you have experienced the sinking feeling that you can't keep up, but you must keep up, that the world has changed again, that you haven't enough time, that you'll loose your job...change your strategy. Instead of trying to learn harder, learn better. Work less, learn more. "Learning disabilities are tragic in children, but they are fatal in corporations." - Peter Senge. Learning can be such a joy when done in a way that is best for your personal preferences. Increased learning can lower stress, reduce conflicts and build self-esteem. In contrast, limiting learning can increase stress, cause defensive arguments and challenge your feelings of self-worth. This article will lay out a template for you to use as you build your own learning profile. In preparation, I will begin by sharing research in learning beliefs.

 Learning Beliefs:

There's a wonderful story about a little boy, let's say a 1 year old, who is watching his older brother (ancient - 4 years old) draw with crayons. Fascinated, he takes a red crayon and scribbles chaotic lines on a piece of paper. His brother smiles. His mom gives him a great big hug and calls him the smartest boy she has ever seen. He is great at drawing.

Now our little boy is 2 years old. He has his own crayons and a brand new coloring book and he has learned to scribble in more than one color. His mom loves this new technique, and hangs the beautiful artwork on the front of the refrigerator. He is great at drawing.

A couple of years have passed, and now our little boy is 4 years old. He knows he is great at drawing. Everyone says he is. He sees his brother's brand new markers and decides to do his best work ever. He draws a brilliant fantasy of color including a picture of his mom, his most favorite person, who he has noticed, has certain body parts that his father does not. He emphasizes these in his artwork. His mom enters the room and finds that not only has he scribbled all over her white walls with permanent marker, he has also drawn obscene pictures. She may still be screaming. He is horrible at drawing.

This is an entertaining story that we have all seen acted out either personally or through our children, but the point is, this little boy will carry that learning ghost with him throughout his life. That single incident limits his ability to learn. When his boss asks him, as a 40-year-old, to layout a new design for a group newsletter, he will panic and come up with an illness to get out of it. Other learning ghosts can come from work history where you have been told you were inadequate or have struggled with a new skill and unreasonable expectations. Classroom history can influence your ability to apply academic skills such as mathematics or writing to the real world. How many people do you know who hate math? Generally, this can be tied to one or many horrible math classes from their past. Time and life demands can also prevent a person from taking the time or being relaxed enough to be able to learn (see Triune brain section later). Take a look at areas in which you are reluctant to learn.

 Intake Styles:

In the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), studies on how individuals prefer to get new information into their heads have been conducted for years. Although these categories could be broken down more finely, they tend to fall into three categories:

Visual intake by seeing

Auditory intake by hearing

Kinesthetic intake by doing, touching

Each individual could have any combination of these three. Some might fall strongly into one category, some have no preference difference between two, and some equally able to intake with all three. It is also important to note that these are not the same as intelligence: whether you prefer to learn by seeing, hearing or doing has no bearing on how intelligent you are.

What is fascinating is that it is neither difficult to identify your own preference(s) once you know what you are looking for, nor is it difficult to guess someone else's preference(s) with a little practice. There are certain physical characteristics that tend to track with these preferences. Visual learners tend to prefer books or videos, tend to speak quickly and somewhat high pitched, stare up when they are thinking, and use language like "I see what you mean". In the U.S., 60 - 72% of the population prefer to learn this way. Auditory learners tend to prefer speeches, discussions or tapes, tend to speak slowly and quietly, stare straight ahead when they are thinking, and use language like "I can hear what you are saying". They make up 12 - 18% of the population. Finally, kinesthetic learners tend to prefer to try something first, speak quickly and with great changes in intonation and body language, stare down when they are thinking, and use language like "I get it". Although across the general population, 18 - 30% prefer to learn kinesthetically, I have found in my own training classes that there is a higher percentage of both kinesthetic and auditory preferences in technical occupations. Also, training people tend to be kinesthetic.

"Each individual is always following a sensible strategy for getting along in the kind of world they think they live in." - Unknown

So what? If you are trying to communicate something new to someone (like a client), you tend to communicate in the way you would like to be communicated to, reflecting your own preferences. For example, if you are a visual learner, you will create beautiful graphics and fancy documents to communicate. If your client is an auditory learner, they don't want the picture, they want words, short and brief. Immediately, a barrier is set up to prevent transfer.

In a learning situation, you may have to learn something fast, like Windows 98, for example. Perhaps your training department has arranged for video training to be held during lunch. You go to the video presentation and come out sleepy and with no idea what you just saw. Chances are you are not a visual learner. Your time might have been better spent playing around with Windows 95 (if you are kinesthetic) or listening to an audiotape while playing around (if you are auditory). Sometimes better and faster learning comes just from better choices.

 The Multiple Intelligences:

Dr. Howard Gardner, from Harvard University, has been challenging the basic beliefs about intelligence. Primarily, he believes that intelligence is much more multi-faceted than we measure (through IQ tests, SATs, etc.) and that it is not fixed. He defines intelligence as:

• a measurable aptitude
• an aptitude you use to solve problems
• an aptitude you use to create

In Frames of the Mind, Howard Gardner describes his initial list of intelligences. He believes there are more that will be discovered and measured. His initial list includes:

• Interpersonal aptitude for working with others
• Logical/mathematical aptitude for math, logic, deduction
• Spatial/visual aptitude for picturing, seeing
• Musical aptitude for musical expression
• Linguistic/verbal aptitude for the written/spoken word
• Intrapersonal aptitude for working alone
• Bodily/kinesthetic aptitude for using your physical self

How does this impact your learning? Howard Gardner believes that most people are comfortable in 3 - 4 of these intelligences, and avoid the others. While the intake styles reflect how people prefer to receive information, the intelligences reflect how people prefer to process information. For example, if you are not comfortable working with others, doing group case studies may interfere with your ability to process new learning. Video-based instruction will not be good for people with lower spatial/visual aptitudes. People with strong bodily/kinesthetic aptitudes will need to move around while they are learning. If you find you are in a situation where you have to use an aptitude that you are not competent using, you may need to practice this aptitude or enhance it with others that you do feel competent in. For example, if your job requires you to study large technical documents but you are not strong in visual/spatial, you may find that drawing on your strong bodily/kinesthetic aptitude by taking notes, taking frequent moving breaks or highlighting will help you adjust. Thus, knowing your own strengths and weaknesses can allow you to positively transform an otherwise negative situation.

 The Whole Brain:

"Manage from the left brain (logical, analytical), but lead from the right (intuitive, creative, visual)." - Stephen Covey There has been a great deal of research done on brain dominance which includes right and left brain behaviors. Your left brain's job is words, language, analysis, order, logic, numbers and sequence. Your right brain's job is music, rhythm, imagination, patterns, challenging mental models, appreciation and synthesis. Different people prefer to reside predominantly on different sides. A left-brain residence person will tend to be very organized including a clean desk. A right-brain residence person will tend to be very creative including a messy desk. The real power comes from combining the two; when the right and left brain are combined, the most long-term learning occurs.

When you are learning, you tend to migrate towards the things that you prefer. If you prefer left-brain thinking, you will migrate towards left brain topics - mathematics, programming, problem solving (partitioning of problems). If you prefer right-brain thinking, you will migrate towards right brain topics - patterns, modeling, synthesis of different disciplines. Using an example of a reengineering project, it is clear that both sides are needed. A reengineer needs to think analytically and sequentially (left brain) but also needs to be able to synthesize conflicting views and imagine new approaches (right brain). Recognize your own preferences, and practice stepping into the side of the brain you are least comfortable.

 The Triune Brain:

The Triune Brain has a fascinating relationship to learning, which supersedes all the other preferences mentioned above. The brain is composed of three areas: neocortex, limbic and reptilian. The neocortex is for higher level thinking and is our ultimate location goal when we are learning. The limbic system deals with the emotional aspects of learning. Think of your most vivid memories. Generally, they are 'hooked' to a strong emotion, often negative. Emotions are strong learning links, with laughter being as strong if not stronger a link than negative emotions. How can you make your learning fun? Finally, the reptilian brain is the front gate to the neocortex. If you are threatened, the reptilian brain will figuratively shut, blocking any new learning. This is the fight or flight syndrome - it is nearly impossible to learn under pressure. In a sense, the reptilian brain fights and the neocortex takes flight.

This is important today. Think how much change has occurred since 1977 when Ken Olsen, head of DEC, said "There is no reason for a person to have a computer in their home." "Have to" learning has become the norm, and it is virtually, physiologically impossible. Learning can only be achieved when people are relaxed, open and responsive. As Peter Senge says in "The Fifth Discipline" "...the harder you push, the harder the system pushes back." In terms of your own learning, what environment do you need to be productive in learning? The checklist below will give you some environmental components to think about. 

Summary:

In 1910 Brigadier General Billy Mitchell said that using airplanes to sink battleships was "damn nonsensical". In fact, he offered to stand on the bridge of any battleship and let them try. This is the position that any person in today's business climate is in if they do not know how to learn. By simply accepting that people intake differently, process differently and need different environments to maximize their learning, individuals can make a dramatic improvement in their own abilities to learn more thoroughly and more quickly. The brief checklist below will help you start thinking about your own learning preferences. Please note that this is not a scientific assessment tool - in fact, it is not a great idea to assess with strictly a visual instrument for all the diverse learning reasons we have just discussed.

"The man [individual] whose acquisitions stick is the man [individual] who is always achieving and advancing, whilst his neighbors spend most of their time in relearning what they once knew but have forgotten." William James

 Bibliography:

Buzan, Tony. Use Both Sides of Your Brain. Dutton, New York, 1974.

Campbell, Don. Institute for Music, Health and Education, Boulder, CO. (303) 443-8484

Chapman, Carolyn. If the Shoe Fits... How to Develop Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. IRI/Skylight Publishing, Palantine, IL, 1993.

Gardner, Howard. Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice. Basic Books, New York, 1993.

Kline, Peter. The Everyday Genius. Great Ocean Publishers, Arlington, VA, 1988.

Rose, Colin. Accelerated Learning. Dell Publishing Co., New York, 1985.

Senge, Peter. The Fifth Discipline. Doubleday, New York, 1990.

Senge, Peter, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, and Bryan Smith. The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. Doubleday, New York, 1994.

 

1. Learning Ghosts:

This highly unscientific checklist will help you begin discovering your own learning preferences. If you would like more detailed analysis, please contact Lou Russell.

My learning ghosts are:

Work History_____________________________________________________

Classroom History________________________________________________

Time/Life Demands________________________________________________

I am not good at ___________________________ because_____________

I am not good at ___________________________ because_____________

I will exorcise my ghosts by ____________________________________

 2. Intake Styles

Circle the things you do a lot from the lists below. By observing which columns your preferences fall, you will have a quick and dirty look at your learning preferences.

If you prefer to...

form mind pictures say syllables write on surfaces w/finger

take notes use mnemonics write lists

use color codes use tapes pace/walk as you work

watch TV watch TV physically "do it"

watch movies listen to music breathe slowly

use charts, graphs listen to speakers role play

use maps read aloud exercise

demonstrate make up poems dance

draw/use drawings talk to yourself write

use mnemonics have discussions take notes

 Your learning preference is:

Visual Auditory Kinesthetic

 3.The Multiple Intelligences

For each aptitude, select the ones you presently use most often in the situation noted.

Work 

Interpersonal

Logical/mathematical

Spatial/visual

Musical

Linguistic/verbal

Intrapersonal

Bodily/kinesthetic

For each aptitude, select the most important top three for each situation noted.

Personal Life

Interpersonal

Logical/mathematical

Spatial/visual

Musical

Linguistic/verbal

Intrapersonal

Bodily/kinesthetic

Which aptitudes do you feel are your strongest?

What are the learning mediums that make the best sense for you based on these aptitudes?

Which aptitudes do you feel you should develop?

How are you going to develop these aptitudes?

 4.The Whole Brain

Circle the words that you prefer:

conscious image analysis passive

formulas subconscious time diffused

reductive songs details whole

ego inclusive pieces creativity

reason impressions numbers holistic

cognitive nonverbal active rhythm

logical patterns speech emotion

sequential affective verbal intuition

knowledge geometry thought sounds

Total:

A. Column I and III: Left brain preference

B. Column II and IV: Right brain preference

The closer together these numbers are, the more flexible a learner you are.

 5. The Learning Environment

 Element: Sound

1. When others are talking is it hard or easy for you to concentrate?

2. When the t.v. or radio is on, is it hard or easy for you to concentrate?

3. When the room is very, very quiet, is it hard or easy for you to concentrate?

SUMMARY: Do you learn best in total, partial or no quiet?

 Element: Light

1. If there is no light other than the natural light from the window, is it hard or easy for you to learn?

2. If you read outside on a sunny day, does the sunlight bother your eyes?

SUMMARY: Would you prefer dim or bright lighting to learn?

 Element: Temperature

1. Do you prefer cool or warm weather?

2. Are you able to learn best when it is cool or warm?

3. Do you prefer to read in a cool or warm place in your home?

SUMMARY: Would you prefer cool or warm to learn?

 Element: Design

1. Where do you go to work if you really have to concentrate?

2. Where do you go to work at home if you really have to concentrate?

3. Do you prefer to work sitting at a table or desk, or sitting on a couch or floor?

4. How did you work when you were in school?

5. Do you prefer to sit in one place when you work or move around?

SUMMARY: Physically, where do you prefer to work: at a table or less formally on the couch or floor? Do you prefer to sit in one place or move around? 

Element: Motivation

1. If you could choose, which would you rather watch on t.v.: a sitcom or a documentary?

2. When you finish a large project, do you put it away or show it to others?

3. Do you talk about your work successes at home to your family?

4. Which one is most like you: my boss thinks I do a great job, my boss doesn't know what I do.

5. Which one is most like you: I'm proud of the work I do, Nobody cares what anyone does at our work.

6. Is this generally true or false: I really care whether I do my best on projects.

SUMMARY: Are you motivated by self, management, and/or family in terms of learning and development?

 Element: Persistence and Responsibility

1. When you are working on a new project do you sometimes leave it unfinished or do you finish it no matter how long it takes?

2. Do you often forget things you've been asked to do?

3. Do you often set up a project to work on, but then work on something else?

4. Is it hard for you to finish projects?

SUMMARY: Is it difficult or easy for you to finish things that you start?

Element: Structure

1. When you get a new project, do you prefer that your manager tell you exactly what is required and how to do it, or do you prefer to figure some things out yourself?

2. When you are working on a project, do you prefer ongoing directions on what to do next, or do you prefer to be left alone?

3. Do you show partial deliverables to your clients as you go or do you only show them completed deliverables?

4. Do you like to work on one or many things at a time?

SUMMARY: Do you need structure when you work or learn, or do you prefer to 'freestyle'?

Element: Sociological

1. Do you like to work on projects with others or by yourself?

2. When you have a very important project to get done, or something very critical to learn, do you prefer to work with others or by yourself?

SUMMARY: In what situations do you work better alone or with others?

Element: Intake and time

1. Do you like to snack when you are working or when you are done?

2. What time of day do you work best?

3. What time of day do you feel most awake and motivated?

SUMMARY: Should you eat while you learn? What time of day is best set aside for learning?