- Knauer Weekly
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- The Power of Learning
There are one million billion - AKA one trillion (1,000,000,000,000) synapses in your brain where memories are stored.
Most people don’t have a clue how they function, let alone how to learn effectively.
Who can blame them?
I for one can safely say the school system did me a disservice.
Unfortunately, my love for learning was squashed and replaced by useless information I was made to regurgitate on tests and during exams.
Needless to say I was not your ideal straight A student.
Graduation could not have come sooner and after barely scrapping by I had had enough.
No more ‘learning’ for me I thought, that was it I’m done.
It all went downhill from there.
Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life
Rock bottom comes in many shapes and sizes, but one thing is common - it hits you hard.
From that place you have two options:
A) Quit and die (I don’t recommend this)
or
B) Get your shit together (I highly recommend this)
Since then I’ve done a lot of ‘life’ learning and proudly graduated from the school of hard knocks.
It was through this process, and my discovery of Humanism (perspective that emphasizes the unique potential of individuals) to develop and reach their full potential through self-directed learning.
That I came to know that without a formal daily learning practice, I was missing out on life-changing benefits of learning:
Makes you more confident, independent and self-sufficient
Better job prospects, higher earning potential and greater job satisfaction
Learning is a source of joy that is intrinsically rewarding
Improves your memory, attention and reasoning skills
Provides opportunities to meet new people, develop new friendships and network
Help you understand how to take care of your body and mind
Note that you will see metaphors and analogies used throughout this weeks newsletter - this is intentionally done by design because the use of them has been show to help cement learning materials in your mind.
2 Modes of learning: Focused and Diffuse
Focused - concentrate intensely on something you are trying to learn
When you are in the focused mode you are engaged in a familiar thought pattern.
Similar to looking through the lens of a telescope at your favourite group of stars and connecting the dots between them that is the constellation.
It could be the simple act of basic addition or more advanced such as calculating electromagnetic flows.
Your thought moves smoothly along neural pathways like a newly paved road.
Diffuse - More relaxed learning style related to a set of neural resting states
When you are in diffuse mode your thought moves widely and free.
Imagine looking up into the night sky and seeing the blanket of stars covering the sky.
This allows you to look at things broadly from a big picture perspective.
There are new neural connections formed along new pathways.
It can be helpful to think of them as the newly constructed roads connecting major highways via their respective on/off ramps.
There is no way to finalize aspects but you can get to the initial place you need to be in to home in on a solution.
You are either in focused or diffuse mode of thinking.
There is no way to be in both modes at the same time.
Just like a coin - you can see one side, or the other.
Not both at the same time.
Using the Focused and Diffuse modes
To learn effectively we must spend time going back and forth between both modes of thinking.
Just like weight training requires a little work daily to gradually allow your muscles to grow.
Similarly to build neural structure you need to do a little work every day.
Summary
We learned that:
Forming metaphors and analogies help cement the new learning material in your mind.
Focused and Diffuse modes - that our brains need to alternate between them to learn
Just like weight training it takes time to see results so be patient and trust the process
Next Steps
Set aside a little time each day to learn about a topic that excites you!
There are so many wonderful resources on the internet that won’t cost you anything to use:
Coursera (www.coursera.org): Offers a wide range of free online courses from top universities and institutions.
Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org): Provides free educational videos and practice exercises in subjects like math, science, economics, and more.
edX (www.edx.org): Offers free online courses from prestigious universities, covering a diverse range of subjects.
The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself..
The more you learn, the more you’ll earn.
That’s all for this week. Happy learning folks!