-As a signal of status
ranting to
-To party
students about a
-etc.
topic for two
hours interrupted
I’d argue that for most people, their top three reasons for going to is probably one of
school don’t include genuine learning. Instead, they are there because they the worst ways to
need it for their profession, they want to boost their resume, network or even have a good time.
learn.
Most people don’t pursue school for learning directly, probably because schools aren’t great at it. Typical academic institutions are aging behemoths, focused more on continuing the status-quo than offering the best tools for educating their students.
The standard lecture format where one professor (usually picked for his research, not his teaching, ability) rants to students about a topic for two hours uninterrupted is probably one of the worst ways to learn.
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Chapter Three - Learning
Here's my article
That being said, this isn’t an indictment of universities or pursuing on my goal of
education. Those things are great, often for the very reasons I described learning
before (accreditation, networking, fun, etc.). And, if those are the reasons everything.
you’re pursuing higher education, great for you.
School Isn’t Enough
Self-education and the learning process need to go beyond where the textbooks leave off, and they need to continue far after you complete your degree. Unfortunately, because the equation between school and learning runs so deep, many people forget this.
My stated goal is knowing everything. Audacious and impossible?
Definitely. But, it’s the direction that matters, not the destination.
Having an insatiable lust for integrating new knowledge is one of the best ways to improve yourself. No, not just by reading self-help books and blogs. But by reading books on science, politics, history, classics, business and learning new skills.
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Chapter Three - Learning
Most people read less than a few books per year. Some people go one If average were
step higher and read several books, but usually of a narrow genre. I think the benchmark we
learning is a serious endeavor, and so you shouldn’t stop at there, but aim should compete
at consuming a large amount of books on different topics, as well as practicing different skills.
against, then you
should be happy if
Focused Mastery Versus Polyglottery
you're only
overweight and
If you read 10 books per year, you’re already well ahead of most of not obese.
the human population. But, if average were the benchmark we should compete against, then you should also be happy if you’re only overweight and not obese.
So whether you choose the road of focused mastery (reading exclusively about one subject) or become a polyglot (read about everything) isn’t as important as reading. Learning itself has mental dividends that exceed the decision about which books to read.
My personal approach is the “T” model. You want deep focus in one area, with minor focus in other areas. So, while I might practice a new skill,
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Chapter Three - Learning
say, tango dancing or Ruby programming, if it isn’t in my deep focus, I Ben Casnocha's
won’t worry about mastering it. Having some basic competence will be was the first
enough to spur new creative connections.
person I saw
writing about the
T-Model for
How to Learn Without Studying
learning. He also
runs an amazing
blog.
Beyond the hunger to learn more, the way you learn also matters. I’m not here to suggest that there is only one way to do it. I know many
different styles that work for many different people. However, the approach I use has worked very well for me.
I call my learning style holistic learning, because it emphasizes learning through what you already know. The opposite being rote memorization, where you try to learn facts out of context, sequence or relation to other ideas. Everyone learns holistically to some degree, I just try to make a point of emphasizing it in my self-education.
Learning holistically means you try to learn new ideas by connecting them to things you already know, or already care about. Some of the
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