START IT RIGHT
First of all, identify what is it that you need to learn. It need not be academic learning. Suppose you want to learn singing. Adjust your schedule and find time to make an effort to learn. Most of us look for excuses.‘ I have two tests lined up for the week, there’ s no way I attend the music class today.’ Excuses limit our capability. The next important step is to know HOW to learn. It is essential that you have your basic requirements in place. In order to learn, you must ask yourself these questions:
Where do I learn?
You cannot learn Ballet in Bharatnatyam class. So do your ground research and narrow down your options.
Whom do I learn from?
Depending upon what you want to learn, your source will vary. Take into consideration, the people who can teach you. You need to ensure that not only are those people efficient in teaching, they should also match your comprehension. Your maths teacher may be brilliant, but perhaps you have difficulty in understanding the way she teaches. Do not hesitate to seek help from a friend or a family member.
Which method works the best for me?
Learning involves a lot of hit and trial. You cannot be perfect at the first attempt. As you begin to try, you will come across several methods. Know what works the best for you. It is as simple as learning how to colour. Remember how our kindergarten teacher would ask us to colour in‘ one direction’, either horizontally or vertically. As we practiced, we knew which direction worked the best for us!
KEEPING UP
Dhoni’ s‘ helicopter shot’ would have been worthless if he didn’ t venture out to do something unconventional right? He has mastered his skill to the extent that we associate the move with the cricketer. Likewise, we must make it a bit to put our skill in use.
COVER STORY
WINSPIRE: Empowering youth | December, 2016
7
UNLEARN AND RELEARN
Sharing your knowledge is another way to learn. Help others learn and you shall learn with them. Your younger sibling required your assistance in connecting a bulb, switch and a battery for a science project. You use your knowledge and make a circuit but your little brother suggests something he learnt in class and it leaves you completely stunned. Every time we teach, we get a new perspective through the other person. Yes, we all did Newton’ s Laws of Motion, but if in the near future another theory develops, which is superior to Newton’ s, the world will automatically switch to it.
Therefore the magical two words- Unlearn and Relearn. The beauty of learning lies in the fact that it is ever evolving. Nothing you learn is sacrosanct.
JUMP AHEAD OF OBSTACLES
It is quite hard to tell why we complicate learning so much. We consider it to be a huge task and get stuck by our own inhibitions. A few common obstacles that come our way:
We hear and not listen
Constant attention is required. Instructions must be crystal clear in our head and there shouldn’ t be any doubt about what action is to follow.
We are afraid to question
What if I ask a stupid question? What if I am bothering the speaker? What if he / she think of me as a fool? If you don’ t ask, you don’ t clear your doubts; you would not be able to give your 100 %.
We don’ t want to make mistakes
Failures are a part of success. To gain perfection one has to make mistakes and we learn from our mistakes. They help you remember things better.‘ Oh, I lost a mark because I forgot to underline’, you remember. Not attempting to do something, just because you might make a mistake, is undesirable and a sure shot road to failure.