Traditionally learning has been perceived as being linked to a physical space the classroom at specific times. It has been formalised. But what if learning was informal and happened all the time at every minute and could be used to achieve everyday goals rather than obtain certificates. Like a robot exploring a new world think of how Somerai used her senses as research instruments to observe and ask questions about things in her environment. Learning in the savannah was immediate and relevant to her needs in the moment. This was how our ancestors learnt, they learnt to survive.
Our learning software often operates in the background, by bringing it into foreground we can see how it helps us solve problems as we move through the stream of worldly experiences. To realize your full potential, learning has to become a way of life, an obsession with knowing more about things both internally and externally. An inquiring mind does this by continuously asking what, why and how things work?
This curious mindset was apparent amongst thinkers throughout history. Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin were both seen as autodidacts who taught themselves about things, asking why things were the way they were. Besides having a sharp eye for observing phenomena, they also built things to test their ideas by running informal experiments in the real-world. Autodidacts see life experiences as data to be analysed in the laboratory of the mind.
Having a growth mindset allows one to believe that IQ is not fixed, that knowledge can be created through using specific methods while skills can be built through practice. Every experience is framed as an opportunity to learn something new and curious learners design their lives around learning through exposure to new environments, people and things. Learning is the lens through which they see the world.
Rather than seeing learning as located within formal institutions like a school, a university, following a pre-determined curriculum and being instructed by a teacher, learning is directed by the self allowing one to fully customise their own learning to their interests and personal goals. You determine your goals for your own learning, you determine the curriculum and direct yourself through the learning process. To do this one needs to apply metacognition to stand outside one’s thoughts by taking a third person perspective and observing one’s own learning process to check for understanding and gaps in knowledge. This is covered in more depth on the page ‘Metacognition.”
The self-directed learning framework can be used to direct one’s own learning. Learning resources refers to information like books, videos, podcasts or experiences. Learning strategies refer to methods for effectively consuming and understanding information eg. reflection, asking questions as you read to have a conversation with the author. This is covered in more depth on a later page.
It is important to understand one’s strengths and weaknesses as a learner, know what strategies to use to address areas needing improvement as well as what one’s preferences are when learning eg. consuming information through specific mediums like text, audio, video.
Question to consider:
What topics give you energy? What do you enjoy doing?
Why should I be learning about this?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What are your learning preferences in terms of types of content? Learning style
WHY? Identifying your interest and preferences will give your energy to learn and increase learning efficiency.
