Learn

Passive consumption is not learning.

Neither is memorization.

If you truly want to learn something, your mind needs to be active while you are doing it. You have to consume critically.

Think. i.e. Ask questions and find answers!

Do you agree or disagree with what is being said? Why or why not?

What is your goal? Where do you need to look?

Does what you are reading/watching/listening to make sense to you? What are your questions?

Can you relate what you're learning to anything you already know?

Test yourself. Do you understand what you've learned? Would you be able to explain it to someone else in your own words?

Test what you've learned. Does it "work" in the real world?

If you are active in your consumption of new information, you will learn and remember.

Let's get more specific:

1. Before you start, you have to know what you're looking for and why. This will give your search a purpose and help direct it. What do you want or need to know? What do you need to improve on? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Reflect, evaluate, and self-assess first. Then, start learning.

2. We all have preconceptions that we bring to a new learning experience. It is imperative that you gain awareness of and understand what yours are, so that new learning material will be internalized as opposed to going in one ear and out the other.

In order to take in new information, you first need to have a thorough understanding of what you already "know" or believe. A surefire way to better understand your beliefs is to question and challenge them. This will force you to be able to articulate, explain, and support them, not only to yourself but ideally to others as well. You must make sure that your beliefs and what you currently think of as "knowledge" withstand the tests of rational and/or scientific inquiry. If irrational or false preconceived notions go unquestioned, they will not be replaced by conflicting information, even if this information is more reasonable or scientifically accurate.

So, in your learning, you must either build on or challenge your initial understanding of things.[1]

3. Be able to identify what the UNDERLYING CONCEPTS are of what you are learning.

How is everything you are learning tied together? Do you notice any patterns or relationships? Can you relate what you learned to anything you already know? Can you draw any analogies regarding what you're learning?

Your ability to extract underlying concepts increases your chances of being able to "transfer" what you learned in one context to another context, and learn new information more easily. Concepts are more easily "mapped" on to and applicable in other scenarios than disconnected facts.[1]

4. Take on a metacognitive stance throughout your learning. This means you must regularly reflect on and think about your thinking, learning, and progress.

In other words, monitor yourself. What do you understand? What do you know? What don't you know? How does what you are learning fit into your current knowledge framework, if at all? What would help advance your understanding? What questions do you have about what you are learning?

This can be done simply by having an internal dialogue with yourself or you can write your reflections out on paper.[1]

In short, BE ACTIVE in your learning!

References

1. Bransford, J. D. (2004). How people learn: brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Acad. Press.