Passion-Based Learning

Learning is something all of us have to engage in and carry out everyday of our lives. Given the fact that it’s something so very essential for basic success, it is interesting that too many of us go about it without even a decent understanding of how the process itself occurs.

The Race Car Driver

Think of yourself as a race car driver who wants to ride fast and quick. Your literacy level - reading and writing - are your driving skills. The better you can read and write, the faster you’ll learn (and “drive”).

Now here’s the key question, if you want to win a race, wouldn’t you invest a little time learning how the car works?

Understanding how the engine of the car you’re driving performs and moves the car forward is the equivalent of understanding how your brain functions and learns new things. This understanding of the inner-workings of the engine is an added bonus. So, let’s get moving closer to it!

Learning Theories

The study of how we humans learn and acquire knowledge is called learning theory. Not surprisingly, this is an area which rightly concerns educators very much and is intensely debated by them in order to come up with good approaches for effective teaching and hence better models of learning. Delving into the subject reveals some insights that make us more aware of how we humans learn the things we learn.

The three main categories of competing learning theories are as follows:

1. Behaviorism

Behaviorism focuses only on the objectively observable aspects of learning, and discounts the internal processing that might be associated with the activity. For behaviorism, learning is the acquisition of new behavior through conditioning.

… Briefly, a behavior may result either in reinforcement, which increases the likelihood of the behavior recurring, or punishment, which decreases the likelihood of the behavior recurring.

2. Cognitive Constructionism

Cognitive theories look beyond behavior to explain brain-based learning. Cognitivists consider how human memory works to promote learning. For example, the physiological processes of sorting and encoding information and events into short term memory and long term memory are important to educators working under the cognitive theory.

3. Social Constructionism

Constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts based upon current and past knowledge. In other words, “learning involves constructing one’s own knowledge from one’s own experiences.” Constructivist learning, therefore, is a very personal endeavor, whereby internalized concepts, rules, and general principles may consequently be applied in a practical real-world context. The teacher acts as a facilitator who encourages students to discover principles for themselves and to construct knowledge by working to solve realistic problems. This is also known as knowledge construction as a social process (see social constructivism).

… We are exposed to the views of others. It enables us to discover flaws and inconsistencies by learning we can get good results.

(More information on learning theories is available here and here)

So Which Learning Theory Is “Correct”?

Well, the truth is, there is no way to point out with certainty those that are absolutely correct. After all, they are called learning theories for a reason.

Thing is however, the validity of one learning theory over another partially depends on the learner in question. For some learners, the behaviorist approach might not be the best, but for others, it just might. It also depends on the situation.
Do you remember your days in university or in school? Do you remember being good at some subjects better than others? There’s a pretty good chance you do.

Now of course, one factor is that the interest you had in some subjects was stronger than others, but there is another factor. Some classes might have been taught with an emphasis of using one learning theory over another, a theory that wasn’t suitable for you since people tend to have different learning styles.

And there you have it, learning theory in a nutshell. I hope this gives you a better understanding of how teaching approaches are based on them. Coming up eventually is a post on personalized learning and discovering your learning style so you can become a more effective learner.

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Many, if not most of my close friends study medicine. And many, if not most loathed it when they started. Lately, the majority of them have begun to like it. Now, while they enjoy learning new cool stuff within their formal educational framework, they’ve also been raving about how much more they love watching House, MD.

Picture Courtesy of Oscar J. Baeza

In case you don’t know, House MD is a TV show about a bunch of doctors (the main character being Dr. House himself) who try to solve mysterious medical cases they’re confronted with.

Gregory House, M.D., is a maverick medical genius, who heads a team of young diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. Most episodes start with a cold open somewhere outside the hospital, showing the events leading to the onset of symptoms for that episode’s main patient. The episode follows the team in their attempts to diagnose and treat the patient’s illness.

It’s a very entertaining series. Even I myself like watching it although I’m not into medicine.

This got me thinking.

Why do I and countless other non-medical people like the show? Sure, Dr. House is hilarious but still, what’s so captivating about the episodes?

Puzzles.

Puzzles are fun. Given, the highly inquisitive nature of the human mind, it’s no surprise that we’re intrigued by them. Of course when the puzzles are dry and very complex, they can seize to become enjoyable but if the format they come in is entertaining, then it’s all good.

TV shows with fun puzzles are a form of edutainment, and there are surely tons of TV shows on this planet about many subjects. There are forensic detective series like CSI, a show about the power of mathematics called Numb3rs and others about law like Law and Order.

The list goes on.

With so many available series about numerous subjects, finding an edutaining one we can be entertained by and learn from shouldn’t be difficult. The DVD section at Amazon should be a good place to start searching.

Remember, this doesn’t even begin to include documentaries, edutaining shows on Discovery Channel and reality TV series like Donald Trump’s The Apprentice. ;)

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Imagine if you sat down for a conversation with a person who held the same exact views you did on any and every single topic. Gosh, that would be so boring and very non-beneficial for learning now wouldn’t it? Just visualize a blog post with 213 comments all saying something along the lines of “I agree”.

Not fun.

Picture Courtesy of T.SC

Disagreement is a wonderful thing - creative disagreement that is, the kind that’s not destructive but constructive and instructive. If anything it’s thought-provoking and very engaging as it exposes your mind to new and unique perspectives.

Looking to have intense brain orgasms? Read an eloquently-written book and consume information coming from a perspective you disagree with. To do it right and enjoy the process though, you’ll need to have an open mind and a laid-back attitude. Of course, if the information you consume is designed with a clear intend to offend, then it will be understandable if you get offended. However, if you’re easily provoked by something polite but contradictory to what you believe, it might be due to being highly defensive and sensitive.

It need not be like that. You don’t have to swallow everything. All you need to do is simply consider it or at least some parts of it. It won’t hurt.

Our initial reaction when faced by things we disagree with is usually resistance. Whenever you feel that resistance, take it as a sign of a learning opportunity. You can throw it away or grasp it. I choose the latter because often, one of the following happens:

• I become aware of a perspective I never even knew existed
• The perspective I already believe in gets strengthened
• I realize that some of the things I believed were flawed and hence I correct them
• I more accurately know what to expect when debating a disagreeing person
• My ability to defend the perspective I believe in improves
• My approach to received criticism becomes more positive and mature

What do you think? I hope you disagree with me.

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Thanks to the internet, learning through self-education has never ever been easier in the whole history of mankind. Today, vastly infinite amounts of information, valuable content and knowledgeable networks of people are merely a few clicks away.

I know some might be skeptical about the possibility of becoming a self-taught expert. To them I say, yes. It is absolutely possible except if you plan on becoming a doctor or something similar. Heck, did you even know that four out of the top 10 richest men in the world today are drop outs? And they still made it to the top without formal education. Furthermore you don’t require a crazy amount of time to learn what you want. In fact, you can easily make time.

• Further reading: How to Make the Time for Your Personal Goals

Okay now, so let’s get started with the 7 steps.

1- Passion

I cannot stress enough the huge importance of passion. This is why I constantly mention it. Passion is the fuel and the energy. You can dream up ideas and desire endlessly to become someone smart in a specific field but that’s not enough. Without action, dreams and ideas are simply that - dreams and ideas. Without action, they will never become reality and without passion, there can hardly be enough action.

• Further reading: The Undeniably Massive Importance of Passion

2- Curiosity

Passion is the drive that pushes you to action. Question is, towards what are you going to channel it? This is where curiosity comes in. Curiosity lets you channel your passion and drive towards finding answers for the things that make you curious. Inevitably these very things are what you then become passionate about.

We’re all curious to one extent or another. It is passion however that leads us to get up and act upon the curiosity in order to understand the things we desire to understand.

Seth Godin has a great video in which he talks about the importance of having a curious mind. Be sure to watch it.

Courtesy of lijojohnson

3- Identification

Curiosity is great and is a very fundamental foundation but it’s one that results in a large surface area of potential interests. Too often, the topics we are curious about are too broad for us to become an expert in easily. This is why it’s necessary to zoom in and identify specific and more focused things to learn.

4- Immersion

This is the fun part. Here you finally begin to satisfy your curiosity and start quenching the thirst for what you seek. Drown yourself in knowledge. Pile it into your head with big shovels.

Stuff to Read

Personally, I like drowning myself in relevant blog communities. I explain the process of doing that in the 3rd step of this post:

• 7 Easy, Powerful Steps to Create a Personal Learning Environment

If you want a list of blogs (besides this one of course) to help you become a better learner have a look at:

• The Ultimate List of 50 Kick-Ass Blogs To Boost Your Learning Experience

Of course, you don’t just have to stick to blogs. You can read mainstream websites and even Wikipedia.

Stuff to Hear

By that I mean podcasts and audiobooks obviously.

• Further reading: The Power of Audiobooks: Improve Your Learning Productivity Today

Stuff to Watch

If I’m tired of reading and not in the mood for hearing stuff, I usually turn towards video. I love watching educational videos that make me question, think and ultimately learn. My favorite two websites offering that are:

TED: TED began in 1984 as a conference devoted to the converging fields of technology, entertainment and design. Over the years, the scope has broadened. But the formula remains the same: Gather the world’s leading thinkers and doers; offer them four days of rapid-fire stimulation. The result? Unexpected connections. Extraordinary insights. Powerful inspiration. (source)

TED is super amazing. Check out what bloggers said after TED2008.

BigThink: This is a digital age, one in which a wealth of accessible information empowers you, the citizen-consumer. But where is the information coming from? How accurate and unprocessed is it, really? Ask yourself this: how empowered do you feel debating a television screen or a newspaper?

Our task is to move the discussion away from talking heads and talking points, and give it back to you. That is Big Think’s mission. (source)

You’ll surely find some good stuff at TED and BigThink.

If you’re looking for something practical that shows you “How-To” type of content, this, right here is a great list of where you can find such videos. On a related note, CookShow has decent amateur cooking videos.

5- Re-Immersion

Re-Immersion is doing the same things explained in the previous step Immersion but with a twist. Instead you choose sources and people who are discussing the same topic you’re learning but provide an opposite view differing from that expressed in content you drowned yourself in previously.

This way you learn about the different view points available and become more familiar with the topic’s gray areas, areas which don’t have a clear answer or agreed upon definitions.

• Further reading: Learning Through Disagreement

6- Digestion

After immersion, give yourself time to digest what you consumed. This is important. Ferocious consumption can burn you out. You need time to rest and relax in order to prepare for the next closely related step.

7- Self-Reflection

Self-relfection is the capacity to engage in deep introspection in order to examine one’s own thoughts and feelings. It’s like conducting a mental audit. The conscience process helps in problem solving and ultimately contributes to achieving personal goals.

Conclusion

Becoming a self-taught expert is possible. Want more related stuff?

New York Times best-selling author Tim Ferriss also has some amazing tips and ideas on how to become an expert:

1. Join 2 or 3 related trade organizations
2. Read 3 top selling books on your topic
3. Give one free 3 hour seminar at the closest well-known university
4. Give 2 free seminars at branches of two well-known big companies such as AT&T or IBM
5. Offer to write 1 or 2 articles for trade organizations
6. Join a service that journalists use to find experts to quote for articles

And there you have it. Taraaa!

Writing in itself is something easy. Doing so artistically and expressively however, is the difficult part.

Sometimes you may just feel too drained out and tired. The ideas don’t flow well and you can’t find the right words, so you spend a great deal of time writing and re-writing but to no avail.

Overcoming this challenge is very rewarding because it enables us to better put down our thoughts in proper words which in turn helps us to express our ideas much more accurately and eloquently. This ultimately boosts your communication skills which inevitably helps others to understand your ideas better. Keep in mind that when they understand them better, they can respond to you more clearly which is exactly what you should aim for, because better responses to your ideas help you become better a learner. Another obvious and direct benefit also, is that you simply improve the quality of your writing.

Picture Courtesy of Face it

There are numerous things I have found useful and help me find the right blend of words. Given the fact that I’m currently working on a book (which has a deadline) and also finishing up my final year graduation project report, I’ve been very busy doing a lot of writing lately. Music has been greatly beneficial, especially in writing the former.

The Art and Science of Leveraging Great, Soulful Music

Music can be an amazingly uplifting thing. It entertains, makes you open up and move, and is capable of evoking strong emotions - ranging from relaxation and sadness to happiness and excitement. Listening to it induces psychological benefits that have been researched and proven by Florida State University. Furthermore, it also helps in writing better.

There are different kinds of writing but for the purpose of this post, I’ll focus mainly on the one that is heartfelt and passion-based. It can be a poem, a novel, or like the book I’m currently authoring, a story about freedom and the blogosphere.

When I’m writing something like that, I take a lot of care in the words that I choose, and so do most other writers. Soulful music brings out the flow of the right words and eases it. For me, it has always worked.

The “secret” is playing music which brings back memories - either painful or joyful, recent or distant. It all depends on how you want to shape the tone of your literary work.

What was that song you and your adorable date slow-danced to in your prom night? Or the one you played on a non-stop loop the night a loved one passed away?

You get the idea. Like I said, it works for me and I believe it can for you.

The following are 5 great, soulful songs that almost consistently evoke the kind of emotions that I’m looking for and which help me set the tone of my writing the way I desire.

1. Damien Rice - 9 Crimes: I love the piano and the simplicity of the song’s production. Very often, less is indeed more. I’ve been playing it continuously for the past two weeks and it never fails to relax me when I’m tense. Once I’m in a tranquil mood, I begin writing, and let the song continue in a loop.

2. Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek: The first time I heard it was in a really intense episode of a recent TV show called the OC. The episode propelled the song, and along with it Imogen Heap, to widespread stardom. Two of my friends listened to it a lot, one after losing his dad, and the second his grandmother. I guess the song has a certain addictive and calming quality to it.

3. One Republic - Apologize: I can’t get enough of this song. Please tell me you’ve heard of it before. I beg you! It’s has beautiful melodies and lyrics that stir up all kinds of thoughts and memories. You can also check out this wonderful cover of the song by a super lovely girl.

4. Coldplay - See You Soon: You can’t not know who Coldplay is. They’re amazing artists whose songs are very honest and raw. See You Soon is my most favorite song from the band at the moment and I play it a lot when I write.

5. Coldplay - Fix You: This is another great song by Coldplay.

Some of you may know these artists, and others may have never heard of them. It doesn’t matter and here’s why.

I’m sure you must have some slow, beautiful songs which remind you of a specific someone or a past event in your life. Use them! Play them in the background when you want to write something heartfelt next time. Or even better, put on your headphones, and drown yourself away to another world by listening to them.

It’s too bad that pretty much all conventional teachers will smack you on the head for listening to your iPod in class while you write your essay.

Boohoo!

Formal education sucks. Don’t you think so too? :-)

Related:

• 31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing

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I’m a super huge fan of TED talks and I’d like to share with you some of my most favorite ones relevant to the topics of this blog. Bookmark this post and make the time to watch them all if you haven’t.

Okay, so let’s start.

1- Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words

What is success? We all desire it but what is it really? Because if we can’t even define it well then why do we strive towards it? Is it about having a lot of money? Fame? Why do so many people walk down a road so anxiously and full of ambition seeking something they can’t define well?

We could easily say that success is whatever brings us happiness. So simply put, success is happiness but then again what brings happiness? The answer, I believe, will vary from person to person but anyways, whatever is, how do we achieve success?

Find out in this great talk!

2- Ben Dunlap: The story of a passionate life

Ben tells a lovely story about what a passionate life is all about and the power of lifelong learning. Be sure to check it out.

Courtesy of Charles Chan

3- Lakshmi Pratury: The lost art of letter-writing

I can hardly remember the last time I wrote a letter with a pen and paper. Maybe a birthday card, yes, but not a letter. Lakshmi gives strong reasons for writing one. And why not?

Writing is a powerful exercise that helps us organize our thoughts and express them clearly. It enables us to better understand the ideas lurking inside our own heads since we’re forced to “get them out”. In doing so, we remember and examine them.

Enjoy this talk.

4- William Kamkwamba: How I built my family a windmill

This is by far one of my most favorite TED talks given by William from Malawi. At only 14, he built his family an electricity-generating windmill assembled from spare parts and scrap. He did it by reading plans in a library book. It’s a story that I found very inspirational.

I hope you will too.