We have some point in time wondered what is the most efficient way of learning new stuff. Just to share with you the different ways of learning something new, and share with your my personal experience to have acquired various types of different skillsets.
Throughout the years, I’ve learn Martial Arts, Music, Pool with the 9 Ball, and these skills require some talent, and much more practises. There are other stuff like academic studies, public speaking and communications, human to human relationship and team building, which are another realm on its own. With that said, there are ways to improve or speed things up to be at the top.
In my post http://www.dennisquek.com/2008/06/pryamids-and-
how-it-helped-me/, if you look at the pryamid carefully, it represents data on how effective can students learn in a particular subject, or how much information it can retain. Perhaps it is interest on the subject some may argue, but the graph defines the precentage breakdown in a many different processes.
My point being, the top 3 most effective fashion to learn and surpass others is to have mainly discussions, practises and by teaching / guiding others. For the last point it might sound like you have to be very good at a subject but it fact it is not.
Most of the stuff that outshine against others are learnt through the various methods. First, you observe what others are doing and how it is done. Then you think of ways to make it better. I often watch Top world players on ESPN fight it out in the 9 Ball Championships. Then I spot my coach on how he teach others during my martial art lessons. Then you’ve got to practise. In my musical journey, for example on the piano, there is no other way better than delibrate practise. There may be other aids like using ears, watch a video, a 1 to 1 teacher, but practises definitely help alot.
Finally after several years of practise, you become so good at something, its time you start to guide others. I was a Taekwondo Coach for 3 years, teaching people from kids to adults. It is beneficial as I get to work out my body, as well as coaching people, by speaking to them. This doesn’t just stop the learning. As my instructor once said, “Martial arts isn’t complete once you’ve passed your black belt. You got learn to coach other students so that the next generation can benefit from you.”
These skills can be brought over to another area, such as public speaking. And because I have many chances of performing pop and classical songs, so I am used to being on stage. That is during the old school days, I took any oppotunities to give group presentations. I also, often ask stupid questions but that helped me to build the confident to speak. For academic studies, I gues it was one of the toughest area for me. You realised that studying only involves mostly systems in the least %, which is very bad.
Nevertheless, we should understand that different topics have their own ways to overcome in effective learning. You should approached something new in different angles, and not just the traditional ways and stop there.
There are more interesting discovery on human characters to be posted on later…
:) 