Learning anything from juggling, climbing a rock, cooking a meal, engineering a building, reading a book, speaking a foreign language, or playing an instrument all have something in common. They are all things a person does not know how to do innately, and they can all be learned through proper exposure and experience. While any skill and/or body of knowledge has its' own particularities, underlying pattern in the way a person comes to comprehend and wield it.
Understanding the general process of learning can help us on any specific journey to knowledge acquisition. Primarily, knowing that learning is a multi-step process helps one stay content and focused at any particular interval. Previously, I would find myself getting frustrated and wasting time when I hit a rough patch, slowing my progress. Also if I didn't simply see what was going on from the onset, I was more likely to negatively judge the topic and lose interest in it completely. In short, understanding the process has given me the capability to withhold judgement about my own abilities while progressing more quickly and consistently.
Many have explained this process with a varying number of steps. Here is a synthesized version that helps me approach any subject. As usual, I would like to start with a general pattern before jumping into the specifics.
The critical stages of learning can be characterized by the following:
1) Being oblivious to the topic (Unaware)
2) NoticingUnderstanding the general process of learning can help us on any specific journey to knowledge acquisition. Primarily, knowing that learning is a multi-step process helps one stay content and focused at any particular interval. Previously, I would find myself getting frustrated and wasting time when I hit a rough patch, slowing my progress. Also if I didn't simply see what was going on from the onset, I was more likely to negatively judge the topic and lose interest in it completely. In short, understanding the process has given me the capability to withhold judgement about my own abilities while progressing more quickly and consistently.
Many have explained this process with a varying number of steps. Here is a synthesized version that helps me approach any subject. As usual, I would like to start with a general pattern before jumping into the specifics.
The critical stages of learning can be characterized by the following:
1) Being oblivious to the topic (Unaware)
3) Intellectually/Conceptually understanding the topic
4) Internalizing the concepts through application/practice
5) Repeat step 2-4, noticing and internalizing more nuanced aspects of the activity on each cycle
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..some time later..
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5) Repeat step 2-4, noticing and internalizing more nuanced aspects of the activity on each cycle
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..some time later..
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6) Mastery
Children are perfect examples to view this process because much of what they are learning, we "adults" already "know," and can therefore relate to the progression more thoroughly. My favorite illustration of this process was the first one that was shown to me so let's start there.
Tying shoes is a skill that most of us come to master over time. We repeat it so often that we all achieve a high level of fluency eventually. Toddlers however may still have a long way to go on their shoe tying journey. Let us, then, take a look at Tommy the toddler. Tommy uses Velcro shoes, and they suit him just fine. In fact, Tommy is currently 1) Oblivious to the fact that shoes come any other way. He is far too distracted by the many other novelties the world constantly presents him. One day, during a walk, Tommy's dad stops, bends down, and begins playing with his shoes. Tommy implicitly knew that both him and his dad wore shoes but now he has 2) Noticed a key distinction. Dad's shoes have laces that work quite differently than Tommy's own. Obviously, Tommy, who admires his father, is sparked with a desire to learn this new skill. (Generally speaking, this desire to learn the skill could be considered a hidden step between stages 2 and 3 because without it, no one ever continues forward.)
Next comes the process of acquiring the skill. Tommy's dad teaches him a nice poem, as sort of a mental crutch, "loop, swoop, and pull". This helps Tommy 3) Conceptually understand the process of tying shoes. At this stage, Tommy understands in his head what needs to happen, more or less, but does not always have success. So from now on, Tommy wears shoes with laces. Everyday, he ties his own shoes which allows him to 4) Internalize the process through application, or by "building muscle memory." 5) Then the process starts to repeat again. By practicing everday, he starts 2) noticing things that he was 1) oblivious to. For instance, 3) Tommy starts to understand that shoes still fall off if the laces aren't pulled tight or if the knot sits loosely over the tongue of the shoe. So he 4) practices getting his laces snug each time he ties them. Over the years, he may go on noticing little subtleties of tying different types of shoes or laces (step 5). Now, at 18, Tommy can throw his shoes on, his hands precisely tying a double knot, while he's looking up, yelling at a friend "Hey, wait for me!" This could be considered as some sort of 6) Mastery of shoe laces.
When looking closely, one may notice that the process is less linear than it is like a spiral staircase. In this sense, mastery is not so much a destination as it is everything above a certain level on the climb. One can never completely dominate a subject because (like the second type of infinity) it is literally impossible to know everything about any one thing. One can simply more thoroughly understand it, comprehending the variables. Perhaps even one day utilizing that skill on a new endeavor.
Everyone wants to become a master, however, the most crucial stage in the learning process is moving from 1 to 2. Becoming aware of a topic, or the variables specific to a topic, is necessary before any sort of meaningful, useful, understanding or application takes place.
This is where I will leave the topic for today, but I will certainly return to this subject in the future. Thank you for joining me here and please don't hesitate to drop a comment if you feel so inclined!
Children are perfect examples to view this process because much of what they are learning, we "adults" already "know," and can therefore relate to the progression more thoroughly. My favorite illustration of this process was the first one that was shown to me so let's start there.
Tying shoes is a skill that most of us come to master over time. We repeat it so often that we all achieve a high level of fluency eventually. Toddlers however may still have a long way to go on their shoe tying journey. Let us, then, take a look at Tommy the toddler. Tommy uses Velcro shoes, and they suit him just fine. In fact, Tommy is currently 1) Oblivious to the fact that shoes come any other way. He is far too distracted by the many other novelties the world constantly presents him. One day, during a walk, Tommy's dad stops, bends down, and begins playing with his shoes. Tommy implicitly knew that both him and his dad wore shoes but now he has 2) Noticed a key distinction. Dad's shoes have laces that work quite differently than Tommy's own. Obviously, Tommy, who admires his father, is sparked with a desire to learn this new skill. (Generally speaking, this desire to learn the skill could be considered a hidden step between stages 2 and 3 because without it, no one ever continues forward.)
Next comes the process of acquiring the skill. Tommy's dad teaches him a nice poem, as sort of a mental crutch, "loop, swoop, and pull". This helps Tommy 3) Conceptually understand the process of tying shoes. At this stage, Tommy understands in his head what needs to happen, more or less, but does not always have success. So from now on, Tommy wears shoes with laces. Everyday, he ties his own shoes which allows him to 4) Internalize the process through application, or by "building muscle memory." 5) Then the process starts to repeat again. By practicing everday, he starts 2) noticing things that he was 1) oblivious to. For instance, 3) Tommy starts to understand that shoes still fall off if the laces aren't pulled tight or if the knot sits loosely over the tongue of the shoe. So he 4) practices getting his laces snug each time he ties them. Over the years, he may go on noticing little subtleties of tying different types of shoes or laces (step 5). Now, at 18, Tommy can throw his shoes on, his hands precisely tying a double knot, while he's looking up, yelling at a friend "Hey, wait for me!" This could be considered as some sort of 6) Mastery of shoe laces.
When looking closely, one may notice that the process is less linear than it is like a spiral staircase. In this sense, mastery is not so much a destination as it is everything above a certain level on the climb. One can never completely dominate a subject because (like the second type of infinity) it is literally impossible to know everything about any one thing. One can simply more thoroughly understand it, comprehending the variables. Perhaps even one day utilizing that skill on a new endeavor.
Everyone wants to become a master, however, the most crucial stage in the learning process is moving from 1 to 2. Becoming aware of a topic, or the variables specific to a topic, is necessary before any sort of meaningful, useful, understanding or application takes place.
This is where I will leave the topic for today, but I will certainly return to this subject in the future. Thank you for joining me here and please don't hesitate to drop a comment if you feel so inclined!
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