Limitless Learning: Maximising Your Learning Experience (Part II).

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As I've promised, here is part II for the Infinite Learning post series. You can read the first part here. Before we start,  I want to thank you all for your massive support for the first part. I truly appreciate your feedback.

Let us briefly recap what we discussed last time. So, there were 4 steps which were:

1. Change your mindset towards the process of learning and perceive it differently.
2. Visualise and imagine what you are learning to engage more senses to make what you are learning more experential and personal.
3. Use emotions like excitement, mystery and the thrill accompanied by challenges to retain more of what you learn.
4. Be inquisitive and use the art of curiosity to think beyond and add depth to what you are learning.

Here are another 3 steps to transform your learning experience! I am very excited for you to be reading this. Now, let's get started!

5. Lead Your Time


I said "lead" your time, not "manage" your time. Leadership is a big thing nowadays. Everyone is expected to be a leader, and if not amongst others, then you are most probably going to lead your life. Studying is a process that requires so much organisation and commitment. It's not something to do for 5 minutes a day, scattered here and there, surrounded by distractions all the time. In the age of notifications and electronics, it's hard to concentrate and stay put, right?

You need to be aware that this will cause you many problems if you don't start improving your focus. This time it's not just for the sake of learning, but for your relationships, duties and responsibilities as you grow older.

To lead your time, that means you need to plan, organise, control and inspire it. Yes, inspire your  time. Make time a motivating resource that fuels you to be productive. How does that look like? Well, it means that you prioritise your learning tasks for the day according to what's most important, organise the resources you are going to use and then limit anything that will affect the productivity of this time. There are a variety of tools to help you manage your time (click the highlighted part for a good website to show you how to do this!), but what I am adding here is to make your learning time motivating. Inspire yourself by your vision of the future, your dream career, the kind of success you want to achieve. Doing this will help you understand that the time you are spending studying is actually fulfilling that dream of yours. Also, understand that the way you are taking your breaks influences your learning. Make your breaks inspiring, too! Don't spend too much time consuming toxic social media posts or engage in negative conversations with friends while chatting. Instead, consume mindful content that makes you happy, cook something for yourself, get outside for a few minutes, do some work outs or a stretch, watch something nice on the TV which doesn't drain you and pull you out of focus.

Be aware of how you are leading your time, because this is an indication of how you are leading your life.

6. Global-scale Learning 


I have said so much regarding making use of the knowledge you're acquiring, right? How do you exactly do that?

You do that by relating everything you're studying on a global-scale. Remind yourself with the systems out there that require the information you're studying to be more effective and organised. For example, if you're studying history, then relate the effects of wars and colonialism to your current society. What is its impact? In the case of physics, look up the real-world applications of all of the diverse concepts to see how this knowledge is shaping the world around you. Even when it comes to learning how to write a "for and against" essay in English, consider its use in conferences like the UN or important speeches. Everything you are learning makes sense in the world. Knowledge is timeless, it is never outdated, despite the prevalence of technological advancement and how it is making some concepts obsolete; history is still important. It is the basis of what's beyond you. Now with social media, you are expected to be aware of the problems of our modern world and one day, you'll be in a position to actually solve them, whether on a small or big scale. Whether an engineer, doctor, educator, fashion designer, researcher or secretary, you'll at least be indirectly exposed to some of the world's issues. Globalisation is real, and everything is connected. Your work will surely be tackling the impacts of climate change, sustainability, human development and automation because all organisations are affected by them in one way or another.

By this way, you are making connections. You are compounding your learning to a bigger picture that is linked and structured and you can then use this to understand the world around you and solve its problems.

If you truly want to be successful, being a life-long learner will ensure that what you study today stays with you tomorrow and can be used to make a difference. Don't take it for granted.

7. Recognise The Beauty In Learning



The last step is to include an aesthetic touch to learning. We are humans, perhaps the only species (according to science) that can be aware of beauty. Recognising beauty is a human experience and to add it to your learning will create a profound effect. You recognise beauty when you tell yourself that what you are learning is beautiful. Imagine the work humans had to do to actually come up with such ideas and constructions of reality in order to comprehend the world. Everything you are learning gives you a touch of colour to see things around you more vividly and deeply. You are uncovering God's power through every lesson and chapter of your books. This is beautiful.

This is enough to transform your learning experience and acknowledge that the world around you is beautiful, it is complex and with every concept, with every page, you are uncovering this wonder and making it easier to comprehend. This will not only transform your learning but you as a person, helping you appreciate what's around you and be more grounded and grateful.

I dearly hope that you found this post helpful. Please comment and share your feedback, which truly helps me write content that you could relate to.

May you have a wonderful learning journey!

Comments

  1. Hazem14/08/2019, 17:19

    Soraya, my perception of learning is now forever changed. These skills and the philosophy that ties them need to be at the core of every teacher's curicullum and every student's learning journey.
    So much of your insight on learning is original and makes a lot of sense. Most of all, I loved your advice on taking ownership of our learning journies, make them personal and foster the courage to make it unique through creativity.
    Thank you for your effort, Soraya.
    I am inspired by your holistic integration of beauty, art, action, impact and personal fulfillment.

    ReplyDelete

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