“The ability to learn is the most significant activity of man”
Learning isn’t a new word for most people. It is a word we use every day because the process of learning happens every time. First of all, let’s discuss learning before we talk about self-learning and the act of self-learning efficiently.
What is Learning?
Learning is the process of discovering something new, it could be something you have little or no knowledge about.
According to Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, Learning is the process of acquiring new or modifying existing, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals, and some machines; there is also evidence for some kind of learning in certain plants. This I believe is quite a clear and concise definition of what learning is.
The most characteristic form of learning of both lower animals and man was identified by Thorndike as trial and error learning. A trial is defined as the length of time, a number of errors involved in the single reaching of the goal.
What is Self Learning?
Self-learning is the process of learning on your own. Discovering new skills, behaviors, knowledge, and preferences all on your own with or without a guide or mentor. Some people can learn on their own without even needing a mentor or someone to guide them. But most times if you are learning and you have some that serve as a guide, it makes the learning process easier because the mentor must have gone through the same process.
Malcolm Knowles, defined self-learning as: “a process by which individuals take the initiative, with or without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, and evaluating learning outcomes”.
The Act of Self Learning Efficiently and Progressively
Learning on your own doesn’t necessarily mean you will be productive, it doesn’t mean the process will be efficient and progressive. But how can you make it efficient and progressive? Now that is the question.
Beginner’s Mindsetoning in the “I already know this ” mindset. You will get to acquire and learn more with the mindset of a newbie than the
To learn efficiently and progressively, you need to have a beginner’s mindset. But what does beginner’s mindest means?
A beginner’s mindset is having an attitude of an absolute beginner no matter how much you already know or how expert you already are on a subject with a sense of curiosity and enthusiasm, and with a wholesome view. Beginner’s mindset is also known as “Shoshin”, a term from Zen Buddhism.
Having a beginner’s mindset is essential for fascinating reasons. When you are examining at things with the mindset of a novice then you can acquire more than if you are envisioning in the “I already know this ” mindset. You will get to acquire and learn more with the mindset of a newbie than the mindset of someone with experience.
For you to become an expert at what you do, you must relearn and revise what you think you already know about whatever it is you do. You have to keep learning, continually learning with an open mind, and you must set up your mind to accept new ideas and perspectives.
You must be motivated to learn more and open to improvements and emendations, instead of being right all the time. The mindset of a newbie already accepts these facts. You are more open to opportunities and possibilities than if you think you know the result or have opinions about what will occur. It helps you to see things as they are instead of as you think they are.
For you to be efficient and progressive, you have to stick to the act of practicing as you learn. No matter how much you know, if you don’t practice what you have learned, nothing will work out as you expected.
Practice as you learn. Whether you are taking an online course, watching youtube videos, or reading a book, you have to practice as you learn to ensure you know whatever it is you have learned.
Look for ideas on the internet, you can think through the things you do daily, ideas around how to improve your community and immediate community. Try as much as you can to implement these ideas with whatever it is you are learning.
Implement the ideas you have worked on previously with the new skills you have acquired.
Whatever you set out to do in life, for you to master it, for you to be proficient, you must be consistent. Consistency is key. But what is consistency and how can you be consistent whenever you are learning? That is the question.
A simple definition of consistency is the quality of always performing similarly. For you to reach the peak of consistency, you must learn and practice every day.
It is quite difficult to be consistent if you don’t have a good schedule. If you learn and practice when you feel like, it is fine as long as it happens every day. A good schedule can help you focus on other engagements. Your schedule should include when to learn, when to practice, and when to learn more.
With a newbie’s mindset, constant practicing, and consistency, your learning process will be efficient and progressive.
Please let’s know your thought, comment, and share.