The Art of Learning = Work

     There is an art to Learning- work. With some people learning is automatic.  My middle son Devin was a natural learner, a virtual sponge.   I was not.  I had to work at learning things.  When I was in nursing school, I made flash cards in every class and then I would push Devin in a stroller & memorize the terms.  After I felt I had learned them, I would write them down.  Then I would recreate the outline from my notes or book. I could teach the material by test time.  This method took time, but earned me almost all A’s & the highest grade point average in my class.        

       Our children must be taught the art of learning.  It takes three simple steps. 

1)  Input (Knowledge)- (Who, What, Where, and the When of a subject)

First, they must learn the vocabulary that is common to the discipline. This means memorization.   For example, in mathematics: addition, addend, sum, subtrahend, minuend, difference, etc.  As well as formulas, times tables, etc. Each subject has its set of terms, without knowing them a student can't participate in the discipline.  The one area I struggled with in college was math.  I was one of those people who had to take all of the developmental courses.  Realizing not knowing my times tables was a huge stumbling block was an eye-opener.  Insisting your kids know all the terms and formulas necessary to be “fluent” in math falls on the parent.  The teachers may teach them, but they can’t make sure every kid knows them.   Repetition helps to ingrain new knowledge into the mind which helps the mind to make sense of the information faster. By absorbing as much as you can about the subject, the more “stuff” you have to work with and organize, make sense of--- the better one “knows” something, the better one can “understand” it.

  

 2)  Processing (Understanding)-(Why of a subject.)

In the Processing stage, all of the information you absorbed in the Input stage is now put in orderly, deeper patterns.  Does all of the information agree with one another, how does it all go together?   We line everything up – it's good to write info down in order and relationships.  For example: terms come 1st & then formulas in math. Sum, Product,  Area of a triangle, the order of operations, etc.  We come to know what something is by “making sense” of the information.

3)  Output (Wisdom)- (How of a subject)
Output is where our understanding of a subject is then put into our own words as we move the information from the mental to the verbal.  Fully attained wisdom is knowing, learning a subject in such a way that you can teach it.  Not simply to know or understand it. At this level -when the information can be taught, or written out in an essay or passed on a test- your child has learned it.  Wisdom deals with the application of Knowledge and Understanding- in written, oral or test forms.

     If kids start out really learning, they will increase in wisdom.   If they never learn to learn they will not be equipped for college and higher learning.

   The good thing is- these are habits that can be developed.  A way of using our God given brains and it’s never too late. I was 30 learning my times tables, but I excelled in nursing school after that. 

 Your kids will probably resist, but teach them anyway- they might hate you now, but they will love you later.
  www.quizlet.com is a great place to find flash cards or to make them & there is an App.:)

Gloria J. Adams
Fortify! © 2015