How to become a lifelong learner
Like breathing, from the moment we open our eyes for the first time, we are learning how to learn!
But what is learning?
Learning is defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught.
We start the process of learning by taking in and comprehending new information and skills as we continue along our journey, often not putting any active effort into practicing the skill, until it is mandated by an authority figure, or we reach an event or experience that elevates our awareness and highlights the importance of the practice.
The simple fact is that all of us are already lifelong learners, just that some have not realized this yet. Fortunately, that is easy to change and once we see the significance of mastering the art of learning, it becomes a master key, that can be used to unlock all the skills and talents we could possibly desire!
By the time you’ve finished this article you will clearly understand:
- The importance of learning
- The different ways people learn
- Practices and habits that improve learning
- Where to find good teachers
- How to apply the above in practical ways!
Let’s get started and learn how to learn!
Why should I learn how to learn?
If understanding that you are going to be doing it for the rest of your time here was not enough for you, we will also look at some practical, real-life benefits from mastering the art of learning has to offer.
Learning to learn will help you:
- Save time: By learning how to absorb and retain new information more efficiently, you can save time that you would otherwise spend re-learning or trying to recall information.
- Improve your performance: Effective learning can help you perform better in school or in your career. You will be better equipped to understand and apply new concepts and skills, which can lead to better grades or job performance.
- Enhance your problem-solving skills: By learning how to approach problems in a structured and systematic way, you can develop better problem-solving skills that can be applied to a wide range of situations throughout your life!
- Increase your confidence: When you know how to learn effectively, you will be more confident in your ability to learn new things. This can open up new opportunities and experiences that you may have otherwise been hesitant to pursue.
- Enhance your mental flexibility: Effective learning requires you to think critically and adapt to new situations and information. This can help you develop mental flexibility and adaptability, which are valuable skills in today’s rapidly changing world.
All in all, becoming better at learning, is becoming better at living life!
As you unlock new skills and improve existing ones, life will open up new doors and opportunities for you. The confidence you gain from knowledge and experience is the real thing, and will evolve you into the type of person that is able to better navigate life and any challenges it may throw at you!
Why do we all learn differently?
We all learn differently because we are all unique individuals with different experiences, backgrounds, and ways of processing information.
Some people may learn best through visual methods, such as diagrams or charts, while others may prefer hands-on learning or listening to lectures. Some people may be more analytical and logical in their learning style, while others may be more creative and intuitive.
Understanding and recognizing these differences can be helpful in finding the most effective ways to learn and retain new information.
Some of the biggest distinguishing factors can be determined by:
- Genetics: Research suggests that genetics can play a role in how an individual learns. For example, some people may have a natural aptitude for certain subjects or maybe more visually or kinesthetically inclined.
- Past experiences: An individual’s past experiences and background can influence how they learn. For example, someone who has had a lot of experience with a particular subject may be more familiar with the vocabulary and concepts and may be able to learn more easily.
- Learning style: Different people have different preferences for how they learn best. Some people may learn better through reading and writing, while others may learn better through hands-on activities or visual aids.
- Motivation: An individual’s motivation to learn can also play a role in how effectively they learn. Someone who is highly motivated may be more likely to put in the effort needed to learn something new.
- Environment: The learning environment can also impact how an individual learns. For example, a quiet study space may be more conducive to learning for some people, while others may prefer a more interactive or collaborative environment.
- Your frame of mind: One of the biggest differences in the way people earn is their state of mind. A person with more belief in themselves and their ability to persevere is able to use their confidence to push through the barriers that stop even others with more natural talent
In addition to these six there are a 7th & 8th, which I view as more important than the others:
- Schematic thinking: Schemas are developed based on information provided by life experiences and are then stored in memory. Our brains create and use schemas as a short cut to make future encounters with similar situations easier to navigate.
The more you are able to piece together the links that interconnect a topic, and understand how the puzzle pieces fit together in relation to other topics and fields, the easier it becomes to understand the purpose and utility of the information you are absorbing. - Limiting Beliefs: If you’ve ever learned to drive a car, or speak a language, you know how true the saying: “It’s only hard, until it’s not” is. The most impactful reason people learn differently is the difference in belief and expectation they carry with them.
By changing your attitude, and what you view as difficult, you remove the self-created glass ceiling of what is possible to achieve.
So while everyone has a different starting point, with different natural levels of talent and resources available to them, the biggest determining factor is the way we choose to perceive and interact with information, and ourselves.
Nobody has the same circumstances or experiences as you do, meaning that from the very start, your knowledge and ability are unique, which makes you, yourself, your only competition!
Hence, learning is the art of continuously striving to become the very best version of yourself.
The 15 different types of learning
Each individual has their own unique combination of learning styles, and it is important to consider these when trying to learn new information. By understanding your own learning style, you can better tailor your study habits and techniques to suit your needs.
Here are 15 different ways of learning:
- Observational learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual observes the behavior of others and learns through imitation, this is where we start off our learning journey!
- Classical conditioning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns to associate a particular stimulus with a particular response.
- Operant conditioning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns to associate a particular behavior with a particular consequence.
- Social learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through social interaction with others, such as through observation, imitation, or verbal instruction.
- Cognitive learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through mental processes, such as reading, watching, or listening to new information.
- Experiential learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through personal experience or hands-on activities.
- Problem-based learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns by actively solving problems or completing real-world tasks.
- Constructivist learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual builds their own understanding of new information by actively constructing meaning from their experiences and interactions with the world.
- Collaborative learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through group work and collaboration with others.
- Inquiry-based learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through asking questions, exploring, and discovering new information on their own.
- Game-based learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through playing educational games or simulations.
- Project-based learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through completing a long-term project or task.
- Service learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through participating in community service or volunteering.
- Simulation-based learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through simulated experiences or environments.
- Flipped learning: This type of learning occurs when an individual learns through watching videos or reading materials before class, and then applies that knowledge through hands-on activities in class.
Because of the individual variation in effectiveness, there is simply no universal best way to learn, however that does not mean there isn’t the best way for you, by playing around with the ways people learn!
This however, by no means implies that there arn’t pragmatic universal steps you can take to get yourself ahead of the curve when it comes to absorbing knowledge and applying it!
Let’s explore:
How do I teach myself how to learn more effectively?
We now know why we learn differently from others, and also what the different ways we can learn are, however, if we want to learn how to learn, then we need to find practical ways that overcome individual variations and allow for effective universal application to the art of learning.
6 universal techniques you can apply to become better at learning
- Dedicated Practice
- Teaching others
- Trying out different learning styles
- Compartmentalize your learning
- The shotgun approach
- Read like crazy
Let’s delve a little deeper into:
The 6 best things you can do to become a better learner:
- Dedicated Practice:
Practice makes perfect, but some forms of practice are more effective than others. Dedicated or deliberate practice is a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic
This is the difference between idly strumming notes on a guitar, or actively practicing chord changes and progressions. It is measured, and has structured milestones, and outcomes!
This allows you to actively engage with the material and make connections with your own experiences, and if you’re doing it right, continuously placing yourself just outside of your comfort zone.
We have a great article on setting achievable goals, that will greatly help with the task of creating achievable milestones for the types of learning projects you plan to undertake
- Teaching others:
George Bernard Shaw wrote an infamous aphorism in his play ‘Man and Super man’ :
‘Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.’
While applicable to the plot in that particular place, it is far detached from the truth of the matter in reality. Teaching new information to others is one of the best ways to reinforce your own understanding of a subject as it helps you identify the gaps in your own knowledge and motivates you to find any areas where you need to improve.
To teach effectively, you really need to understand the basics, and being able to simplify and effectively relay information to others is an invaluable skill in itself!
The important thing to remember is that you don’t need to have mastered something in order to teach it to others, simply being able to break something down in a way that somebody else can understand is enough to grant you amazing benefits in your development.
If however, you are already above average or even at master level at a particular skill, a great way to apply this is to either start a blog on that topic, which you can learn how to do here. You could even create your own course on a platform like Podia, both will not only improve your abilities but also allow you to get financially rewarded for the value you are able to add to others!
- Experiment with new learning styles:
We previously reviewed 15 different learning styles, but just knowing what they are isn’t going to bring you much further to improving your ability to process information. The next step is to play around with them, try out different styles and see what works.
Visual learning as an example is one of the most effective forms of learning, as humans we absorb the information presented in such a manner at a much faster rate than from reading it as a textbook as an example, however, this does not mean it is the best form of learning for you!
The most beneficial way of learning is likely to be one that is tailored to your individual needs and goals, and that is something that you will only establish through trial and error!
Once you have a learning style that works for you, the next step is to take the subject or skill you wish to master and to:
- Compartmentalize your learning:
This goes hand in hand with Schematic thinking. By breaking the topic you are trying to cover into smaller, more manageable chunks or sections, directly related to function or purpose, you are effectively compartmentalizing your understanding of that topic.
Our body is a great example of this. If you ask the question: “how does the human body work on a biological level?” There is a massive amount of information that needs to be understood before you will be able to accurately answer this.
Pose the same question to a medical student, however, and they will be able to answer it with relative ease, not because they had known the answer beforehand, but because when they study the body, they take a systematic approach to the whole unit, and break it down into the 12 major biological systems, each with their own specific function.
This compartmentalization of information allows them to practically understand each section on it’s own and then bring them together to form the whole, and can be applied to any subject you wish to learn!
The compartmentalization of information is a fantastic tool for forming your own personal schema of how something works.
- The shotgun approach
A shotgun aims to hit a target through a wider spread than using a pistol or rifle.
Let’s say that you know next to nothing about a subject or skill, but still, need to rapidly increase your knowledge in a particular field. While dedicated practice would be effective, it also takes a large amount of time and effort, much less effort than say reading 2-3 books on the subject or investing a few hours into Youtube.
This is exactly the shotgun approach, by jumping into the deep end and baptizing yourself in the knowledge of others, you are not going to attain mastery at something, however, it will serve to dramatically improve your understanding of that topic.
If we were to compare your knowledge to an empty glass, the first book or video, won’t fill the glass, but it will add 20-30% of liquid to it, however, that’s not the real magic, the real magic is that the knowledge you take in compounds and by your 3rd book, you’ve got a broad understanding of 70-80% of what is required in that particular skill.
Using practice like the shotgun approach to build a foundation for your skill is a fantastic way to save yourself a lot of effort, compare multiple sources of information, and also to determine what is important on the subject or skill.
- Read like crazy!
Fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, self-help, academic, and anything else you can get your hands on! Reading is one of those cornerstone habits that lead to success and the more you read, the better your understanding of the world will become.
Check out our library for some great recommended reads and all kinds of topics, or head over to Perlego, where you can get access to millions of books, cheaply and legally!
The first step in learning is gathering an understanding of what you need to know, which is then followed up by turning that information into something practical and useful. By utilizing these 5 tips on how to learn effectively you will find that even vast and complicated topics become substantially easier to understand!
If you’re specifically interested in becoming a better student, then I recommend you check out our article on:
How do I find good teachers?
Good teachers can make a huge impact on a student’s learning and development. They can inspire and motivate students to reach their full potential and achieve success in their studies and in life.
Good teachers have the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to effectively teach their subject matter and help students understand and retain the material.
- Ask for recommendations: Talk to friends, family, or colleagues who have had a good experience with a particular teacher and ask for recommendations. This can give you a good idea of the teacher’s effectiveness and style.
- Research online: Look for reviews or ratings of teachers on websites or forums related to the subject you are interested in.
- Check credentials: Look for teachers who have relevant education or experience in the subject they are teaching.
- Consider their teaching style: Think about what type of teaching style works best for you and look for teachers who use that style. For example, if you learn better through hands-on activities, look for a teacher who uses a lot of interactive exercises.
- Observe their results: Actions speak louder than words, but the results from those actions are even more important. Learning from people who have already succeeded in what you are setting out to do.
In today’s learning environment we are blessed with abundance when it comes to access to knowledgeable and inspirational teachers. With the resources available today, a good teacher isn’t limited to a classroom or an environment of formal education, there are fantastic people out there, spreading their knowledge and insight at zero cost to you as an audience.
Let’s look at some places you kind find great educators!
Best Free resources for learning
Free learning allows individuals to access education and knowledge without the financial barriers that may otherwise prevent them from doing so. This is especially important for those who may not have the financial resources to pay for education, as it allows them to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in their chosen field or to pursue their interests.
Free learning also has the potential to democratize education and make it more accessible to a wider range of people, regardless of their background or circumstances. This can help promote social mobility and give more people the opportunity to better themselves and achieve their goals.
Then we have the biggest of them all:
In the modern world, the answer to almost everything is “google it“, always do your own research, and when you know how to use them, there are no better tools than Google and Youtube!
Free learning resources help to promote the sharing of knowledge and ideas, which can lead to innovation and progress in various fields. It can also foster a sense of community and collaboration, as people come together to learn and share their knowledge with others.
Overall, free learning is an important tool for promoting access to education and knowledge, and has the potential to benefit individuals and society as a whole!
Best paid platforms for learning!
While I am a firm believer in having education as freely available as possible, and quite opposed to the high-priced debt traps that pass as educational institutes, this, however, does not mean that there are not good value-for-money solutions out there!
There is nothing wrong with paying for quality and finding courses and programs where people have gone through the effort of summarizing and composing their knowledge and information into well-structured presentations is well worth it for anybody looking to improve!
Our top course learning platforms are :
These platforms all offer affordable courses on a wide variety of subjects, from graphic design to engineering and accounting. Basically, if you can learn it, it’s on here. I have personally gained a lot of value from the courses I’ve taken from these platforms, and would highly recommend you find a few that pique your interest!
The 7 most important tips to learning how to learn successfully
The process of learning how to learn is something that comes from your own personal curiosity and a desire for excellence.
Every person should strive to master new skills and themselves and learning how to learn is the foundation for that!
We have covered a lot of information in this article, and you should understand the importance of dedicating your time to improving your ability to learn. You are aware of the different ways people learn, and have the practical tips necessary to create a system that works for you as an individual!
You also have access to the resources needed to find good teachers and information that will allow you to master whatever you set your mind to.
We are going to finish this post you some great tips and tricks that will not only help you learn but will also make it fun and dramatically improve your likelihood of success!
The 7 Best tips for mastering the art of learning
- Turning learning into a game – Life is a game, even though not all of us are aware that we are playing it. By viewing the way you progress at something like a character in an RPG, with level-ups and achievements, you will tap into your natural disposition to enjoy the activity!
- Think big picture – Even the most complicated topics become easier to understand when you can see how they are structured and where the puzzle piece you are trying to master fits in. Soon enough, all of these little pieces come together to form that beautiful big picture of how things work!
- Improve your memory – A bigger hard drive can store more information, and a solid-state device stores that information more effectively. From Mnemonic devices to memory palaces, there are some fun and effective ways to increase your capacity for absorbing information. You can check out apps like Memrise or look head over to our article on how to improve your memory to learn more about the incredible potential contained within your mind!
- Read every day – From fantasy & sci-fi to autobiographies and historical fiction, there is nothing that is going to expand your perspective more than living a thousand lives over the pages of a good book! Not only is the content limitless and will greatly broaden your knowledge, but it will also increase your understanding of the world and the rate at which you absorb new information!
Check out our Library for some fantastic books to get you started! - Dedicated practice – We touched on dedicated practice earlier, however, it remains one of the most effective tools available for improving your skill level at something. Once you’ve formed your schemata on a subject, and compartmentalized it into manageable milestones, find daily activities targeted at improving that particular aspect and implement it into your routine!
- Apply your skill in reality – All the knowledge in the world means nothing if you don’t have the ability to apply it! Find a project or venture to that you can actively apply what you learn! This can be done in your career too, however, finding something personal that you value and enjoy working on is the best way to get results and start racking up actual achievements
Not only will this dramatically improve your skill level at whatever you are learning to master, but it also has the potential to create value for others and reward you! - Set some goals! – The art of goal-setting is something that goes hand in hand with learning! Goals are created for the purpose of filling a need to desire, but in exchange provide us with purpose as we strive to achieve them!
Goal-setting is the foundation of success, and learning how to set them effectively should be right on the top of your list of things to master. We have an entire section, dedicated to goal setting, where we cover everything from the different types of goals to the best goal-setting techniques!
Be sure to invest your time in yourself and get this under your belt. It will reward you endlessly!
You now have everything you need to enable yourself to not only learn how to learn, but how to learn effectively!
The next step is to start applying this to your life and put in the work required to master it!
If this was helpful to you, be sure to check out our related content and take your mastery of life to the next level!
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