TRUE LEARNING PARADIGMS

Since the dawn of this cosmos and life forms, learning has been the x-factor for excellence across any and every realm throughout the millennias. Our early humans, were hunters and gatherers and they also relied upon learning for successful survival. In fact they learned tremendously more and had various skills of expertise, unlike us who are served everything through spoons, for their survival. Even in the animal kingdom, the successful survivors are the ones who learn the paramount skill sets of running fast, communicating effectively and cooperating in team work. Unlike animals and early humans, our role is not just to survive, but to thrive. Hence it dawns upon us that learning is our mightiest resource for excellence. 

Now I plead not to mistake this as another school-type learning strategy that does not possess any practical relevance. I stand for fostering true learning and productivity. Therefore in the next 10 minutes, I am going to expound about some of the efficacious and conditioning learning paradigms.

WHAT IS THE RIGHT WAY OF LEARNING?

Good question. To be dead honest, there's actually no right way of learning. It varies from individual to individual and community to community. However there are certain fundamentals that are embedded common in true learning exercises. Those fundamentals include:- interest, understanding, repetition and perseverance. These 4 fundamentals are the inalienable ingredients in generating expertise in any skill through learning.

First is interest. What are the things you are zealous for? What stimulates you into a state of joy and fulfillment? Grab upon that which emanates from the passion of your heart and puts you in a state of flow and commence on working on it.

Second is understanding. Comprehend the structure of the paradigm that will be prerequisite for espousing growth in the field of your zeal and execute the requisite actions for the same. For example, if you have a craze for football, obviously you won't bust yourself in a restaurant and make yourself obese. In contrast, you will keep yourself fit and industrious by sustaining the ideal diet and hygiene, running and conditioning your cardiovascular tissues and palpably practising the distinct set of playing skills in accordance with the game rules.

Third is practice. Repetition, repetition and repetition. Keep in mind by replicating your actions over and over consistently, you are depositing a certain level of mastery of that skill to your naturility. 

Fourth is perseverance. I believe you must have heard of Newton's 2nd law of motion. The principles of inertia even allign with learning and growth journey. Inertia can be delineated as the tendency of matter to sustain its state. When an object is at rest, it stays at rest unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force. Moreover when you swing a manual juicer machine, it takes you a little bit deliberate effort to swing the first round and then a little less for the 2nd and a little less for the 3rd until when you keep swinging it, there comes a time when you don't actually require to swing it anymore since the exerted force by you is enough to keep it in motion. And when the swing stops, you will need to replicate the procedure from inception. Growth in any area follows the same principle. When you commence practising any theme, you'll inevitably face many setbacks and disappointments and you might feel no improvement is happening. But always remember the law of inertia. Good things take time but when you linger with the process assiduously, those good things shall be the inevitables.

Now as we are up with the indefeasible ingredients of efficacious learning, it is time to disclose some of the true learning paradigms. Before I ponder into that notion, I feel an obligation upon me to clarify that what I am going to mention isn't an obligation upon you or obligation for growth anywhere. As already mentioned, learning style varies between individuals and tribes. If any other learning method breeds better outcomes for you then I exhort you to make your learning patterns the embodiment of the same. What is important for us is to push our limits and espouse growth to manifest our desired outcomes.

Long story short. Here are those efficacious learning paradigms:- 

1.) DELIBERATE PRACTICE

This model is the paragon of not only true learning, but also of excellence. A lot of researchers from several reputed universities dedicated themselves on the quest to unearth the subtlety of greatness and they drifted to a revelation of notion that is termed as deliberate practice. The research is backed by the stoned fact that all those who became fabulous prodigies abided by this model. Any type of practice can be termed as deliberate practice if it satisfies the following benchmark.

(i.) It is designed specifically to improve performance. As true as it might sound. For having a more palpable picture, this means that if you are working on your skills, say speaking and orating, then categorize the process and then work on. For example, some of the elements for having a better and splendid speaking style are vocabulary, voice pitch, confidence and body language. At a time, design your practicing style for exercising on a precise element and you will see upshots in no time.

(ii.) It can be repeated a lot. Practice makes man perfect. A lot of exercises are of those kind are of those types that are to be done once in a blue moon. But those types of exercises are not growth and learning oriented. They are more of a prepared performance than a practice. So something which cannot be repeated, can never be mastered. Roger that!

(iii.) Feedback on results is continuously available. Feedback gives you a blue print between where you are and where you aspire to be. Correspondingly I write these blogs to make myself better at it. In my case also, for getting the analysis of where I am, I request feedback from a very observant person. He offers an explicit fragrance of feedback aura with is reasonable praises and rational constructive criticism. He not only gives my lethal understanding of my progress but also illuminates a wide range of possibilities and perspectives. That feedback person can practically be anyone. A friend, a parent, teacher, colleague or spouse. In my case, it happens to be my pal.

(iv.) It is highly demanding mentally. Because when you learn something new, it requires a lot of mental exertion that's why it cannot be continued for very long. So while working on your skills, if you witness hardshis and mental tiredness, it is because of the energy consumption and neurotic changes within. 

(v.) It isn't much fun. This follows inescapably from the other elements of deliberate practice which could be designated as a recipe for not having fun. Doing things we know how to do well in the comfort zone is enjoyable and that's precisely the converse of what deliberate practice demands.

2.) FIRST PRINCIPLES METHOD

The next method is called the first principles method. This was first divulged by arguably the greatest poineer in Western philosophy of all time, Aristotle. Aristotle was always way ahead of his time in terms of wisdom and ideas. He was always curious to delve deeper into all sorts of notions, even abstract ones. He reputed learning as a right and not a privilege. For better understanding of complex ideas and hypothesis, he projected the 1st principles method. He divulged that simplification of concepts will give us a better and broader picture of understanding. He further divulged that while understanding the foundation and concept of any idea, one should not just investigate the superficial ideas but also to delve into the foundation of that idea. For instance, he loved to study about plants and their growing patterns due to which he can be reputed as the 1st botanist in the world. So he used to examine a plant from the inside out, that is, from the roots within to the shoot superficial. By doing this, vouchsafed the delineation that the core growth of a plant happens from the roots which was in contrast with the conventional notion during that time. And it was proved later, that Aristotle's approach was correct. Thus his approach gives us the comprehension that simplification of notions will vouchsafe us greater potential of understanding which will eventually make us better at that precise idea or skill. 

Foe example, for writing a meticulous and complex manuscript on fleek, divide the manuscript into essays, essays into paragraphs, paragraphs into sentences and sentences into words. And if you shape the the manuscript from the inside out, that is, from individual words and sentences, then the totality of the manuscript will inevitably be marvellous in all ways. For a practical understanding, you can make the words catchy and resonating, the sentences explicit and attractive, the paragraphs concise and structured, and the essays precisely for the distinct topics or schools of thoughts. Through this manner, the outcome will result a top-notch manuscript that shall be the paragon of masterpiece.