Page 4 - EIC INTER - Juny 2015

4 | Juny 2015 | Inter. EIC Magazine
pedagogical support

Six counterintuitive quotes on learning

that will make you a better student

t shouldn’t come as a anything, they’re only there to
Isurprise that some of the attempt to facilitate your own
most successful and impactful self-discovery.
investors, scientists, and Action: Don’t rely on someone
innovators don’t think the way else to spoon-feed you the
most of us do about learning answer and put the knowledge
—and there’s a reason. in your head; only you can do
that.
Edited by C. García from
http://www.lifehack.org/ 5. “Slow down and remember
articles/productivity/10- this: Most things make no
counterintuitive-quotes- difference. Being busy is a
learning-that-will-make-you- form of mental laziness — lazy
better-student.html thinking and indiscriminate
Most conventional wisdom action.” – Tim Ferriss
about learning, studying, and Your textbook is only important
education is either mis-guided if it gives you insights that help
or wrong. Here are 10 quotes you score well on the test.
that will have you reconsidering Your homework is only
everything you thought you important if it solidifies your
knew about school. Action: Stop thinking, “How knowledge. Highlighting
do I find the answer?” and printouts of lecture slides is
1. “I have never let schooling start thinking “What questions never important. So take it
interfere with my education” – should I be asking?” from the master of effective
Mark Twain learning, and stop fooling
This popular Twain-ism refers 3. “In my whole life, I have yourself into thinking you’re
to “education” more as your known no wise people (over a being productive, when really
lifelong process of figuring broad subject matter area) who you’re just filling your time with
out how to navigate the world. didn’t read all the time – none, “studying” because that’s what
School is a small part of that, zero.” – Charlie Munger everyone says you should do.
and in many ways can interfere Munger attributes much of Action: Question what you
with learning: imposing strict his (and Berkshire Hathaway’s) spend your study time on – and
boundaries, oversimplifying investing success to make sure it lines up with what
otherwise interesting and accumulating as many “mental will get you to understand the
complex topics, and more models” as possible in diverse material and maximize your
generally making “education” fields, by reading widely and grade in the course.
into regimented work rather continuously. And like Twain
than creative discovery. believed, he thoroughly 6. “Study hard what interests
Action: Think about your embodies learning as a life- you the most in the most
coursework in the context of long journey. The classroom is undisciplined, irreverent and
your life’s learning arc: how just society’s overly-formalized original manner possible.” –
does it fit in and how can you attempt at capturing that Richard P. Feynman
take control and select what process. If you have passion for
you want or need to learn along Action: Don’t limit yourself to something, and make time to
the way? what you’re learning in class. focus on it, you’ll find it almost
Read widely and often, and it effortless to learn it deeply.
2. “The one real object of will pay off across the board. Learning in your own unique
education is to leave a person way also personalizes the
in the condition of continually 4. “You cannot teach a man information, and makes it easier
asking questions.” – Bishop anything; you can only help him to pull it out of your memory
Mandell Creighton discover it in himself.” – Galileo when you really need it.
The point isn’t to get the No one can insert knowledge Action: Ask yourself “what
answer, the point is to develop into your brain, they can only am I most interested in” and
understanding. Unlike way to do that is – you guessed knew 2,000+ years ago.) Only guide and point you in the right write down 10 different ways
what most formal learning it – to find the right questions then should you pursue an direction. In this sense, teachers you could learn about it more
institutions preach, the best to ask. (This is what Socrates answer. aren’t really “teaching” you deeply.