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Creativity Tip 31 – Creativity and Learning
Creative people are continually challenged to learn new things, whether by necessity or by choice. There are times when learning is fun and easy, especially when the subject is something we've chosen. On the other hand, learning something we ‘have’ to learn can be like pulling teeth.
Learning uses the brain and it’s like a muscle that can be exercised and developed just like our physical muscles. There is some truth to the old adage, "Use it or lose it." The more we continue to use our mind and body, the easier learning will be for us.
Having a spirit of adventure and a few tools and techniques to work with can make a world of difference. Here are a few ways to make learning easier:
- Do what you can to make the experience pleasurable. Study with a friend. Create games to help you learn data. Take a class rather than learning by yourself. Plan rewards for yourself as you achieve goals along the way.
- Break the task down into small pieces that you can assimilate. Make it more manageable and less overwhelming. Let each phase build upon the previous ones.
- Create a conducive environment. Have the proper tools and reference materials handy and in good working order. Find a quiet place if that's what's needed, or play some music that helps you focus. Get a baby-sitter or go to the library.
- Are you tackling something you really don't want to? If you're learning something to please someone else, you may need to look at whether you really want to, and either drop it or break through your resistance and renew your commitment for yourself.
- Honour your learning style.
- Do you learn better by visual, auditory, tactile or kinaesthetic means?
- Do you favour left-brain or right-brain styles of learning? Or whole-brain learning? Perhaps the music I listened to while doing my homework in high school actually enhanced my learning process!
- Learn new techniques of learning. For example read Accelerated Learning for the 21st Century: The Six-Step Plan to Unlock Your Master-Mind by Colin Penfield Rose, Malcolm J Nicholl. (click here to see key ideas)
- Take on a new identity for the purpose of learning. (I recently heard about a language teacher who found that her students learned faster if they were given a new identity. When they came to class, they were given a new name, occupation, birth place and marital status and wore nametags with the new name. She found that the students who took new identities learned the language substantially faster. By changing identity, these students were able to transcend their old limitations.) Or simply create an identity for yourself as someone who has mastered this material and gone on to use it successfully. Hold that image of yourself as you go through the learning process.
- If the pursuit is physical, remember that it takes time for your body to create new pathways and patterns, and that certain bodies are better suited to certain pursuits, just as we each excel in different intellectual arenas.
- Be persistent. When learning something difficult, there comes a ‘breaking point’ where it suddenly begins to make sense and flow a lot more easily. That point may come sooner or later, so stick with it.
- Ask for help. Get someone to quiz you, coach you or give you feedback on your progress.
- Continually challenge yourself to learn something new. Make it fun. The world is full of interesting things to study - for career advancement, personal growth or sheer pleasure. The more you learn, the easier learning will be.
Learning is something you can continue to do throughout your lifetime. While there are times you may be required to learn new skills, learning is also something you can choose to do to enrich your life. So don't be discouraged if the process moves slowly. Use the techniques available to you to make it easier, and enjoy the journey, rather than just reaching for the destination.
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Key ideas from Accelerated Learning for the 21st Century: The Six-Step Plan to Unlock Your Master-Mind Colin Penfield Rose, Malcolm J. Nicholl. All information enters the brain through one of the five senses. The majority of this information processing is through touch (kinaesthetic), sight (visual); or sound (auditory), and most people rely more heavily on one of these methods. It is best to use all three if possible (multi -sensory learning). For example you could read the learning material out loud (auditory), view graphic images related to the topic (visual) and feel actual samples of a related item (kinaesthetic). Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven intelligences, or aptitudes. These include: Linguistic intelligence; Math and logical intelligence; Visual/spatial intelligence; Musical intelligence; Interpersonal intelligence; Interpersonal intelligence; and Bodily intelligence. Unfortunately, traditional education only uses a few of these intelligences. Gardner recommends using at least two to three of them whenever possible to maximise learning.