6 Keys to More Effective Learning | Mind Map

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Introduction to the Keys to Effective Learning

Whether we are at school, college / university or working hard to climb the career ladder, I’msure that we all understand the importance that continuous and ongoing learning plays in ourcontinued success throughout life. The Spotlight Study Matrix / Mind Map presents you withthe 6 Keys to Effective Learning. Based on the fundamental principles discussed within theMemletics Accelerated Learning Manual, this Mind Map will hopefully provide you with agood foundation on the basic principles behind this powerful learning method.

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1. Achieving Your Ideal Learning State

Learning is as much about technique as it is about developing an empowering and lastingphysiological and psychological state. You may well have all the techniques and learningmethods thoroughly entrenched into your habitual patterns of behavior, however, if you lackthe energy or can’t bring forth the required mental effort and awareness, than your progresswill undoubtedly suffer as a result. Here are some suggestions to assist you in developing anempowering state that will provide you with the energy you need to excel:

Healthy Cells - Your biology is made up of billions of cells that work cooperativelyto keep you healthy and at peak condition. However, through incorrect dietary habits,we drain our cells of the energy they need to promote peak states of learning on aconsistent basis. In order to bring back that ZING into your cellular biology you needto consume plenty of water, glucose, oxygen (through deep breathing exercises) and





get the essential nutrients you need such as amino and fatty acids that will keep yourcells at peak conditioning.Healthy Physiology - Even though learning is mostly a very sedentary activity, it ishowever very dependent and reliant on one’s physiological health and wellbeing. Bypartaking in physical exercise, by eating energy rich foods (fruits and vegetables) andthrough periods of deep relaxation, you will dramatically enhance your learningability and maximize your potential. Furthermore, it is easy to take our learningenvironment for granted and its influence on our physical wellbeing. Make sure thatyour learning environment is supportive to your learning needs and that it providesyou with adequate fresh air, lighting and skeletal support. Finally, it is important tounderstand one’s sleeping patterns and energy cycles that we tend to move throughthroughout our day. Make sure you plan your learning accordingly with these peaksand valleys in your cycles to achieve accelerated learning states.Healthy Psychology - Psychology is all about strengthening your mind in ways thatwill enhance and accelerate your learning potential. This can be achieved in severalways. First, start off by setting empowering learning goals that will propel youforward despite the challenges that you may face. Secondly, adopt a positive mentalattitude that will help you to focus on solutions over problems. Thirdly, just as youwould exercise daily in order to keep your body fit, it is also important to develop theability to stay mentally alert and centered throughout your day. This requires braingymnastics and fitness. By this I mean to challenge your brain with finding solutionsto problems, with creative thinking, with memorizing numbers and phrases, andgenerally with anything that will stimulate it in ways that will take it out of thedoldrums of its comfort zone. Take a look at the brain training software available forthe Nintendo DS for further information. And finally, just like your body, your brainalso requires periods of relaxation and recuperation on a daily basis. Here are somemore online resources for Brain Training.





2. The Learning Process

There are some simple steps and guidelines that one can follow to assist in structuring,organizing and managing the entire learning process. Although please keep in mind that themethods outlined here present one of a number of ways that this process can be undertaken.A future SMX Spotlight Mind Map will focus on Study Skills which will provide you with aslightly different perspective on this approach. However for now, here are some suggestionsthat can assist you with enhancing the learning process:

Locate - Your first step is always to locate and identify the learning materials (books,articles, websites, etc) that you will need for content extraction. In order to be botheffective and efficient throughout your learning process, make sure to have all yourstudy materials prepared before moving onto the next step.Explore - Exploration of your resources and topic content is the next step within thelearning process. This exploration of your content material should be accomplishedthrough the use of 7 intelligences; namely Visual (diagrams, graphs, sketches, mindmaps), Aural (focus on and record sound), Verbal (lectures, discussions, dramaticreading, creating recordings), Physical (incorporating movement, role playing, post-it-notes), Logical (analysis, playing with numbers), Social (group learning, roleplaying, involving others) and Solitary learning methods (personal journal, reactionnotes, etc). These will be discussed in a little further detail at a later time. For now, itis important to move through the exploration phase in a way that enhances yourimmediate understanding of this material, and this is best achieved through the use ofthe above mentioned learning methods. As a general rule, the more of these methodsyou utilize throughout the learning process, the more readily and easily you willabsorb the material you are studying.Arrange - Here you are basically preparing your content for the process ofmemorization. Firstly, analyze the content to get a feel for the type of material you aredealing with. Secondly, select the techniques you will utilize that will be mosteffective in assisting you with the long-term retention of the materials. Finally, youmust now prepare the content in a way that will support the learning methods youhave chosen.





Reinforce - This is the point where you take everything you have done in theprevious steps and begin converting this information into longterm memory. This isaccomplished through applying the 7 intelligence principles, through varied andcreative repetition, and through conducting regular reviews of your materialthroughout the learning process.eNquire - This process involves the act of measuring the effectiveness and efficiencyof your learning. This can be measured in 4 ways. Firstly, through ImmediateReviews where you take in feedback on a continuous basis throughout the learningprocess. Secondly, through Lesson Reviews where you review the effectiveness ofthe previous steps when learning new material. Thirdly, you can apply FormalReviews where you utilize tests and other grading methods to test your knowledge ofthese principles. And lastly, conduct a System Review by over-viewing the entirelearning process and looking at ways it can be managed more effectively andimproved in the future.





3. Learning Techniques

There are literally hundreds of creative and interesting techniques you can use to accelerateyour learning immediately. The more creative you become, and the more variety you add toyour learning methods, the easier it will be for you to progress towards your learning goalsand objectives. More details about this methods will be provided at a future time. However,for now here are some techniques and suggestions that will get you started along yourjourney:

Associate - Here you are using basic characteristics of memory to learn new material.Techniques include peg words, mnemonics and chunking.Visualize - Here you are using mental imagery and visual techniques to reinforceyour knowledge of the material. Techniques include creative visualization and mentalrehearsal.Verbalize - Here you are utilizing words and writing to improve and accelerate yourlearning. Techniques include scripting and assertions.





Simulate - Here you are using tools and people to simulate your learning in a varietyof different ways. One of the most effective methods for simulation is to role-playyour learning.Perform - Here you learning through methods of anchoring and over-learning thematerial you are studying.Repeat - This is about focusing on strategies that will allow you to continuouslyrepeat the information you are learning in a variety of creative ways that will enhanceyour retention and recall of information. This can be accomplished in many ways,however creating and referring to flash-cards seem to work well for many learners.





4. Your Preferred Learning Style

Everyone has personal preferences and methods of learning that naturally favor them bothcognitively and physically. Although it is important to focus on a variety of learning stylesand strategies throughout the learning process, you should however spend most of your timeon your preferred learning styles for fast and effective results. Here is a quick breakdown ofthe different learning styles for your reference. While you are reading through them, take notewhich learning styles most resonate with you, then zone in on them throughout the learningprocess.

Visual Learner - This learner prefers learning through the use of colors, pictures andimages.Aural Learner - This learner prefers learning through the use of sounds and music.Verbal Learner - This learner prefers learning through the use of words in the formof speech and writing.Physical Learner - This learner prefers learning through the physical use of theirbody, hands and via the methods of touching.Solitary Learner - This learner prefers learning through self-study methods thatdon’t involve other people.





Social Learner - This learner prefers learning through working closely andinteracting with other people.Logical Learner - This learner prefers learning through the use of reasoning andlogic.





5. Approach to Learning

This is quite an extensive topic, however for the point of this discussion we will keep it prettystraightforward and focus in on 3 important factors that are critical to your success as alearner:

Goals & Targets - Without a target you don’t know where to shoot. And if you haveno idea where to shoot, than you will either procrastinate and hold back from shootingall together, or you will simply shoot at everything and hope that you hit somethingworthwhile when it is all said and done. Goals are absolutely critical to your successas an effective learner. They not only set you on target towards a desired destination,but they also keep you motivated and focused in on the bigger picture of your journeythrough this learning process. As a general rule of thumb, make sure that your goalsare achievable, yet slightly out of reach like a carrot on a stick. This will keep youinspired and moving forward towards the achievement of your fullest potential.





Planning - If goals are the target you are shooting at, than your plan is the gapbetween where you are and where you want to be. Within this gap there will beobstacles, challenges and potential pitfalls and problems that may arise unexpectedly.You must plan and prepare for these surprises, and you must develop a strategy thatwill not only get you to your target, but get you there in the most effective andefficient manner possible. Your plan should essentially incorporate everything thathas been discussed throughout this post, and direct you towards your ultimateobjectives.Progress - This is all about measuring the rate of your movement as you progressalong your path towards mastering the material you are studying. Measure not onlyhow well your successes panned out, but also take into account your failures and howthey can be improved upon the next time around. How well and effectively youmeasure and track your progress will indeed determine how quickly you are able toreach your learning goals and objectives. Your progress meter will also get you backon track, when you recognize you have moved off the beaten path.





6. Potential Learning Challenges

Along our journey of learning there will be times when things could get difficult, when wejust can’t seem to make sense of the material we are studying, or when we simply becomeoverwhelmed with the amount of information we are ingesting into our biological computerprocessor. The first step to dealing with these types of challenges is to simply recognize thatthey exist and that they might shake us up a little if we are not prepared for the consequences.Once you have mentally prepared yourself for the worst case scenarios, you can then moveonto the final step which is working through them in a logical step-by-step fashion. Here 3potential scenarios you could encounter, and a few suggestions on how to deal with them:

Lack of Motivation - We can all suffer from a lack of motivation at one time oranother throughout the learning process. Lack of motivation can be triggered throughsimple things as not getting enough rest, lack of adequate nutrition, not settinginspiring goals, talking to yourself in a pessimistic manner, or even through nothaving the full support of your peers. In fact a lack of motivation could also comefrom any number of factors that haven’t been listed here. The most important thing todo when you sense that you are lacking motivation is to determine the source that istriggering this feeling. Check to see if it is coming from internal factors within you, orif it is coming from external factors within your environment. Once you haveidentified the source, work creatively to either alter your perspective of the situationor physically do something that will suffocate the trigger mechanism. Motivation initself is a large and extensive topic that will be the focus on a future SMX SpotlightMind Map.Overwhelmed by Fear - Whenever you feel that taste of fear starting to overwhelmyou, you must at that very moment understand that fear only comes to those who livein uncertainty. If you are uncertain about something in the future, than you will likelybe either fearful or excited about it. If you are afraid, than the only way to counterthese feelings of fear is to collect a greater array of resources and information that willallay your fears. The more knowledge you have about something you fear, the greatercourage and confidence you will muster to move through this crippling emotion.





Making Mistakes - Mistakes are simply a part of life. As a human race we haveachieved technological success in today’s day and age as a result of the mistakes thatwe have made in the past few thousand years. Be open to the idea that you will makemistakes, and when they do occur immediately focus in on suitable solutions that willkeep you moving forward beyond you current experience. If you do this consistently,you will find that your momentum will tend to accelerate as you hike deeper alongyour journey of learning.

By sticking with these general guidelines you will set yourself on track towards acceleratingyour learning potential in many surprising ways. As a final thought, keep in mind that thejourney of learning is never over, and that the methods you use to accelerate your learningshould always be changing and adapting with the content your are studying and with theperson you are becoming.

Adam Sicinski



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6 Keys to More Effective Learning | Mind Map