Tag: self-directed learning

Never Stop Learning- How and Why

My life mantra is simple: live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever – Mahatma Gandhi. Learning is not  only bound to schools and colleges; it is a lifelong activity. 

Why?

Learning should never stop. We learn from everything that we hear and see. Many people share the perspective that learning stops after college or an age, this is wrong. We acquire new skills due to continuous knowledge and more skills deliver us various experiences. Experiences are the viable part of our lives and we even learn from them! In recent years, distinct skills are required to be qualified in a job interview. Many multinational companies hire only the people who have creative thinking. All this can be earned only through learning. The brain gets regular exercise, this prevents our mind from being left idle and also improves our memory. Individuals who keep learning are less likely to feel depressed and unenthusiastic. This way we can prevent many mental health diseases. Regular exercise of the brain keeps us mentally fit and active. The knowledge gained never goes to waste, it can always be shared so that more people can start learning. During these difficult and challenging times we can spend our time learning and teaching about various topics. We can also earn some money by taking tuitions/coaching classes. Learning about new topics and subjects increases our self confidence. We believe more in ourselves when we try new things. If an individual never tries new things, then he will never know his capabilities, he will surely avoid learning. It also boosts self esteem and makes us happy. Learning plays a key role in improving our mental health and providing peace of mind. It also builds a strong and charismatic personality.

How to keep learning?

Learning is not limited to only a particular place and a specific time. We can learn anywhere and anytime. From a role model to a child, anybody can be our teacher. It is often seen that students correct the teachers or parents and they learn great lessons from children. We also have to understand that all skills have their own importance. We should create a list of topics that are interesting to us and try to grasp as much as possible information for these topics. We should not restrict ourselves only to bookish knowledge. Our everyday lives also offer us a great opportunity to learn new things. E.g. a scientist should also learn how to change tyres along with his core subjects and work.

We can learn more by trying out different things. If you experience something first hand then you will remember it for a long time. Learning a guitar, a piano and a dance form are some examples. This can be a very good and productive use of our free time. You will feel more energetic and enthusiastic. These skills will come handy in the future. Knowledge can be also expanded by reading books, newspapers and journals on different subjects and issues. Our general knowledge will increase rapidly and reading will keep us occupied for several hours. Facing various challenges will also help us in learning. It will teach us the value of hardwork and time in our life. Always ask questions whenever you are curious, if your questions get answered then you will learn something new and if they don’t get answered, they will make somebody else curious. Learning is a part of the journey on earth and it should never stop. 

Happy learning.

2020: A Clear Vision for Our Learners

20/20 vision is a term for visual acuity in which the numerator refers to distance and the denominator refers to size. Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision. Vision is all about clarity. 20/20 vision is perfect, high-definition clarity. The question is: How clear is your vision? Specifically, how clear is your vision [for your learners’] futures? (How to Have 20/20 Vision in 2020)

The year 2020 can act as metaphor for us, as educators, to have an overreaching vision for what we do. I really love the idea of approaching 2020 with a clear, well-articulated vision of our learners’ futures.

Grant Wiggins in Why Do You Teach had this to say about the importance of educators developing their vision-mission statements.

I am interested in [teachers being able to answer]:  Having taught, what should they have learned? What do you aim to accomplish as a teacher? What is your goal for the year, for all the years? What kind of a difference in their thinking and acting are you committed to?

Many teachers do not have good answers; most have no such personal Mission Statement; most have not even written a long-term syllabus in which they lay out the key goals for learners (and parents) and how those goals will best be achieved. But then – I say this with no malice –  you really have no goals. You are just marching through content and activities, hoping some of it will stick or somehow cause some learning.

 If you have no long-term accomplishments that you work daily to cause – regardless of or even in spite of the BS you encounter – then you are acting unprofessionally. What a professional educator does, in my view, is to stay utterly focused on a few long-term learning-related goals, no matter what happens in the way of administrative mandates, snow days, early dismissals for sports, or fire drills.

I have a vision – mission statement that I developed years ago but still holds true today:

To help learners developing the knowledge, skills, and passion to be self-directed, lifelong learners.

From my vision-mission statement I developed some guiding principles.

My vision-mission was not just a mental exercise I completed. It, along with my guiding principles, was developed to inform everything I do in my classrooms. I frequently revisit them as a form of self-assessment. Which principles are currently guiding my instructional strategies? Which ones are not being integrated into my classroom activities? What changes do I need to make to do so?

Here are some resources for developing your own vision-mission statement: