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What If The World Followed a Certain Pattern? (General Systems Theory: Episode 1)

3/9/2016

Everything is Connected in One Way or Another

Life is but a system.

A closed system that has so many variables that the human mind sees it as an open system.

But even if the human mind cannot comprehend the system itself, does not mean it doesn’t exist.

As an underlying current in nearly all aspects of life that, it is taken for granted and remains unseen to many. This is the idea of general systems, general systems theory, and general systems thinking. Although it is a simple concept that can become infinitely complex. It is used to identify and understand everything that man has come to interact with. Therefore, if one fully comprehends the ideas emplaced in general systems theory, it will allow them to have a foundation to understand everything else.

Because unlike most people, general system theorists do not create a new system for each thing they learn and understand, but apply what they learn to the tried & true system they have already honed in their learning and thinking process.

In essence, people in general create millions of systems and processes inside their minds as they learn. But a general systems theorist brings all those systems into one and simply moots the outputs and inputs to satisfy the new stimuli or information.

In becoming a Meta Learner, you must stop creating new processes and systems with each new subject you learn. You must instead turn your mind into an information placing machine, that constantly takes in it, places it in the different outputs and inputs, and allowing you to associate it to the patterns, processes, and systems you know previously.

This can be done by training the mind to think in visuals (pictures & flowcharts), diagrams (Venn and Fish & Bone), and webs (ecosystems). As you need to see each new piece of information as a puzzle piece that fits in the general systems in life. As you collect more, the easier it is to get the gist of how the different inputs and outputs affect the system itself. As small pieces make small differences and big pieces affect in big ways.

This can be applied in all aspects of life from markets, economics, sciences, societies, and more.

The clear definition of systems, systems theory, and systems thinking is as follows:

Systems - a group or combination of interrelated, interdependent, or interacting elements forming a collective entity; a methodical or coordinated assemblage of parts, facts, concepts

General System Theory - Systems theory is a trans-disciplinary approach that abstracts and considers a system as a set of independent and interacting parts. The main goal is to study general principles of system functioning to be applied to all types of systems in all fields of research.

Systems Thinking – Understanding that everything, to include chaos, has an organization to it and being able to formulate a structure to simplify the inputs and outputs to understand, comprehend, experiment, and enhance it in nature or synthetics

Types of Systems

There are a few types of general systems to include Open vs. Closed, finite vs. infinite, and real vs. theoretical. Each one is in essence on the other side of the spectrum of each other.

Closed System - A closed system as its name implies is a system that is not affected by its outside environment. An example is the chemical reactions and the electrical wiring of a house.

Open System – an open system is one that is affected by its outside environment such as the human body. It is affected by temperature, food/water, shelter, and culture.

Finite System – a finite system is a system that can only be sustained as long as it has input to allow it to run. An example would be a car with a gas tank. The car would be the finite system as the fuel would be the input.

Infinite System – an infinite system is a system that has the ability to run perpetually forever and is nearly impossible to obtain, but is useful in the theory and practice of sustainability. An example would be wind energy through a windmill to power a house.

Real System – A real system is a system that works in reality and given to “human” forces produces a desired result in the real world. An example would be an ecosystem model that monitors and lists every factor that ultimately affects the system.

Theoretical System – Theoretical systems are those that cannot exist, but provide models to simplify and build Real System Models. An example is Closed Systems as every system cannot be created in a vacuum and is affected by process losses and its environment in some way.

How Systems Work

There are three main bodies one needs to know to fully comprehend a system. These are known as the stock, inflows/inputs, and outflows/outputs.

Stock – is defined as a “whole” that has a unit of measure which reacts to inflows/inputs and outflows/outputs.

Inflows/inputs – are defined as units of measure that affect the stock by going into it. The difference between inflows and inputs is the “human” or outside factor. Because inflows natural stream into the system and inputs are added from an outside force with intention.

Outflows/outputs – are defined as units of measure that affect the stock by going out of it. The difference between outflows and outputs is the “human” or outside factor. Because outflows natural stream out of the system and outputs are intended results desired by an outside force.

Thus, a simple system to understand is a lake. The amount of liters in a lake would be considered the stock. The inflows/inputs would be any flow of liters into the lake that increase the stock while outflows/outputs would be any flow of liters out to decrease the stock.

The 3 Spectrum Levels of a System

As anything in life if not more so with systems, there is a constant struggle to find balance. In that struggle, there are 3 levels that a system can reach. They are known as Unsaturated, Harmony, and Saturated.

1.       Unsaturated

                This level is achieved in a system by having outflows surpass inflows. When that happens, the system dries up and quits functioning. Like a bank account, if the money spent outweighs the money saved then the bank account quits functioning as you won’t use it. If the outflows are severe enough then the system will implode in on itself as if you begin to charge your bank account into the negative, the bank will close your account down.

2.       Harmony

                This level is achieved by having inflows equal to outflows. This is what all systems want to attain as it will allow the system to function perpetually. An example is temperature, as it gets hot, we use ac, as it gets cold, and we use a boiler, thus trying to maintain that comfortable or harmonious temperature.

3.       Saturated

                This level is achieved when the inflows surpass outflows. When this happens, depending on what type of system it is, the result is beneficial or disastrous. In a system that can handle and sustain an infinite amount of inflow and force such as a bank account, then the system will be infinitely beneficial. However, if the system is unable to handle excess force or overflow. It will explode as it can’t take the intake. An example of this would be an engine that can only handle a certain load. If the load is too much for the engine, the engine will explode as it can’t take it. In all, Saturated Systems are running at full capacity.

Conclusion

Taking these lessons to heart will allow you to think as a General Systems Theorist. Understanding how inputs and outputs affect stock will allow you to easily take everything you learn from now on and plug it into what you already know. Instead, of reinventing the wheel like most people do. You now can build upon your knowledge to create something even better without having to start from scratch.

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Have You Ever had a Thought Experiment?

9/3/2015

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A Thought Experiment

A thought experiment is when you have an idea and take that idea to its logical end through rules and parameters that already exist or develop as the thought experiment matures.

Mostly through conversation and the use of verbal experimentation and arguments.

The purpose of having thought experiments is to expand your abilities to think, innovate, find patterns, plan, and imagine. Having this ability will allow you to break free from the influences of others, understand things quicker, learn faster, and develop better plans.

For Example:

                Fallacies (Common Sense) are a great example of Thought Experiments that are brought to their conclusion. Although these arguments themselves represent bad logic and unsound reasoning. How people came to the conclusions that these are fallacies is the essence of what a Thought Experiment is.

A deeper look at one of the fallacies and the thought experiment that created it:

Needling: simply attempting to make the other person angry, without trying to address the argument at hand. Sometimes this is a delaying tactic.

You are watching a political talk show. You realize that the talk show host isn’t actually presenting any counter arguments or evidence and is simply goading the politician to see if he can get a rise out of him. You begin to discuss with your friend about the tactic and he says that it is a viable argument technique where as you believe it’s not an argument at all, but just a tactic to disclaim someone whose beliefs you don’t believe in. You continue to talk it over until your friend agrees that it is a tactic and not an argument. Making it a fallacy because the logic and reasoning to think of it as such is bad. You then call the fallacy needling because you are trying to poke the other with verbal needles to frustrate and annoy.

For a look at more fallacies, check out this list. (A very good list to know for your next debate or negotiation as finding false logic is a lot easier than you’d think.)

Another Example:

Your friend has a great idea for a Television Show. You create the premise and the characters. You continue to develop it until the show takes on a mind of its own and the characters take such shape that you can no longer just make them do anything. Because the characters develop their own rules/personalities (as if out of nowhere) that if they were written to do an action out of character, people won’t believe it. Thus a thought experiment has been created with rules that guide where the show can go. Until it reaches its logical end of happy, sad, eventful, or uneventful ending.

Now that you understand the concept of a Thought Experiment… here is the nitty-gritty on how to create one.

Step #1: Throw out all your beliefs and biases to ensure the purity of your thought experiment.

This rule is important as any outside influence of your thought experiment can lead to fallacies and bad logic. This rule is less important for creative thought experiments as where the logical end goes is less based on reality and more based on one’s imagination.

Step #2: Decide to create rules for the Thought Experiment at the beginning or let them develop over time.

You can develop the rules for a thought experiment to be as outrageous to as realistic as possible. All depends on the end goal of the Thought Experiment.

Realistic Rules (Black)

1.       Follows realities rules and order of operation

2.       Follows Logic and Reason (No Fallacies)

3.       No Biases or Assumptions

Creative Rules (White)

1.       Follows a set of rules not dictated by material facts

2.       Rules can develop laissez faire and become permanent as they develop

3.       Assumptions can be used to build the Thought Experiment to places reality won’t allow without proven facts.

Combination Rules (Gray)

1.       Follows a set of rules that are based in reality, but can change with current events.

2.       Rules follow logic and reason, but includes the actions with a probability of low success so nothing is ruled out.

3.       Assumptions are allowed, but must be proven throughout the thought experiment.

#3: Talk through your Thought Experiment

With the others in the Thought Experiment, talk through the thoughts you have or had. Ensuring to maintain the rules. Where the experimentation comes into play is having the idea be bounced, fleshed out, and redone to by many diverse people with different views, angles and experiences to meet the rules and logic of the thought experiment. The experimentation comes from the fact you don’t know where the thought process will go, what other rules will develop during the experiment, and the scenarios, scenes, or actors that develop.

#4: Take your Thought Experiments to their Logical End

An example on the creative side would be a storyline for a character. The more you flesh out the character and create a world around him, the easier it becomes to bring them to their logical end. Therefore a Tragic Character dies to redeem himself. A Happy Character wins the day. Or any combination of paths that the story may take. (Uses made-up rules and parameters to dictate the path of fictitious characters)

An example on the realistic side, is having a thought experiment on real life events and people. Such as finding the truth of the matter behind the actions of what others do, such as rivals, friends, and enemies. Finding the motives behind their actions or to build an idea of the interworking’s of what’s really going on. (Uses real world facts to develop theories about the real world)

A great example of a Combination is making a plan off the real world. Because plans make a lot of assumptions about how the real world will work according to the plan, but more than likely has to change before the end. This combination of the realistic to the creative side of thought experiments allows you to build your thoughts and bring them to fruition even if they don’t come to reality in any shape or form.

Think well. Be well.

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Do You Know How to Figure Things Out?

8/27/2015

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What's Behind Your Mind's Door #1?

Learn-2-Learn Series (Part 4 – Sensing and Intuitive Learning Techniques)

Many people learn differently. Some learn by Sensing and others by Intuition. These are the most basic of the learning styles in that they are the ones people use most and find themselves using in almost every learning situation. Either through theory or real world application.

We will go over the techniques for these learning styles, but remember… to become a true meta-learner, you must learn to learn beyond the techniques that make you feel comfortable.

*Note – Techniques used by each style can work and be useful to the other styles. Just because one may statistically be better for one does not mean it won’t work for you. Try them all and experiment a little.

How to Use Sensing Techniques to Learn

Sensors learn through practical exercises. If it doesn’t have anything to do with the real world or be useful in a way they can use it in the real world. They will tune it out and consider it a waste of time to learn. Because of this, as a Sensing Learner, it is imperative to get exercises using methods, processes, formulas, and actual examples of its use in the real world. Therefore, when learning find how something you learn fits in the practical knowledge of what you do every day.

How?

Find Real World Professionals Using the Knowledge You’re Learning Today.

This can be done by interviewing, working with, or even just watching videos of how people do what they do in the real world. This allows you to see the practical knowledge in the mess of theory and concepts.

Find practical exercises you can do on how to physically do something like sew, program code, or anything else you’re trying to learn.

Look online or in person for practical exercises on how to learn a skill you want.

Want to learn to sew? Sew a blanket.

Want to learn to build a house? Build a dog house and learn the basics.

Want to learn to program? Develop a program, application, or tool that you can use.

The idea is to not learn something useless, but how to actually ‘DO” something. Not the concept of how to do something.

Figure out how to input the new information into what you do every day.

This is my favorite technique as it entails you to actually understand your life and how you work within it. Because if you know the inner workings of your life, you are easily able to input new information into your inner workings and instead of having to rebuild your life around it, you simply apply it into the grand scheme of what you’re already doing.

This can be easily done if you keep a Day Journal.

A day journal can be an important part of any person’s life by logging all your accomplishments, your botch-ups, and everything in-between.

Why is it so important?

Because a day journal helps you track the things you do. Letting you know which are helping you with what you want to do with your life, and those that aren’t. By identifying the things that went right. You can continue them and understand why they went right and how to keep them right.

For example, being able to get to the end of the day and seeing the things you actually accomplished is inspiring and gets you pumped up for tomorrow. For me, being able to see that I wrote my weekly blog post t as well as went to the gym inspires me to keep succeeding. It lets me sleep, knowing that I was productive and had many everyday victories.

Going in the opposite direction.

It allows you to see places in your life where you would like to improve. As it is more easy to see the patterns as they emerge and eliminate them before they become too much of a problem. This can go to understand your bad patterns such as sleeping-in too much. Allowing you to think up a solution such as moving your alarm clock out of arm’s length to get you out of bed and more likely to not sleep in as a result.

How to Use Intuitive Learning Techniques

Intuitive Learners learn through interpretations or theories that link to facts. This is helpful in establishing the way things can work and when combined in finding how they do. The key for Intuitives is to be able to easily learn the concepts and theories of how things work through connecting the information.

How?

Find out how to put Two and Two Together.

For every theory or concept, you need to be able to look and find connections from theories to real life. This entails being able to put two and two together by asking questions, being able to see how things connect in general, and following the trail of clues. This makes learning in this style a lot harder as many of the ways to learn this way comes from a general knowledge of how things work in universally and applying them to a multitude of situations. However, anyone can learn to harness its power in varying degrees, now let’s get started. How to Put Two and Two Together and Build Theories Yourself.

First: Asking Questions Will Lead to Answers

Asking questions is the best way to get answers. Which is why asking questions to professors, professionals, or anyone who has information you seek. Having all the information is the first step to being able to connect it.

Second: Find Clues

After you’re done asking questions, it’s time to find clues of how things work by looking at real life situations such as the methods, processes, and formulas of people, events, and scenarios. The more you know, the more dots you will have to connect. This can include research. To find the information, you can look at newspapers, reports, and other material to build information off. You can also experiment to verify information.

Third: Connect the Dots

To connect the dots, you have to have a map of the information you’re trying to combine. Each piece of information has to be connected to see the big picture. This can be drawn out. Knowing the connections will allow you to remember the storyline of the concept or theory. These roads between information is the best way to lead one piece of information to another.

Fourth: Look for Patterns.

While looking over data and other information, learn to look for patterns as everything biological eventually starts to form patterns/habits. For example, DNA comes in patterns of 4 proteins, matter comes in patterns of atoms, and people create habits and rituals they do every day to every year. The ability to see patterns will allow you to see the general system that everything runs on. This will allow you to begin to become a meta-learner and general systems logician.

Learn more on how to become a Meta-Learner and General Systems Theorist?

Then contact me at [email protected].

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#3: Learn-2-Learn Series (Part 3 – Visual and Verbal Learning Techniques)

8/14/2015

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Many People Learn in many different ways. Sometimes people prefer to learn through actually seeing the process in action (Visual) while others prefer to have it explained to them in finer detail and ask questions for immediate feedback (Verbal). Most of the time people want and need both as redundancy affects their ability to retain it. Which is why you need to know these techniques to better your ability to learn as both a visual and verbal meta-learner.

*Note – Techniques used by each style can work and be useful to the other styles. Just because one may statistically be better for one does not mean it won’t work for you. Try them all and experiment a little.

Visual Learners have Two Options to Learn

#1: Find a Visual that helps you remember best.

Visual Learners learn by seeing.

For them, it is easier to actually see how the process works by seeing it done. This is similar being told ten thousand times how to tie a knot and you not understanding how to tie it, but if you were shown physically how to tie the knot, you would understand quickly how it’s done and be able to tie it yourself.

This translates to going out and finding try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow charts, or any other visuals that help you understand the information you are trying to learn. You should be able to find videotapes or CD-ROM displays of anything you want to learn.

But if you can’t find what you’re looking for…

#2: Build Your Own

Can’t find a visual. It’s time to build your own using a myriad of different styles of visualization tools. Although there are a billion different ways to build diagrams, tables, and charts. Here are 3 commonly used ones that will help build your visuals from a general way to a specific until finally you’re lost in the details. They are…

1.      Mind Mapping – Spider Diagram (General)

Mind Maps are the very useful in summarizing information. They along with other diagrams can be used to build information in a non-sequential way and instead in the way your mind works so it’s personable to you and only you.

How to build a Mind Map

1.     Start in the center with an image or word of the topic at hand

2.     Build out multiple branches from the topic using words, images, symbols, and codes

3.     Branch out using Upper or lower case letters depending on how important they are to the topic and limit them to a word or phrase to keep it easily memorable

4.     Continue to branch from the central image using lines that become thinner as they radiate out from the center.

5.     Use multiple colors to help encode the information and grouping it together.

6.     Develop your own style of map your mind.

7.     Emphasize and associate the words, images, depictions, and concepts to each other.

8.     Maintain a hierarchy to your topic and its subjects to embrace the most important parts of your branches.

See 10 great pictures of mind maps here.

To see more about how mind mapping works, do it yourself with this free software: https://www.mindmup.com/#m:new

2.      Flow Charts – Order Charts (Specific)

Flow Charts are great for showing how one step in a process leads to another. It is great for visualizing the steps in a process by having them go from point to point in a chart chart. Most of the time the information is not detailed on the nitty-gritty of how one step leads to another, but can be. Instead, people use schematic drawings more so to explain to the finest detail.

Here are a few examples.

3.      Schematics Drawing – Inner Workings Diagram (Detailed)

Schematic Drawings show all significant components, parts, or tasks (and their interconnections) and are the most detailed of all these visualizations. Some Examples are blueprints, maps, and more.

Here are a few examples.

If you would like to know more about who a Visual Learner is follow the link: http://www.studygs.net/visual.htm

Verbal Learners – Find people to talk to who know what they’re talking about

Verbal Learners learn by being able to hear other people explain concepts and processes and then saying it themselves in their own words. Because of this, verbal learners learn best through other people. Because of this need for other people it’s imperative that you be able to find them and convince them to converse and discuss with you about the subjects and topics you want to learn.

1.      Find/Build a Group of Others that are trying to learn the same subject.

Therefore, find or build workgroups or study groups with coworkers, other students, professors, or any other subject matter expert. You can find like-minded people through meetup.com, going to school, or finding a mentor who is willing to take you on as a person to talk to and build on. Once you have a group, understand the material by hearing other’s explanations and discussing them to get the whole picture and getting the information to click.

2.      Build a list of Questions to Ask an Expert

When learning a new subject through classes, self-study, or any other medium. It’s important for a Verbal Learner to not write down notes, but to build a list of questions that you want clarified by a subject matter expert. This could be a professor, expert in the field you know, coworker or peer who knows more about the subject, or mentor. The key is to have someone who can answer all your questions when you get stuck.

3.      Using word association to remember facts and lines.

Another great technique for verbal learners is to use past stories, concepts, and thoughts in conversation that describe a very similar system to the new information. This gives the new information a framework you already know. Allowing you to learn faster by inputting new information into old information and building from your foundation of knowledge rather than creating a new foundation every time.

Therefore whenever someone is explaining how a process works. Explain the process back using an old system that you already use to remember information and let the concepts flow across the same frameworks.

For example:

Saving money when your broke is like saving water when you’re stranded.

If I save water each day, I will have emergency water to drink when the stream runs dry as I will have emergency money if my income runs dry. Therefore, saving and conserving money is the same as saving and conserving other materials that could become scarce.

Following this example lets you simply think that saving money follows the sames patterns and rules as saving other finite resources.

4. Recording lectures, watching videos, getting audio tapes, and any other means to hear the information

If you can’t get the real thing (Someone to Discuss with), it’s time to get secondary auditory sources like recordings of lectures, watching videos, and/or audio tapes. Having these available will let you listen and learn anywhere you can take an audio player such as the car, the gym, work, and anywhere else.

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Learn-to-Learn: How to Master Subjects In and Out of Order

7/7/2015

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#2: Learn-to-Learn (Part 2 – Sequential and Global Learning Techniques)

Now that you know a few techniques that work for both Active and Reflective Learners, it’s time to learn the different techniques that best work for you if you’re a Sequential Learner and a Global Learner.

*Note – Techniques used by each style can work and be useful to the other styles. Just because one may statistically be better for one does not mean it won’t work for you. Try them all and experiment a little.

Sequential Learner Techniques

Most learning is structured around Sequential Learners. Because it is seen as the most logical way to learn by building upon a subject step by step, and mastering it little by little. This style of learning is very popular if you have every looked into How-To-Lists and other types of manuals.

1.      Find and Dissect the Fundamentals

Everything can be boiled down into simple building blocks.

Recipes can be broken down from amazing feasts to the basic ingredients of flour, eggs, salt, etc. Cars can be broken down from complex machinery to simple metal pieces all put together to build a something greater than the sum of its parts.

The key is to be able to hone your ability to dissect subjects and topics so that you can find the basics even from the most complex. As everything in life is simple, the only reason you can’t understand it is because someone doesn’t want you to as they would stop being the expert!

Here is how to break things down into their basic parts.

First: Observe it.

·         Everything is connected in one way or another.

Finding how something is connected is the most important part of dissecting it. You have to see how the parts work in conjunction to figure out how it works. Therefore, observe it to see how each part is connected to the others.

Second: Describe it.

·         Everything happens in a particular order.

Once you know how each piece is connected, it’s time to see the sequential order of how they work together. Although many things can work at the same time, the idea is to map out to see what causes what in a cause and effect manner.

Third: Discover The Why.

·         Everything has a purpose

Knowing why each part does in the grand scheme of things is important to understanding something as a whole, instead of just its individual segments. Figuring out what and why each piece operates and affects the others will allow you to see the pattern of something’s function.

2.     Write it out into your very own Sequential List/Outline.

Once you know how something works from top to bottom, it’s time to map it out in your own words as a Sequential List/Outline. You can do this my following writing out what you learned in “Dissecting the Fundamentals” in a easy to understand format such as a flow chart, an outline, How-To- List, Step-by-Step Manual with pictures, and more.

3.     Learn to Fill-in-the-Blanks

People who learn this way love having every step available but absolutely hate when steps are left out or if information is taught out of order. Which is why it is so important for someone who learns this way to know how to fill in the blanks if information is incomplete.

·         Ask a subject matter expert to fill in the blanks from a community forum, a mentor, a professor, a tutor, or any other place where people know the process of what you’re trying to learn. This is much easier than the next one.

·         Figure it out yourself through self-study. This will take longer as you have to find references that you need to cross check for validity. The easiest way to do this is to find YouTube videos of it being done or other media.

Global Learner Techniques

Global Learners like to see where they are going and figure out the details on their way there. Meaning the details come second to the Big Picture. Therefore, if you’re a Global Learner, always know where you’re going and remember the details will come in time.

1.       See the Big Picture Before You Research the Details

Global Learner’s love to be able to see the big picture clearly before they delve into any details. Because they like to see how everything they learn in the future will fit into it.

Which is why the first technique is to skim the material you’re trying to learn to get the general gist of how everything works together before trying to figure out the individual steps from one to another.

Once you have mastered the whole, you can finally learn how the individual details that make it up. This will help you learn by associating the small steps to the story of the big picture.

A great place to master this skill is here.

2.      Associate New Information to Old

Use what you already know to understand what you need to know now.

This technique is taking the idea of what you have learned in the past to describe new information and associate it to the old. This allows you to take the new information and input into a frame of mind that you already understand and eliminates a lot of the redundancy of learning.

For example, you know how to budget yourself. You know that the money that comes in has to exceed the money that goes out. This basic concept can be applied to many different situations such as trying to lose weight (more calories out, than calories in), economics (Supply outstripped by Demand, Prices go up), and many, many more.

This also means taking what you have learned about the subject and connecting it with new information. So you’re filling in the blanks of the whole picture with the details.

An example and very interesting read about how to Study without Studying.

3.      Take What You Learn to Other Subjects

This is the basis of becoming a General Systems Theorist. Find patterns in what you learn and take all new information and apply it to your learning frameworks. As all things when broken down resemble each other either chronologically, process wise, or methodically. A great place to start mastering your own framework is here.

I will be leaving for the next 2 weeks and will submit the next blog coming up at the end of July.

Best,

L. Thomas

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The Meta-Learning Series: Is This Your Style?

6/18/2015

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Reflect upon what you learn and capsulize it.

#2: Learn-to-Learn (Part 1 – Active and Reflective Learning Techniques)

After figuring out your learning-style last week, it’s time to learn the different techniques that work best for you.

*Note – Techniques used by each style can work and be useful to the other styles. Just because one may statistically be better for one does not mean it won’t work for you. Try them all and experiment a little.

Active Learner Techniques

If you are an active learner and you’re creating your own class or in a class that doesn’t meet your needs, then these are some specific techniques that work with your brain chemistry.

1.       Find a way to discuss the subject with others.

This could be anyone, but it is preferable to have someone who knows as much as you do and has an interest in the subject, or is a subject matter expert. This could be someone who studies it themselves or is a professional in the business. The key is to find someone who you can talk with who can expand what you’re studying as well as put it in a realistic perspective of how it works in practice.

A key provision of this strategy is finding a mentor who will consistently work with you to expand your knowledge as you learn the practice of what you’re trying to learn. Mentors are the most important and effective way to learn a subject and make it applicable to the real world. It should be utilized by all learning styles.

2.      Create a Problem Solving Activity

Look for ways you can apply your new knowledge. This entails looking how to use it in your everyday life or artificially creating a situation where you could use it. This could be doing an already created activity (From the Internet) or creating and running your own experiment to verify the information (Also from the Internet).

Good Example:

A good example of this is if you wanted to learn to trade stocks. You could actually trade stocks or you could use free web programs that give you fake money to trade on the real stock exchange so you can learn and test your own abilities and strategies.

3.      Use what you learn.

The final and best way to learn something is to actually do it. This entails going out and doing it. Go to a place where you can use your knowledge and practice what you learned.

Public Speaking = Toastmasters International Club

Engineering = Build a shed

Programming = Design a program that solves a problem you have

Business management = Start a Business

Etc. = etc.

Just do the hands-on work and you as an active learner will succeed.

Reflective Learner Techniques

If you are a reflective learner and you’re creating your own class or in a class that doesn’t meet your needs, then these are some specific techniques that work best with your mental inclinations.

1.       Figure out your optimal ratio of learning to breaking.

Reflective learners are notorious for having gestation periods where they need to take the information and let it develop and settle. These can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.

The key here is to find out how long your gestation period is by experimenting with your own mind. Meaning you research the information and try to learn it. Then take a break to find out how long it takes to digest the information. You can find out your best combination of learning to digesting by choosing to learn something for a certain amount of time and then measuring how long it takes before you know it.

A Good Example:

Study for an hour. Break for an hour. See what you remember.

Repeat using 2 hours of study to 1 hour of breaking.

Repeat using any combination of times until you find your optimal learning to digesting ratio.

2.      Find a good place or activity that helps you learn and gestate.

Where do you learn most comfortable?

Is it at home? A coffee shop? Or library?

Where do gestate the best and retain the most information you learn?

Learn best by finding the place your most comfortable but not easily distracted.

3.      Think of possible questions or applications of what you learn as you learn.

While you think and gestate the information you learn, you need to make connections between what you learned to what you will learn by thinking up questions you have of what you did learn and what you hope to learn in the next bout of learning. This helps connect the information to your mind, storyboarding it.

Another technique is to think of ways you could apply this information to the real world and what you do on a regular basis. This will help cement the information to concrete examples.

4.      Write summaries (How-To Lists) of what you learn in your own words.

Having reflective traits myself, this blog is the epitome of this technique. Taking in new information, learning it, applying it to gain experience, and then finally writing a blog about it to show my understanding. This is the basis of what all reflective learners must do.

If we didn't cover your learning style this week. No worries. All will be covered in good time.

Next Week:

#2: Learn-to-Learn (Part 2 – Sequential and Global Learning Techniques)

See you then.

18 Comments

The Meta-Learning Series: Do you know your Learning-Style?

6/11/2015

19 Comments

#1: Figure-Out your learning style.

If no free class exists, it’s time to build your own.

But before you do, you have to know what your learning-style is.

Because if you don’t, you could be finding learning tools that are useless to you because you don’t learn in that particular way.

A good example is people who learn hands-on versus people who learn conceptually. People who learn conceptually like to use graphs, figures, maps, and other tools to learn a concept, and will tell hands-on people that that is the only way to learn. Whereas hands-on people like to see how something is done with the help of another person to show them what’s right. Finding out what type you are is important to your learning success and completing your own self-study.

To find out your learning style take these two questionnaires and combine them to see what styles best compliment you.

1.       The Vark Quiz – Short Form with quick summary of your learning-style

2.       Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire – Long Form with in-depth analysis of your learning style

After you take these quick questionnaires. You will find out if your learning-style is active or reflective, sensing or intuitive, visual or sensing, and sequential or global.

With each of these styles comes specific techniques that work best with that type of learner as well as others that work with all. That will be covered in later. Now let’s go over each style of learner and their strengths and weaknesses.

1st Spectrum of 4 that details how you like to learn.

Does this sound like YOU?

                Don’t like to be lectured?

                Hate being forced to sit there without any active participation?

Then you have active learner tendencies. Because active learners like learning to be participative and interesting. Which is why you will have a kid who can remember every stat and name of his favorite baseball team, but can’t will never remember anything about the state capitals. Because one is active and can be discussed with friends while the other is taught dryly with no entertainment value.

Or does this sound like you?

                Don’t like when other people talk during lectures? Or when you’re studying?

                Hate every time someone asks a question or slows down the class?

Then you have reflective tendencies. Being the opposite of active learners. You don’t want people to interrupt your process of listening, thinking, and digesting of information. Where an active learner wants to use the information immediately, a reflective learners wants to reflect upon the information and use it later.

2nd Spectrum of 4 that details how you like to learn.

Does this sound like you?

Like to memorize?

Learning facts and figures?

While using the techniques you have always used?

Not liking when things get outside your scope?

Then you’re a sensor. You like repetition, memorization, and well established methods, formulas, and procedures that work so you don’t have to think. You enjoy things that already work with no problems and issues that you can reuse again and again on old and new situations.

Or does this sound like you?

          Like challenging new problems?

          With the ability to think outside the box to find new solutions?

          Then you are an intuitive learner. You enjoy taking on new challenges and enjoy figuring them out, both their problems and solution. Even if either haven’t been figured out yet. Intuitive learners learn usually conceptually and theoretically.

3rd Spectrum of 4 that details how you like to learn.

Does this sound like you?

          Like to learn by actually seeing something done?

          Not told, but physically shown from A to Z?

Then you’re a visual learner. And the reality is. Most people are. Visual   learners learn by seeing How-To Videos, on-the-job training, and flowcharts, graphs, and other visuals that help implant images to memory.

Or does this sound like you?

          Do you learn by reading and writing?

          Without having to be shown how to do it, but told?

Then you are a verbal learner. Verbal learners are able to understand how to do things by reading how others did it or being told how they did, and independent from having to actually being shown how to do it. Entailing they are better at figuring out the minute details that may not be as explicit as seeing how it is done.

4th Spectrum of 4 that details how you like to learn.

Does this sound like you?

          Like to learn step-by-step? In a logical sequence?

          Each step building on the next until it all finally makes sense?

If you do, you are a sequential learner. This type of learner loves step-by-step processes and learns logically by learning the basics and fundamentals of a subject. Building upon the subject by stacking new information on top of each other until the whole picture is known.

Or does this sound like you?

Like to immerse yourself in the information?

Learning randomly until you have that “eureka” moment?

Then you are most likely a global learner. Someone who likes to learn everything about a subject, but in no particular order until one day it all clicks together and you master the subject. The major difference between the two is that sequential learners are able to use the information relatively immediately to take a test while it takes a global learner a certain period of time to let it conceptualize before they can effectively take a test on it. Because the information doesn’t make any sense to you until it clicks in your mind.

Conclusion

But like every spectrum, everyone has more and less the tendencies of each type. As many people display both. It just matters which way you lean more and knowing the best ways to take advantage of your own combination of learning styles to maximize your learning return to become a meta-learner.

For example:

An active/reflective learner may like to participate in group work to get feedback from others in the group, but want to do their own work alone and bring it to the group roughly completed.

A sensing/intuitive learner is someone who likes to use established-methods to figure out problems, but likes to change-it-up to see if the established method can be made better.

A visual/verbal learner may learn best by combining both words and pictures so they can read the steps as they see them being done. Helping them learn that much faster.

And finally, a sequential/global learner may be able to learn sequentially, but only if each presented topic is fully discussed without pieces missing.

Now check us out next week when we take what we have learned so far and use it to find the best learning techniques that will work for your particular learning-style.

Labeled…

#2: Learn-to-Learn: A Guide to Find the Best Techniques for Your Learning-Style.

Best,

L. Thomas

Reference for Learning Styles:

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

19 Comments

The Meta-Learning Series: Do you know how to learn?

6/4/2015

16 Comments

Education is becoming very, very expensive.

Even worse, it is not actually teaching any viable job skills that the workplace wants.

As for most jobs you’re hired for; require on the job training and have nothing to do with the degree you have.

A good example is my friend, Mike. Mike got his degree in Geology.
After he graduated, do you know what his position was?
He became a software salesman. Selling software to small and large business.

This is why formal education is becoming less valuable. The only caveat to this is if the school has a great reputation that will get you somewhere, but then you’re just paying for the school’s brand and not the education.

Which is why self-study and building your very own classes is to the utmost importance in this day of age.

As the truth is, no one will educate you unless it directly benefits them. Big Education will only do it if they can sap cash or student loans out of you. Branded Education will only let you in if they think you are “worthy” or have a rich parent who can add a wing to the school. And Private Schools want your first-born child as payment while teaching information that is just not useful for work. While also not having the reputation to get you anywhere because hiring managers stigmatize it and refuse to acknowledge it as a legitimate source of education.

That is why self-education is more important as the most successful people I know, from millionaires, CEOs, and entrepreneurs are not “formally educated”, but instead self-studied by reading books that told them how to be successful and then going out and doing it in real life, not the academic world.

That is why today I am bringing you the META-LEARNING SERIES, which will teach you the set-up on how to learn any subject on your own by building a customized class that uses your learning-style and schedule.

Step #0: Make sure that a free class doesn’t already exist

For this step, research the internet or library to find out if someone already created a practical class for the subject you want to learn.

A good example of this is when I wanted to learn how to type. Instead of taking a paid class, buying a book, or even practicing; I researched the internet to find a free website that teaches you how to type; taking you from a beginner to an expert.

After finding this website, I set my schedule of learning to an hour a day (2-3 lessons on the site) and practiced over and over. In just a few short weeks, I was typing like a computer hacker and increased my words per minute by 500%.

All because I did a little research before I moved forward.

If you’re interested in learning more about places to get free classes and education, here are 2 websites that have compiled 100’s of websites that may cover what you’re interested in knowing using class formats, videos, lectures, and even free e-books.

1. Formal FREE University Education

2. Informal Courses with Course Building Blocks

Check us out next week for...

STEP #1: How to Figure Out Your Learning-Style.

16 Comments

What If The World Followed a Certain Pattern? (General Systems Theory: Episode 1)

Have You Ever had a Thought Experiment?

Do You Know How to Figure Things Out?

#3: Learn-2-Learn Series (Part 3 – Visual and Verbal Learning Techniques)

Learn-to-Learn: How to Master Subjects In and Out of Order

The Meta-Learning Series: Is This Your Style?

The Meta-Learning Series: Do you know your Learning-Style?

The Meta-Learning Series: Do you know how to learn?

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