Learning to Learn; or, How Not To Be a Git

Evan Moore told us how to Learn To Learn. We also learned a new word: metacognition (awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes).

1. Set the Stage. Clear the stage, e.g., no distractions or multi-tasking.
• Clear your working memory by writing down stuff. I keep a to-do list, after I write down something I need to do I don't have to think about it again.
• Clarify the what and the why. Read a high-level summary first (which is often at the back of a chapter or book). Understand the objectives, i.e., what you're trying to learn, or ideas or answers you're looking for.
• I'll add, clear your pre-conceptions. Carl Jung said before analyzing each dream, "I have no idea what it means." He analyzed tens of thousands of dreams, yet he cleared his preconceptions before starting each new dream analysis.

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<li>Play</li>
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    <li>Wrestle with the material, i.e., be cognitively engaged.</li>
        <li>There is a poster at Apple that says, "There is no such thing as intelligence, only familiarity." I Googled this but couldn't find the source of this quotation.</li>
    <li>Take risks. Don't be afraid to fail or embarrass yourself.</li>
        <li>Have a "growth mindset." (I started the book <em>MindSet</em>, by Carol Dweck but couldn't get into it. I must have had the wrong mindset.) The opposite is a "fixed mindset." IMHO, <em>feckless</em> is a cooler word. It means "lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible." Either way, self-limitation stops learning: when you believe that a subject is too hard to learn, you have a self-fulfilling prophecy.</li>
    <li>When I go rock climbing, I don't try to get to the top. I tell my partner that I'm going to work on my traversing moves. I go back and forth, exploring. Then, unexpectedly, I get to the top. This works better than trying to go up at all costs. You could call this "journey, not destination," or "process, not product."</li>
    <li>Have fun. When you're not enjoying learning, stop and ask why. What is the objective?</li>
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   <li>Reflect, or self-assessment.</li>
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<li>Did I get what I intended?</li>
<li>Checking.</li>
<li>Ask more questions. (George W. Bush was known for not asking questions during briefings.</li>
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This reminds me of W. Edwards Deming's plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle. Plan what your learning objectives are, do (sit down and study), check what you learned, and act (ask questions or act on your knowledge).

Git is British slang for a boorish, unpleasant person with poor social skills. My definition of a git will be a distracted, feckless person who doesn't ask questions. If I'm being a git, let me know!