In every field, we learn the basics. But who shows us how to learn, how to think? Let's review some robust approaches.
Take (free) courses. Coursera's Learning How to Learn inform learning resources. For example:
- Pomodoro Technique, twenty-five minutes of study and five minute breaks. Even professional sports teams are giving players 'cellphone breaks.'
- Self-test. Study a section and test yourself on the material. Personal Q & A.
- Repetition. Don't cram for the test, review the material over time. Discipline determines destiny.
Borrow from other fields. In medicine, we say, "see one, do one, teach one." The first try won't likely be perfect. Keep working.
Write it out. Typing is inferior to writing. Patrick McLean pens In Defense of Writing Longhand. "Composition requires focus. It is, like most acts of creation, monotasking. And as much as I love technology, it drives us to distraction." As he says, most of the great works of history were written longhand.
Study great teachers. John Wooden preached EDIRx5... explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition times five. The Feynman Technique shares a four-step method - name it, explain, research, and simplify.
Improve our hardware. Mindfulness training literally makes the learning and memory parts of the brain denser.
Eight weeks of training (average 22 hours) produced significant increases in brain density (scored by a computer program). It helped grow the memory center (hippocampus) and other key learning centers.
"Read, read, read, read, read." - Werner Herzog
Begin to see what lies before us and the possibilities, as J.A. Baker does in The Peregrine. “Cold air rises from the ground as the sun goes down. The eye-burning clarity of the light intensifies. The southern rim of the sky glows to a deeper blue, to pale violet, to purple, then thins to grey. Slowly the wind falls, and the still air begins to freeze. The solid eastern ridge is black; it has a bloom on it like the dust on the skin of a grape."
Use analogies. Kepler mastered analogies to become a pioneering astronomer, expanded in David Epstein's Range. What does that have to do with basketball? In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell discusses basketball and warfare. We evolve from infantry (power game), to cavalry (running game), and artillery (long-range bombing). Brainstorming creative offense or defense reminds me of Aerosmith's weekly, "Dare to Suck" meetings. Every session won't produce a hit.
Could we assign "actions" to each number on a die, roll the die and create "multiple actions" randomly? One could be pick-and-roll, two a backdoor cut, three a drive and kick, and so on. Want more variety? Add a third die.
Be aware of blindspots and biases. The power of 'fake news' arises because we are 'wired' to believe what we hear. We're also prisoner to our beliefs (confirmation bias) and influences that we don't recognize (e.g. anchoring). It's hard work to verify facts via primary sources.
Carve out creative time. Companies like Google and 3M give workers creative time. Thinking takes time and energy.
Could we assign "actions" to each number on a die, roll the die and create "multiple actions" randomly? One could be pick-and-roll, two a backdoor cut, three a drive and kick, and so on. Want more variety? Add a third die.
Be aware of blindspots and biases. The power of 'fake news' arises because we are 'wired' to believe what we hear. We're also prisoner to our beliefs (confirmation bias) and influences that we don't recognize (e.g. anchoring). It's hard work to verify facts via primary sources.
Carve out creative time. Companies like Google and 3M give workers creative time. Thinking takes time and energy.
Learning and 'thinking about thinking' challenge us daily. Rise up to meet the challenge.
Lagniappe: Success.com shares lessons to learn from basketball. I'll modify slightly and add a sixth to form the acronym RAISES.
Resilience Have the will to persist.
Alertness Be prepared and willing to find opportunity.
Initiative Find a way to make teammates better.
Spirit Wooden sought great players but especially players who made great teams.
Effort Work makes magic.
Self-control Do what must be done today, so we can do what we want tomorrow.
Lagniappe 2: Chris Oliver shares @BBallImmersion
Lagniappe 3. Tony Fryer shares USA Basketball ideas on becoming an impact coach. We help kids make memories.