Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and host of the PBS program NOVA scienceNow, made the following statement on an episode of The Daily Show:

 

“Allow me to say that when you are on the frontier of knowledge between what is known and unknown, reaching out into the abyss, sometimes you actually do have to make stuff up that might be true, so that you can organize a research plan to find out whether or not it is… this is the creativity of discovery…” (my italics)

 

Watching the interview I was struck by deGrasse Tyson’s enthusiasm. Here is a prominent scientist, more than 30 years into his career, exhibiting the excitement of childhood and the wisdom of advanced age, simultaneously.

 

He demonstrates an explorer’s drive to understand, to know. He seems to generate his own motivation, and exhibits deep curiosity about his subject matter. He also understands the power of imagination in learning.

 

As Einstein said, and as deGrasse Tyson quoted: “Imagination is more important than knowledge”.

 

Inspired in part by deGrasse Tyson¹ I decided to assemble a list that describes the characteristics of a great learner and, more importantly, a series of steps to become a great learner.

 

It is my hope that this short piece will contribute to the understanding of learning ability, will stimulate constructive discussion and will offer encouragement to people everywhere to expand and deepen their learning practice.

 

I have drawn upon eclectic sources for this article: the above-mentioned interview; a recent presentation by Dr. Jacqueline P. Leighton of the Faculty of Education at The University of Alberta; and from the writings and teachings of renowned Buddhist meditation master Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

A great learner is one who excels in their chosen field through commitment to excellence in learning and performance. Such a learner seeks to improve performance or gain realizations consistently through deliberate practice.

 

Great learners come in all shapes, sizes and sexes. They come from all parts of the world. Some are religious. Others are non-religious. Some are 8 years old, some are 80.

 

When we investigate the lives of such learners however we discover that they do share a few common qualities: tremendous motivation, a focus on preparation, a commitment to deliberate practice, deep curiosity about the subject matter, a willingness to take risks, the ability to transform adversity, and seeking help from guides, mentors coaches or other supporters.

 

Furthermore they show consistent, joyful effort in persevering in the achievement of their goals.

 

To reassure readers who may already be thinking “that’s not me, I can’t possibly attain those standards”, exceptional learning does not require an exceptional mind – or for that matter exceptional anything. With the right conditions and strong motivation, everybody can become a great learner, achieving great performance or attaining high realizations in at least one field.

 

Assuming those conditions – that you are fed, housed, living in a usually peaceful household in a usually peaceful community, and free from most disabilities, are right – you can follow the steps outlined here and make great progress in your chosen field.

Have you ever wanted to excel in some field? Have you ever wanted to be a master, at something? Or have you wanted to develop a new skill, and exceed your own current level of performance? Do you want to benefit others by advancing your own learning? Whatever the case, I contend that you will benefit by following the example of great learners.

 

There are many benefits of becoming a great learner. Here are just a few:

Based on the various eclectic sources mentioned above, and drawing on my twenty-plus years in the field of adult learning and development, I offer the following ten steps to becoming a great learner:

These guidelines can apply whether you are looking at attending a short course, or contemplating a life long learning path.

It is very difficult to begin any learning journey – or for that matter any task – without motivation. If the learning journey you are starting is a life-changing one then you will probably need strong motivation just to counteract your own inertia. Strong motivation will also be necessary when we encounter challenges along the path.

 

There is no magic switch called ‘motivation’, nor any magic pill that provides it. That being the case, how do we generate motivation for learning? Here are some ideas:

In general, we generate strong motivation when the gap between how we are living today and how we would like to be living is large.

 

 

Once motivation has been generated you can take charge of your own learning. You will learn to love what you do and take an active role in the improvement of your life. In other words you will begin to gain control of their learning, and mastery over your life.

There are two levels of mental preparation in this step. In the first, you examine your general tendencies, and reinforce the motivation generated in Step 1. In the second, you engage in specific preparation before any learning event, be it a class, a reading, or some other learning experience.

 

As an adult learner, you bring countless past experiences with you when you begin a new learning task. You therefore carry your past experiences with learning—whether positive or painful—into this new experience. It is helpful to identify such experiences at the outset of any learning experience.

 

Try sitting in a calm quiet environment for a few minutes, identifying any obstacles to learning, or doubts you may have about yourself or about the program. Then gently set aside these doubts, affirming that you have the will and the skill to take on this new learning challenge. Visualize yourself enjoying the material, making meaningful contributions, and being successful in the learning task.

 

Before engaging in the learning process, spend a few minutes writing down several specific questions or goals for the learning ahead. If a class, you’ll then be able to watch for the answers to your questions or the fulfillment of your learning goals and jot these down as they occur.

 

Find ways to connect positively with the subject and your ability to learn. Remember how much you once enjoyed a particular learning experience, how your passion for certain topics led you to excel in one way or another, how challenging some learning task was at first but how it’s ‘second nature’ today.

 

When you begin any program of study, be it self-study, classroom-based or some combination, your mind is often far from the task at hand. You may be thinking about a conversation you had recently, a project you are working on, the weather, your messy room, what you’ll have for dinner, or any number of things – none of which relate to your learning objectives.

 

Furthermore you may be tired, hungry, not feeling well, or resentful about the time this course is taking away from your regular activities.

 

These conditions and mental distractions are of course obstacles to learning. So what do we do about them?

 

Beyond the obvious suggestions – rest, eat, or seek medical attention – there are several things you can do to pacify mental distractions.

 

First, if you about to engage in self-study, tidy your room or study space so that you have minimal visual distraction. If possible, turn off any video or audio equipment, including computers if possible, to minimize other forms of distraction.

 

Now identify the distracting thoughts or to-do items. You may find it helpful to write them down. Then identify each as important / not-important and then urgent / not-urgent, so that each item has both an importance rating and an urgency rating.

 

Remind yourself that you are making time for something – your learning – that is not-urgent, but very important.

 

Now let go of all of the not-important items by saying to yourself, “If these become important at some point I will take care of them at that time. For now, they can go.”

 

Now, take care of those items that are so urgent that you simply must get them out of the way before you start your learning.

 

Then, having decided how much time you will allot for this learning task, give yourself permission to set aside all of the remaining items on your list for that amount of time, the same way you might for a vacation.

 

Finally, engage in a relaxation meditation. There are several methods. Here’s one:

Now, open your eyes and prepare to listen – and learn.

 

 

There is perhaps no skill in this world in shorter supply than listening. We are often so interested in conveying our opinion or experience that we become impaired as listeners. Someone else speaks, our mind goes elsewhere. Yet developing an open and attentive mind is a critical step in becoming a great learner.

 

There are three main types – or modes – of listening: competitive, attentive and active.

 

Competitive listening happens when we are more interested in promoting our own point of view than in understanding or exploring someone else’s view. This is the mode used most commonly in debates, and generally works against understanding, and learning.

 

In attentive or passive listening we are genuinely interested in hearing and understanding the other person’s point of view. We are open and attentive. We assume that we have heard and understand correctly but remain passive and do not verify what we have heard. This mode generally works well when attending lectures or large teachings, and is effective in promoting understanding, and learning.

 

Active or reflective listening is the most effective listening mode for gaining clear understanding, and advancing one’s own learning. In active listening we are again genuinely interested in understanding what the other person is trying to convey, yet in this mode we are active in checking our understanding before we respond with our own new message. We restate or paraphrase our understanding of their message and reflect it back to the sender for verification. This verification or feedback process is what distinguishes active listening and makes it effective.

 

Like most skills this is one that you can develop and practice. The following exercises will help develop your attentive or active listening skills. You can practice these exercises every day, whenever you are engaged in conversation:

Your listening can also be enhanced by developing awareness of the thoughts arising ion your mind. As you notice doubts and obstacles arising, set them aside to make room for new learning. Do all that you can to adopt an open and attentive mind. Open yourself to possibilities, and loosen any preconceived ideas or structures.

 

If doubts arise as you read or listen to teachings, ask yourself, can I put this idea into practice and see for myself if it works or doesn’t work? In other words, rather than letting your prejudices dictate to response top the material, adopt a scientist’s perspective and experiment with the idea.

 

To further assess or listening and learning skills we can examine how we receive teachings, whether they be in a classroom or in written form. In Buddhist practice we try to abandon three faults in listening to teachings:

 

1.    The fault of being like a pot turned upside down: we are physically present but so profoundly distracted that no teaching can enter our mind;

2.    The fault of being like a bad smelling pot: we listen attentively but our motivation is wrong, for example we are gathering information to discredit the teacher;

3.    The fault of being like a leaky pot: we listen attentively with good motivation but cannot retain what we hear or read.

 

There are two methods we can use to address the third fault of not remembering. The first is to attempt to recall the essential points of the teaching as soon as possible after the class or reading is finished. The second is to engage in conversation with class mates or study mates soon after a class or reading are done.

This step is difficult for many learners, for various reasons. We value our independence. We want the freedom to choose different teachers, or learning paths, at any time. Many of us simply do not want to admit that we need help.

 

Nevertheless if we observe those who have excelled in any field – the arts, the sciences, sports or spirituality, to name a few – without exception they have all relied on a highly skilled guide, teacher, coach or mentor.

 

Although ideal this coach or mentor does not necessarily have to be somebody you can access in person, or even via phone. It may be that you can only access this guide through books, audio or video recordings.

 

Paraphrasing Dr. Jacqueline P. Leighton of the University of Alberta:

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Mentorship is critically important in helping ensure that students develop into excellent learners. These can be mentors, role models or simply teachers. Whatever you call them, they directly help students understand what they need to do to achieve a higher level of learning and performance. Ivan Galamian, famous violin teacher, made the following statement about mentors:

 

“If we analyze the development of the well-known artist, we see that in almost every case the success of their entire career was dependent upon the quality of their practicing. In practically each case, the practicing was constantly supervised either by a teacher or an assistant to the teacher…”

 

Mentors, coaches, teachers or guides must be more knowledgeable about the student’s field of study than the student. Mentors must be able to help the student achieve a greater level of learning and performance by providing accurate and detailed feedback. The feedback must be specific about the ways in which the students can improve his or her performance. Many extraordinary minds recollect the decisive role mentors had in their development of expertise. Not only do mentors teach directly and help students reduce the gap between their current level of performance and their desired level of performance, but they also inspire, motivate, and support.

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So what should we look for in a mentor, guide, teacher or coach? Here is a profile of what I would consider the ideal teacher or guide in any field. He or she is:

Of course your chosen mentor may not possess all of these qualities, or they may not be apparent right away. I suggest that if you are not so fortunate to find someone with all of these characteristics that you seek a mentor with at least three.

 

Once you have chosen your guide it is essential that you develop a beneficial attitude towards him or her, and to the learning materials.  That is the subject of the next section.

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