“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
― Jim Rohn
When I read this quote, it stuck with me. I didn't know anything about Jim Rohn. Follow this link http://n.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rohn if you would like to know more about Jim Rohn. I love the quote, because I feel the same way. The things you are taught formally often will lead to a job. You will be able to make a living with your knowledge. However, when you want to learn and seek out knowledge on your own... you often are so much the richer. It may be a monetary richness or a feeling of accomplishment and pride. When you seek out the knowledge on your own, it tends to be more of an awesome experience!
So the next question seems to be.... How do you encourage and facilitate the desire to learn so that self-education takes place? I believe that people are born with an innate desire to learn and that for some people, that desire is some how squelched. If this happens, there are many theories as to how to encourage and facilitate the desire to learn. Here is a list of links I have found on the subject:
*http://bprao.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/7-ways-to-facilitate-learning/
*http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/fosteringcuriosity.htm
*https://teal.ed.gov/tealGuide/studentcentered
*http://www.realage.com/kids-health/encouraging-kids-curiosity
*http://homeschoolingcoach.com/blog/2008/08/09/8-ways-to-encourage-curiosity/. There are many more links and much more information on the subject. However these are a good start.
Some of them are geared towards adult learners and some are more for children. Yet, they all seem to be transferrable to all learners. It is good to get ideas from various sources and sources meant for various people. As a matter of fact, difference is one of the catalysts for learning. The quote is even from a different source. Jim Rohn was not a teacher in the school system. He was a retailer, an entrepreneur and public speaker as well as a business trainer.
The key to facilitating, rekindling, and encouraging a desire to learn seems to be in attitude, curiosity, difference, questioning, exploration, interest, and meaning. What is the attitude of the teacher? What is the instructor roll modeling when it comes to education and the desire to learn? Curiosity is important. Have you ever been curious about something and couldn't sleep until you found the answer? Doesn't that encourage the desire to learn? Difference often leads to people wanting to know why things are different? What is better or worse about one or the other? There is also the benefit of different experiences and different ideas. What would happen if one aspect is changed? This leads to questioning. We have all known toddlers who ask a hundred questions in a day. While this may be bothersome in trying to get something done yourself... it really is a wonderful thing. All those questions show a great desire to learn. Don't squelch it! Learn from it! Sometimes it takes letting people explore and learn something that is interesting to them in order to foster a desire to learn. Exploration is like trying new things, seeing new things, feeling new things. Babies do that every minute of every day! All kinds of desire to learn there! Also, the desire to learn is enhanced if the subject is meaningful to the student or effects the student in some way....there is a connection in some way.
I like to talk about "great teachers." Great teachers know these things and try to do this during instruction. They find that individualizing instruction enables them to do this for their students. Great teachers try to individualize instruction to invoke questioning and curiosity. They encourage exploration and provide meaningful instruction. They also use and celebrate difference to encourage learning and growth.
What are your thoughts? I would love to hear from you! You can make a difference by sharing and helping us all see different ideas! Oh, and please share, share, share.... your ideas, your thoughts, your questions, this post, this blog, this website....! Thank you!
So the next question seems to be.... How do you encourage and facilitate the desire to learn so that self-education takes place? I believe that people are born with an innate desire to learn and that for some people, that desire is some how squelched. If this happens, there are many theories as to how to encourage and facilitate the desire to learn. Here is a list of links I have found on the subject:
*http://bprao.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/7-ways-to-facilitate-learning/
*http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/fosteringcuriosity.htm
*https://teal.ed.gov/tealGuide/studentcentered
*http://www.realage.com/kids-health/encouraging-kids-curiosity
*http://homeschoolingcoach.com/blog/2008/08/09/8-ways-to-encourage-curiosity/. There are many more links and much more information on the subject. However these are a good start.
Some of them are geared towards adult learners and some are more for children. Yet, they all seem to be transferrable to all learners. It is good to get ideas from various sources and sources meant for various people. As a matter of fact, difference is one of the catalysts for learning. The quote is even from a different source. Jim Rohn was not a teacher in the school system. He was a retailer, an entrepreneur and public speaker as well as a business trainer.
The key to facilitating, rekindling, and encouraging a desire to learn seems to be in attitude, curiosity, difference, questioning, exploration, interest, and meaning. What is the attitude of the teacher? What is the instructor roll modeling when it comes to education and the desire to learn? Curiosity is important. Have you ever been curious about something and couldn't sleep until you found the answer? Doesn't that encourage the desire to learn? Difference often leads to people wanting to know why things are different? What is better or worse about one or the other? There is also the benefit of different experiences and different ideas. What would happen if one aspect is changed? This leads to questioning. We have all known toddlers who ask a hundred questions in a day. While this may be bothersome in trying to get something done yourself... it really is a wonderful thing. All those questions show a great desire to learn. Don't squelch it! Learn from it! Sometimes it takes letting people explore and learn something that is interesting to them in order to foster a desire to learn. Exploration is like trying new things, seeing new things, feeling new things. Babies do that every minute of every day! All kinds of desire to learn there! Also, the desire to learn is enhanced if the subject is meaningful to the student or effects the student in some way....there is a connection in some way.
I like to talk about "great teachers." Great teachers know these things and try to do this during instruction. They find that individualizing instruction enables them to do this for their students. Great teachers try to individualize instruction to invoke questioning and curiosity. They encourage exploration and provide meaningful instruction. They also use and celebrate difference to encourage learning and growth.
What are your thoughts? I would love to hear from you! You can make a difference by sharing and helping us all see different ideas! Oh, and please share, share, share.... your ideas, your thoughts, your questions, this post, this blog, this website....! Thank you!
RSS Feed