Learning

Can a person learn how to learn? I know that I have, but it wasn’t something I was taught in class, or by a teacher. That shouldn’t really be a surprise however. As I’ve read the beginning of the Becoming a Master Student Teacher’s Edition, I saw for the first time what the definition of teaching is: “to cause to learn.” Well, we all know that learning is an individual process. I learn because of experiences I have in my life and I take those experiences as lessons. So how can I be caused to learn? Mostly, the role of teachers in my life has been to provide an opportunity to me. My favorite teachers have spoken to me, shared things with me and asked questions of me which challenged my thinking and gave me an opportunity to explore new thoughts. I am definitely still learning now, and I feel in some ways that I have learned more this summer than I have learned in the past two years of college. I have gotten to see so much of my education and of the world by looking at it from a broad perspective. Science, the educational system, literature, art, religion, fitness and all kinds of other areas have become much more apparent to me than they were years ago. We are all very much available to improvement and are together in a system which shares all of its knowledge in summary form with its youngest citizens.
Yes, we can learn how to learn, but I think that can take a long time. I am beginning to realize how I learn, what learning is to me and why I want to learn and I am almost finished with college. I guess that isn’t a bad time table, but it still surprising to me. I came into college thinking I knew how to learn, how to understand, how to study. I was presented with the Student of the Year award my senior year for goodness sake. Well, I have not ever really owned up to that in myself I don’t think. But I think I see the potential and I feel very excited.