Mastering Learning As a Process Skill

Whether part of our formal education,therefore not much different from content skills
professional development, or the improvement oflike surgery, backgammon, and tiddlywinks.
skills related to a hobby, in order to moreNevertheless, becoming a master learner allows a
efficiently acquire information we seldom focus onperson to acquire a plethora of various specialties.
the need to improve our learning skill. Yes, weFor instance, once you learn to play one
focus on content and pretty much ignore theinstrument, it is often much easier to competently
need to improve our learning processes. However,perform with a second, third, or fourth. The same
our ability to master the tasks related to anis true of learning languages. As you develop the
endeavor depends almost entirely on ourability to speak one foreign language, adding
improving our ability to acquire knowledge.additional ones is much easier. What such people
Learning is a process skill that was establishedhave accomplished is the development of the
first at the infant and young child period of ourability to acquire and master knowledge.
lives. Our methods were habituated at a timeSo how do you become a master learner? Of
when our immature brains were rapidly developing.course, by spending many years constantly being
Some of the ways that we encoded proceduraleducated and pursuing knowledge, inevitably you
and declarative memories are as valid in our adultwill develop a propensity to learn. However, this
life as they were in those early years.does not protect you from establishing bad
Nevertheless, as a mature human with severallearning habits. Unfortunately, I know too many
decades of knowledge acquisition under our hats,Phd's, including professional educators, who
we now have numerous additional learningpractice and teach inefficient learning skills. On the
advantages that are ignored should we continueother hand, it is possible for a person - regardless
to use methods that were appropriate prior toof their age - to improve their learning skills.
our brain fully developing.The first step is to overcome your bad habits.
One case in point is an adult's persistent need toThis includes replacing chronic stress and
sub-vocalize when reading. As a child, I was taughtexcessive multi-tasking with relaxation techniques
to point to the words in a sentence as I carefully- such as meditation and self hypnosis - planning
pronounced them. At that point I was translatingyour future activities, and setting aside periods
rapidly acquired visual stimuli and slowing it downthat you can focus on your work and play. Making
so that words can be vocally expressed. What Ia commitment of being mindful of your activities
was doing is slowly building up my child-levelis a vital step to improving mastery in any area.
databank of meanings and improving theNext you need to acquire the vocabulary and
proficiency of my linguistic neural substrates,syntax of your desired new talent. This means
which include my Wernicke and Broca areas.collecting the best methods for rapidly learning
Although most adults no longer use their finger asvisually, auditory, and kinesthetically. Since 70% of
part of their reading experience, like a phobiayour brain is dedicated to visual processing, which
pattern that is first acquired during adolescence,is also the fastest way to acquire input, your
these inefficient patterns persist into adulthood. Asemphasis should be on that modality - without
adults, the tremendous repertoire of processedforgetting the importance of learning through all
mental patterns, which have received meaningthree primary channels. Although experience helps,
and achieved understanding, are substantiallyresearch and expert instruction will accelerate the
developed in our minds. This is true for anyrate at which you install more efficient methods.
literate person. The bimodal neurons in ourWhile you progress with the previous step you
temporal and parietal lobes are fully capable ofbegin enhancing the encoding in your brain. The
facilitating new understanding without requiring themore input, the faster your brain encodes the skill.
retarding influence of certain linguistic processes.The more emphasis that you place on this
By establishing new reading habits it is quiteencoding step the thicker the associated neural
reasonable for a bad habit reader, who cannetworks become. The use of self-hypnosis, to
reasonably comprehend written text at 120 - 180include guided imagery and suggestion, and intense
words per minute, to rapidly attain speeds wellperiods of training with experts or viewing them
over 1,000 words per minute.performing their skills will promote your rapid
Learning needs to be viewed as a process skillprogress. Although practice always helps, these
waiting to be mastered. I have often said thatother ideas are accelerated techniques. What you
mastery involves three fundamental steps. Thesewill find is that the advancement of your abilities
are: installing into your brain the knowledge andwill become exponential. This is affected by how
skills related the endeavor, deeply encoding andthe bimodal and mirror neurons of your brain
habituating these into the parietal and temporaloperate. The more previously installed and
lobes, and developing a wide range of techniquesprocessed data, the faster the acquisition of new
that can instantly trigger masterful performance.knowledge becomes.
This holds true both for the content as well asLastly, as you simultaneously continue with the
the process.previous methods you should also start developing
Like golf, violin playing, and chess, the act ofways to trigger your peak learning abilities. During
learning likewise has specific behavioral patterns.hypnosis, see yourself rapidly reading and
Some are typical of a poor performer, otherscomprehending written material. Then establish a
that of a master. Once those skills are identifiedpost-hypnotic trigger such as "When I say the
-like in the reading example above - it is importantword 'relax' my brain becomes a calm open
that bad habits be eliminated and the new oneschannel for new information." Using an affirmation
installed. This can come from instruction or -helps. For instance, before reading say "My mind is
thanks to the existence of mirror neurons - cancalm and open. Information flows rapidly into my
be acquired in part by observing the masters inmind and body." These are no different than the
action. Once these behavioral patterns aremantras used by master golfers before the tee
installed, the goal is to continually reinforce theoff.
depth of the programming through continuedBy developing a mind that can process your
stimulating and challenging exposure. And thenenvironment five times faster than the average
finally, it is important to find ways that theperson, you begin to see the richness of the
programmed masterful performance can beworld around you. The truth is that is has always
triggered. I do this through the use of postbeen there waiting for you. Once you become a
hypnotic suggestions during a somnambulisticmaster learner, as you open your eyes, ears, and
trance or through the use of affirmations orfeelings you begin to feel as if you have become
pre-performance mantras.awake for the first time in your life.
Mastering a process skill such as learning is