| People have different learning styles. Find out | | | | must turn the handle to the right. The child does |
| what is yours and you could have a more | | | | not need to know about the law of gravity, |
| enjoyable and effectively learning experience. | | | | inertia, or physics to figure that out for long. |
| Whether you are learning how to play the guitar | | | | Nobody has told him what happens when the |
| or learning how to ride a bicycle, there are two | | | | bicycle tilts, experience alone is enough to teach |
| ways that most people learn. One method is the | | | | him what the consequences will be. |
| "just do it" method or the so-called "dive-in" | | | | When the child has become a skilled cyclist, all the |
| method. If things don't turn out right, you simply | | | | necessary movements are automatically ingrained |
| make changes to what doesn't work and try | | | | in their ability and they don't even need to |
| again. Nobody can predict whether you will | | | | concentrate on their steering. They can admire |
| succeed eventually. It is also not known why this | | | | the landscape instead, or talk to a friend, listen to |
| method is successful, it just is. This is the type of | | | | music or even eat and drink. At a certain stage, |
| thinking that encourages some parents to throw | | | | they may even show off and take their hands |
| their babies into swimming pools to help hem learn | | | | off the handlebars, trusting their momentum and |
| to swim. Or successful entrepreneurs who take a | | | | sense of balance will prevent them from crashing |
| risk on an idea or concept. | | | | into a tree or shrub. |
| Then there is the other method, which is "think | | | | Not many people are aware that they can train |
| about it" method. It involves thinking and analyzing | | | | their memory to remember a multitude of |
| a problem before jumping into it. In this method, | | | | information. Like riding a bicycle, it may be a bit |
| decisions are made only after the outcomes have | | | | challenging at first but the rewards of such an |
| been carefully considered. This method is | | | | endeavor far outweigh the initial difficulties. But |
| controlled by knowing what will happen. For some | | | | the good news is, just like learning how to ride a |
| people, it gives them a certain amount of | | | | bicycle, there is a "training wheel" stage where the |
| assurance, if they are worried about the | | | | student uses what he or she is already familiar |
| consequences. | | | | with. For example, you will already know the parts |
| Obviously, both methods have pros and cons. But | | | | of your body or an area that you are very |
| each situation has to be evaluated to find out | | | | familiar with like your house or the usual route to |
| which method will work best in any given scenario. | | | | work or school. Such memory techniques and |
| When launching a mission to the moon, for | | | | memory training methods have been used since |
| example, the astronauts cannot hope that they | | | | time immemorable, long before computers and |
| will find the right course and hit their target simply | | | | digital diaries were invented. Once the student is |
| by trial and error. All known possible outcomes | | | | familiar with the workings of the mind, he or she |
| and new problems must come to light in the | | | | can progress to more advanced learning modality. |
| many practice runs in simulators. They would fail | | | | |
| disastrously if they tried to navigate in the | | | | A trained memory is definitely an asset. Not only |
| vacuum of space if the "try first, discuss later" | | | | does it save valuable time for any student, it's |
| method is chosen. For a mission of this | | | | very important in daily home or working life. In |
| complexity and cost, every single detail has to be | | | | today's fast paced environment, sometimes we |
| precisely calculated before the launch and every | | | | need all the help we can get and it can and should |
| single detail planned, including back ups. On the | | | | be fun too. So why not experiment on your own |
| other hand, children can learn to walk, swim or | | | | to find out ways you can use your very own |
| cycle through trial and error. In these skills, they | | | | imagination to help you learn better and |
| do not need to know the physical laws that | | | | remember better. Remember, if you can't accept |
| govern their motion. | | | | a few scrapes and knocks here and there, you'll |
| A child learning to ride a bicycle must be aware of | | | | never experience the thrill of the wind blowing in |
| certain rules, often the unspoken ones. For | | | | your hair. |
| instance, if the bicycle starts to tilt to the left, he | | | | |