Archive for the ‘Self Improvement’ Category

It is possible for you to accelerate your learning if you want to, you know that don’t you? Not besides helping yourself to learn faster, you can help others as well.

Whether you’re a trainer, a coach, or even a parent, this can be invaluable for you.

Everyone processes information differently -We all learn differently. A person who process thing in a certain way would learn faster using a particular method, using other learning methods would only slow him down. Now do you know why some people study so hard but could not do well in exams? That’s because the teaching method taught in school does not fit his way of processing information.

To start off, we have basically 3 ways of learning and processing…

The Examiner

The Examiner is an analytical person. If he is doing a math problem or applying a new job, he won’t understand it until he can mentally break down the process and fit it back together in his head. He has to memorize the process on the back of his hand before he can feel comfortable with the task or problem.

The ideal way to help the Examiner to accelerate his learning is to give him a great amount of time in the classroom or lab so he can devour the material and learn at their pace – without the pressures and distractions.

The Performer

The Performer is exactly opposite of the Examiner. If you want to help the Performer to learn faster, throw him in a room with the task or problem and let him play with it “physically”. He learns best if he can practice it with his own hands and learn with OTJ (On The Job) training. He’s one that would make a couple of mistakes, but that’s the gist of learning for The Performer. If you have a Performer, do not punish her for mistakes. He may make a few mistakes but he is on the process of learning. Punishing him may lose make you lose a valuable employee. And if you’re teaching your children, understand their learning strategies and praise them for their effort. This will actually encourage them and they will in turn learn faster.

In fact the more mistakes they make, the faster they learn.

The Observer

The Observer could also be called “The Modeler” or “The Imitator”. When the observer is in a classroom, he may seem to be the slowest learner. From outside, it is true that he is a slow student, but it’s certainly not true to say that he is a slow learner. The only people slow between the two are those who do not understand the learning processes of “The Observer”. The Observer understands in a holistic way and can only excel when he sees how everything links together. Only teaching in a holistic way would then provide them with an environment conducive to study.

Whether you are a teacher or a student, learning can be a nightmare or it can be fun. One thing for sure though, unless you know the person’s method of learning, it can be extremely hard to succeed in a particular field or subject.

Having said all of these methods, they are not the only ways people learn. But with these 3 main types, hopefully, with this information, you will be more equipped to train yourself up or groom another genius!

Discover the 7 Step Study System That Finally Reveals The Secrets to Score As’!

Learning to be creative is a skill that is a bit more complex and challenging. Some people are gifted in this area. There are also people who are not necessary creative but would desired to enhance these skills. Even those who are already gifted in the area , they still  desired to further improve these skills.

To enhance this skills, you need to observe at your everyday surroundings. You need to take notice of the people that you meet everyday. Taking the effort to actually observe these people or things show you fine details that you did not notice before.

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Studies that are carried out in the past 15 years have enabled us to understand more about how our brain works. These studies have spawned a new way of learning and are called Accelerated Learning Method.

What do I mean by Accelerated Learning? From the word accelerated, you can roughly guess that accelerated learning is a technique that uses a learning style that suits the individual because he relies on techniques that coincide with his favourite way of learning. Thus, the learner learns in a more natural way, accelerating his learning speed.

Hence, learning becomes more enjoyable and effective as Accelerated learning uses memory methods that are found in studies.

You may ask why is accelerated learning crucial to us? Well, in certain times, we may need to absorb or know information is a short notice of time. In order to do that, you need to apply accelerated learning to help you inculcate information in a logical and imaginative manner.

In relation, Harvard professor of education Howard Gardner developed his “Theory of Multiple Intelligences”. His theory suggests that IQ of a person cannot be gauged as a single fixed value through the standard written text. Gardner determined that intelligence is the capacity to provide solutions to problems or create a product which have value in one or many cultures. Simply put, he did not consider how smart the individual is; rather, it is more important to know how the individual is intelligent.

Gardner came up with 8 different kinds of intelligence. They are namely Linguistic Intelligence, Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Visual-Spatial Intelligence, Musical Intelligence, Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, Interpersonal or Social Intelligence, Intrapersonal Intelligence, and Naturalist Intelligence.

Linguistic intelligence is the ability to use words to read, write and communicate with one another. People who have excellent linguistic intelligence are writers, authors and journalists.

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I know you love to remember or memorise every single detail in your textbook, but it is virtually impossible. And you do not want to depend on drugs to do this. One effective way to improve your memory is to use the technique called mnemonics.

What exactly is mnemonics? Mnemonics is one of the many memory techniques used to memorise abstract or hard to remember information by changing them in a way so they are much easier to remember.

Complex stimuli are perceived by our senses, and then absorbed by our brains as memories. These memories are actually complex models of the stimuli.

In today’s world, information comes to us in the form of words. Unfortunately, our brains are not used to this type of written words and therefore our brain finds it more difficult to memorise.

Mnemonics enable us to memorise this written information by using strong mental images to encode data. Hence, information becomes easier to remember.

Now, you may ask me how to use it. Just do the following:

1. Use positive and pleasant images to encode the information since our brain is more likely to memorise these.

2. Use images that stimulate your five senses.

3. Your image should be in 3D so they are easier to recall.

4. For certain parts of the image that you think is very crucial, make that part of the image bigger.

5. Input humour into your image, the funnier your image is, the easier to recall.

6. When our information is too complex, use symbols to simplify it.

The 3 main principles of mnemonics are basically imagination, association and lastly location.

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You may have heard accounts of children doing exceptionally well in high level academics studies. You may also heard children entering top university in the world at age 8 ,9 or 10.

It may sound impossible or crazy at first. You must be wondering if they are genius, whether they are talented or gifted. This is where Accelerated Learning comes in.

Accelerated Learning is a term coined to describe a series of ways to learn anything about any subject. This system of learning is based on the premise that anyone can learn anything, and tackles the idea of how to learn the actual process of learning, rather than how to learn only.

Accelerated learning is formed from a range of studies including how our brain works, what triggers our motivation and attention and what theory of intelligence and psychology of optimal performance may be applied.

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To excel in anything you do, you need to have concentration and focus. In order to do that, you need to learn to concentrate and focus.

Before that, what is concentration? Concentration is the deep mental application towards
something. In other words, when you are concentrating, you are giving your 100% attention to doing that thing.

Then you may ask me the difference between concentration and focus is?

Focus would be the level of concentration you practice at something. Put in simpler terms, you may be concentrating, but it does not imply that you are focusing. It also means that if you have an interest in that subject and divert all your available concentration on it, it can be said that you are focused.

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Can you still recall the cartoon series featuring Wily Coyote and the Roadrunner?

“Fast” brings back the image of the Roadrunner zooming past the obstacles laid out by Wily Coyote.

Speed may allow you to arrive at your intended destination; but along the way, were you able to take note of the things that you may have missed while speeding along the fast lane? As in driving, zooming in fast does not give enough opportunity to see and enjoy the view. The same can be said about learning.

Much of what you learn can be acquired through reading. The simple activity of getting in a comfortable position and start reading a book of your choice opens a new world for you. Reading enables you to tap into the minds of great people.

The more you read, the more you know. In the hope of reading more books, some attempt fast track reading. It is believed that the faster you read, the more you cover.

Fast track reading may involve reading by phrases and concepts compared with the word-for-word method. Fast track reading enables you to cover more pages with the same rate. However, one limitation of this method of learning is that you tend to remember only a small portion of the main idea. There is danger that you might miss the important details in the book.

There is a solution for this. Few people are aware of this seldom-talked about technique in fast learning. This is based on the principle that the mind thinks in pictures.

Learning is accelerated when you “see” the whole idea of the write-up or book. Seeing “live pictures” of ideas and thoughts of the writer makes reading experiential and unforgettable. When you see nothing while reading, you learn nothing. Fast reading becomes useless.

This technique is called visualization. Visualization is vital to quick learning. Visualization in reading is like constructing a jigsaw puzzle where pieces are put together to form the whole picture. The whole thing not only “appears,” but actually “comes alive” before you. All of these happen in the realm of the mind.

Just going through the motions of fast reading can give you a hazy picture of the subject matter. But like a mist, this picture often quickly evaporates into thin air. Fast reading without visual pictures often informs but very seldom impresses.

Impressions last while information changes with time. Past information is easily forgotten in favor of new ones. Impressions change you, and these are stored permanently in the mind.

For learning to become effective, it requires brief pauses to be able to visualize and reflect. Effective learning is not about how fast you can finish reading a book. It is more on how you effectively comprehend the ideas brought forth by the writer.

Visual pictures provide lasting impressions. Go after ideas and how it will enrich people’s existence. Go for lasting impressions and insights that will mold you into better individuals.

Do you currently have a lot of problems in your life?

Do you think that it is too much for one person to handle all these problems?

Do you think that life is unfair?

If your answer is yes, then here is an important truth that you must know:

“Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems.” – Nelson Rockefeller, U.S. vice president

The opportunities to grow and learn are hidden in your problems.

Your problems are your best chance to stretch your mind and take your life to the next level.

There are lessons you must learn in order to progress in your personal development quest. Problems and failures are your best teachers.

To see these hidden opportunities, you must develop the right attitude. You must be grateful to all that happen to you.

Everything that happens to us is happening for a reason. There is a purpose for everything. You must stop and reflect. Look for the lessons and the opportunities within your problems.

To solve your problems you must learn new skills, adapt new thought patterns, and become a different person than you were before that problem.

God has crafted you for success. In the middle of every adversity lie your best opportunities. Discover it, build upon it and move forward in your journey to live an extraordinary life.

You owe it to yourself to live a great life. Don’t let negative thoughts pull you down. Be grateful and open to learn and grow.

Life is full of abundance. You just need to align yourself with life!

stressCan’t meet deadlines? Feel like there are so many things to do yet so little time? Feeling very stressed and yet as if you have not done much after a whole day’s work?

You just might be suffering from lack of time management. Time management is a skill that can be learned through time and constant practice… as long as you are determined to acquire it. And I assure you, if you will take this advice seriously, you will like the result and never look back. In fact, it might even be the key to your personal and professional success!

How do you go about it?

First, know your priorities. Make a list of your life’s priorities from the most important  to the least important – both in the personal and professional facets of your life.

Second, from your list of priorities, make a long term plan, say, what you want to achieve for one year.  

Third, make a shorter plan of, say, six months or a third of a year – based on your long-term plan.

Fourth, make a daily planner – where you will make a daily commitment towards the achievement of your medium and long-term goals. 

Additional guides in making your effort effective:

1)    Never lose sight of your goal- or your long-term plans. If possible, have a visual aid of those plans pinned on your board or pasted on your desk.

2)    Focus on your efforts to realize your plans. Overcome procrastination. It is like an acid that slowly eats up your resolve to do what you need to do, if you give in to procrastination little by little.

3)    Make a matrix of your plans and your developments, and remember to refer to it from time to time.

4)    Evaluate / assess after every short-term plan and see where you have gone so far. And make another short-term plan for the next short-term goal.

5)    Be flexible yet firm in setting and working out your plans. For sure, there are people and circumstances which will force you to make adjustments on your list of priorities for the month or for the day. If somebody makes a request which you think you cannot accommodate and which is not that important anyway, learn to say ‘no’, and stand by your decision.

6)    Reward yourself for every success that you’ve done in the process of implementing your plans. Say, a visit to the hairdresser or a foot spa or an ice cream if you think you have done something in the pursuit of your plans and you deserve a little ‘pat in the back’.

7)    Think positive! Great men have said that nothing is ever achieved with negative thoughts and ideas.      

There are uncountable times where I put off doing all the tasks till the last minute. Things like homework, projects, revision, have always been things I have to force myself to do. Though I have scored many ‘A’s in my exams, I’m just a human like you do.

Today I have a special guest with me. Lisa Fior is a high school teacher who won the “Best Teacher Award” in her school. Last year, 95% of her students were able to graduate from high school. Below is what she have for you. She is going to share with you some tips on how you can conquer procrastination by planning.