Myths About Learning
Life is a platform where we learn things on an everyday basis. Anything and everything that we do in life is a well accepted challenge that we successfully face. Thus life is a learning process and one learns a new thing every day in a different manner. However one has to remember that learning has its own myths which make things difficult when they actually are not. Let us see what are the basic myths that could undo a good learner.
Myth : There is a Myth that People who Have an Average Intelligence Cannot Learn Well
This is indeed a myth for there is no connection between intelligence and learning. Usually one is gifted with a natural sense of understanding and one does not need to be extra intelligent to prove the results of learning. One only has to be focused and be able to concentrate and also pitch in a lot of hard work. Thus learning is not connected to the intelligence of a person.
Myth : There are Learning Styles which Determine How a Person Learns
The basic concept of learning styles is important. There are verbal learning styles or reflective learning patterns. However it is really not possible to teach a particular learning pattern. Every individual has a special style for learning and it is only this that would hold them in good stead. If one is taught to learn in a style that is different other than theirs, their confidence is never built. Thus the best way to gain confidence is to allow an individual to grow on their own strength. Thus learning styles can never be adopted. In fact those who are taught to learn tend to show negative results.
Myth : One is either Left or Right Brained
The human brain is no less than a machine and one usually thinks according to the way it functions. The myth is that one can either be left brained or right brained. However there is no research which supports this There are so many processes happening within the brain that that it really does not have the capacity to segregate itself into two.
So the concept of left brained people and right brained people is actually nothing but a figment of imagination. There is no particular dominant side to the brain and it functions as a whole.
Of course there is a hemispheric specialization and hence there is an overall theory that a particular hemisphere is meant for a specific function. So we could say that one part is responsible for learning language and the other for spatial ability. Thus came about a myth that one has to be taught what to do. One has to understand that scientifically a brain is involved in very simple actions on the whole, and not in parts.
Myth : Learning Improves with Exercise of the Brain
Well, this is only subjective. Learning also has its own whims. Claims that a person is brainy based on particular actions or activities are a myth. Memory tests are only a way of improving the overall knowledge and function of the brain. They certainly are not determiners. Learning is mainly based on experiences in life.
The more one experiences the more the brain is functional and is able to judge between the good and the bad. The wiring of the brain is mainly dependent on the experiences we undergo.
Myth : Learning is all About Listening, and Concentrating
This is a myth and the person who is enjoying whatever he is doing learns the most. Take for example a student who is pressurized with his studies. He may want to do well but he may not be enjoying it. However when he plays a game of soccer, he may actually be enjoying it. So he learns while he plays the game.
Thus learning is not necessarily always about concentration or listening but also about enjoying and being able to identify with the work done.
Learning is a process and one would learn only through simple processes of understanding the idea. Once one is able to master the process of getting the crux of the matter, learning is an everyday routine and it is always better to keep the myths about learning away from the mind.
