Learning How to Learn--It's About Time

I love Fast Company magazine's weekly Fast Take Newsletter. The newsletter is all about business. Often, there are links to stories that relate the significance of learning and the ability to learn to business success in today's economy. Learning is "in" in business. I usually find a lot in the discussion that I can take to the classroom and apply.

The linked story about educational reforms taken up by the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto has left me hungry to learn more. Here's the revolutionary idea the dynamic Dean of Rotman, Roger Martin, has implemented: a course in the MBA curriculum that will look into "learning how to learn," or developing skills that will enable students to learn faster and more efficiently.

I do this all the time in my freshman Economics 101 courses. Why wait until the MBA level to do it? Wouldn't it be better for students to learn how to learn sooner rather than later? Even before they become freshmen in college?

One of the exercises I ask students to perform that can help them learn how to learn is laid out in my economics text in chapter 1. Here it is, word for word:

Models--From Einstein's Mind to Yours
The renowned physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was in the business of modeling. The most famous model to come from his mind, summarized in the equation e = (mc) squared, provided key insights that led scientists to the ability to split the atom. It is not only economists and physicists that model, however. Psychologists tell us that all of us walk around with models of life in mind.

Take your model of learning. How do you perceive the learning process? A simple model holds that the job of the instructor is to fill your mind with knowledge. In this model you are a passive recipient of facts, figures, and principles. Students whose internal learning model is similar to this one often fail to prosper academically because some important elements of the learning process have been omitted. Remember, Occam's razor tells us to omit only the nonessential elements from models. As Einstein told us, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

A more sophisticated learning model allows for the student to interact with the instructor, the material, and other students. Key elements of this model involve setting aside time to reflect on the material, to ask questions, and to work with others. Which model is yours?

Freshmen often view the instructor as like a water boy and themselves as an empty glass. I'm there to grab a carafe of water and fill them up with everything they need to know, at least in their minds. If I'm a water boy, then I'm a darn expensive one!