Chris Herrington, Contributing Writer
Several people have asked how to accelerate their learning. This takes understanding how the mind works. One good illustration, simplified, is to see a boxed frame that has nails at intervals all along its top. By going from one nail to the next with string it is possible to create a web across the face of the frame. One idea connection or vocabulary word is one loop of string, and the thickness of the string is relative to the strength of the understanding of that idea or word.
Within a few connections, the web is already beginning to form, however weak.
Just so, our minds create a connective networked web of memories that formulate the level of our understanding such that the more we know about a subject, the more we talk about it, and the more we communicate concerning this subject, the stronger the network becomes. If we interconnect one idea with another, say we are studying music, and we study the history of music and the history of the creation of musical instruments, then the entire network becomes stronger.
If we play an instrument, listen to music, go to a concert, and then write an essay on music, we are formulating an extensive understanding of the subject. Our web becomes stronger and stronger until we seem to feel quite expert in the field of music, but then we meet someone with perfect pitch, or who has an incredible facility for reading or performing music.
Every experience increases our understanding, and the web becomes extremely strong. We network the information and make use of it. This is exactly how we form language skills, math skills, or learn to drive or choose better food to eat.
Where people get lost is in their failure to see the depth such expert understanding takes. They will say, for example, that they are not good at math.
They skip school, come late, never do homework, do not study for a test, and then say that they are not good at math. They never gave it a shot, really. People will confuse boredom with a subject with intimidation. If they are not good at it because they have never really given it a fair chance, like learning their times tables to begin with, then they will feel easily overwhelmed at the thought of doing anything mathematical. This means, of course, that their weakness will stay a weakness for life. They will never be able to trust their own math work, and so they must absolutely trust others. Many people who may have made it big have ended up broke, even though they may have earned millions in their life time, simply because they did not have even the most basic math skills and could not check the numbers for themselves, and so their managers or accountants ripped them off. It is a very big risk to not know math, but people do it all the time.
We all need to have language skills in order to communicate our feelings and to learn how to meet the needs of others. Many men cannot communicate their way out of a paper bag, and I jokingly tell them to make sure they spend the money to buy a comfortable couch. They don’t get it, but their wives give me the thumbs up for understanding the inevitable.
Math skills and learning to communicate should come right along with a high school education, but many times people will not take the time to actually learn these skills. Instead, they may focus on grades which reflect a temporary sense of what to guess on a test. The tools are right in front of them, but they never pick them up and learn to use them, and their weaknesses continue to follow them around for life.
For a math deficit, actually paying the bills, making a budget, and doing the yearly taxes are all good practice. There are many practical things we can do to challenge ourselves: building projects, creating new things, laying concrete, guessing distances and then checking ourselves, counting objects, figuring costs, and projecting economic needs. Many of the problems we have in daily life come from our not being able to estimate costs. How much do we spend on breakfast every day? How much is the yearly electric cost for running the house? How much does it cost to go to town? There are many math projects right in front of us, but we don’t see what we are avoiding. People will comment about these things that they are not interested in them, but he sad truth is that because they lack not only the interest but also the skill to deal with these things, they will waste valuable time, money, and effort during their lives that could have increased their wealth, enjoyment, and economic protection.
Language skill challenges are sometimes very emotionally draining to exercise because language is so personal. If we want to explain something, we have to be listened to. We have to make the time. We may be held accountable later for what we say today. It may effect some change. What will happen if we start a conversation and it gets all emotional and complex and lasts longer than expected and we have to miss our football game? Men, especially want to know how long this conversation is going to last. They might not ever ask that about how long they are going to play a video game or go fishing, but they want to know if this conversation will last more than say, 11 minutes.
Women may want to know if they can talk about this now, and not know how long it will take because of what may be brought up. OOOOOOOOOOH! In the movie, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” the entire problem is that the father has missed his opportunity to actually communicate with his family, but even near death he is able to turn things around. It is never too late to get started.
A man who learns how to communicate better can short cut the entire process by becoming a better listener and better communicator. IF she is having a hard time, don’t ask her, “What’s wrong?” That is an invitation to hear everything in the universe that has ever gone wrong. You can forget football season altogether if you start down that road. Instead, ask, “What can I do for you right now to help you resolve this?” If she gives you a list, the clock is ticking. If she says to shut up and listen, the quieter you are, the faster this will go; just don’t forget to listen, because there will be a test on this later.
Essentially, I find that self-help books are pretty good. There are many out there. If you go to get one, open it up before you buy it and look at the table of contents and then flip through the book. If it is a math book and you are really not good at math, start slowly. If you get one that is too hard it will be like going on an all celery diet. Yeah, like that’s going to happen.
If it is a book about communication, make sure to practice the skills involved. They fact that you are working on things can help a marriage or friendship tremendously. I hear from people on the edge of divorce all the time, “__________ is not even trying.” If you have faith the size of a grain of mustard seed you can move a mountain, we hear. But that means some rather than none. Talking about it is not the same as turning off the TV and actually doing something.
Finally, when I go after a subject, I study it until…well, I start with the library and the Internet. I gather about 50 to 100 books. I read most of it, find out who the experts in the field are, and then I buy their books and listen to them on tape. I buy whole courses through the mail. I e-mail experts. I know that I am approaching an understanding when the experts stop answering my questions and start asking questions for clarification. If I don’t know, I find out. If no one else knows, I make a wild guess and I start asking up the chain of command until I get a reasonable response.
You should know more about your child’s ability to write than you do about your Smith and Wesson 1911TA. If you can name all of the starting lineups of all the teams on the NBA and you have not read your kid’s latest essays at school, you need a time out. If you have not made absolutely certain that your child knows the multiplication tables, then you have no time to go out fishing. If you are avoiding these tasks, the chances are that your own weaknesses in math and language are making you avoid this second opportunity to learn what you missed the first time. Roll up your sleeves and challenge yourself.
What is the diameter of a basketball?
What is the diameter of the basketball hoop?
How many square feet are there in a basketball court?
Math can be fun.
If you have read this, you just read 1,559 words.
runningturtle87
Having completed 32 years of public school service, Chris Herrington lives, with his wife, in Appleby, Texas, and his writing consists of blogging and essay writing concerning an array of topics including education, mediation, self-development, and human interests. He teaches at the Martin School of Choice, plays racquetball, and enjoys his job.
Chris Herrington can be reached at herrington@everythingnac.com
