Learning Methods

Learning Methods

The Chalk, The Walk, The Talk

“The only thing that interferes with my Learning is Education”-Albert Einstein

But then Einstein was crazy right? So how do we really learn? Through books? Through Teachers? Through News? Through National Geographic?

Well I believe we learn through experiences. And books, teachers, news channels and national geographic are just the means of portraying people’s experiences .

And what do experiences teach us? Well I had bloody hell not make that mistake!

So in essence we need to understand how each of us experiences something and through that experience learns something.

Learning methods can broadly be divided into three major categories:

The Chalk-a visual learner

A visual learner is one who learns by seeing. A very graphical person, this guy learns by observing things in front of his eyes.

You’re a Chalker if-

· You use lists to organize your day to day activities

· When spelling, you recognize words by how they look

· You remember faces but forget names

· You learn best by associating pictures with words

· You benefit when visuals are used as part of a lecture(transparencies whiteboard, power-point, films, videos, maps, graphs, charts, posters, etc)

Your strengths -

· Quick inferences; you can relate situations from the past with those of the present commendably

· Imagination is your forte; visuals of what you are thinking will emerge in your inner eye.

What you need to work on-

· Your ability to connect your mind-picture with the real world

· Don’t go overboard with your imaginations

· Don’t hallucinate; déjà vu’s will occur regularly

Analysis-

Don’t throw chalk at your classmates. They may throw it back-with better aim.

Hatke Careers-

1. Psychologist-interpret your patient’s behavior

2. Photographer-no need to explain this one

3. Watchman-LOL

The Walk- a hands-on learner

A hands-on learner is one who learns by doing. A very active person, this guy learns by performing stuff.

You’re a Walker if-

· You benefit from physical activity and in-class demonstrations

· You love going up to the board and solving the sum that the professor has given you. Even if you aren’t too sure about the answer

· Charades, acting, interviewing, pantomiming, skits and role-playing are your forte

· Laboratories, field trips, trial-and-error assignments and fieldwork done outside the classroom promote more interest

Your strengths -

· Successful persons interest you; you learn a lot by interacting with them

· You explain stuff through examples and analogies

· Multiple choice questions are solved by elimination method

What you need to work on-

· Doinig things is good, but don’t go overboard and do something foolish in your eagerness

· Think before doing; classic look before you leap types

· Listening to others advice

Analysis-

Don’t mimic the teacher without knowing her whereabouts. It may lead to assignments galore.

Hatke Careers-

1. Actor-you know you wanna be one

2. Natural Geographic Croc Hunter-for the thrills

3. Postman-LOL

The Talk-an auditory learner

An auditory learner is one who learns by hearing. A very verbal person, this guy learns by listening things in around him.

You’re a Talker if-

· You remember by forming sounds of words

· You find it easy to remember names but forget faces

· You often work out solutions to problems by talking them out

· You need to hear yourself say something to commit it to memory

· Repeating instructions to make sure you understand them

Your strengths -

· Any thoughts once discussed are burned into your memory

· You can remember movie dialogues and quotes easily

· Impromptu responses for any question

What you need to work on-

· Study in groups. Lone study might not help

· While studying by yourself read books out loud

· Attend classes, discussions and tutorials and find a not-taking-study-partner who will be your back up for filling in things you missed in class

Analysis-

Don’t let your girlfriend see you talking to yourself; you may then not have a girlfriend to talk with.

Hatke Careers-

1. Gossip Columnist-spread what you here through the grapevine

2. Rapper-you may be the next akon

3. Street hawker-LOL

(To learn more about yourself, your learning category and real career options, visit IMI- Institute of Multiple Intelligence)

An idea can change your life

What an Idea Sirji!

To become great, an idea is all it takes.

Any project is like a tree.

The first inkling of an idea is the seed.

The material required to realize it(people,funding,technology) is the water,soil and sunlight for the seed.

The planting of the idea into peoples heads is the firm hold that roots take over the soil.

The manipulation of the idea to make it feasible and conceivable is the growth of the tree.

The first hints of progress are the leaflets that start taking birth.

And once these small victories take place they infuse the entire project with their bursts of oxygen via photosynthesis.

Once the project starts to somewhat take the shape of the original idea,we have the main trunk of the tree.

The various new smaller offshoots of the project-work become the branches to the tree.

And finally when the idea has materialized into a full fledged project,we have our blossoming tree and its success is shown by the freshness of the tree and all the perks of the project are represented by the fruits borne by the tree.

So that's what I feel an idea is........................a seed to bear the fruits of success.

And the entire success story starts with that one little smidgen of an idea which contains within itself a massive opportunity to grow and enthrall and succeed.

All it needs is careful,disciplined and affectionate nurturing.

And as the great Steve Jobs once said:" you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards".

So the success of the tree can only be measured backwards;trust in your idea and have confidence and belief that something,somehow,sometime will work out and you will have your own tree to be proud of!

Thoughts

Ask yourself a question. Do you think?

Obviously, I hear you say.

Okay now ask yourself if you think positively?

90% say aye.

Cool, now ask if you think progressively? constructively?

Hunh??What’s that??

Thinking positively is a must yes, but it isn't the whole picture. Thinking progressively/constructively is what matters.

So let’s first get the basics right. Why do we think???

When there is a problem, we need to think up a solution to the problem. Basically all our reasons for thinking boil down to seeking answers to our problems.

Then may it be that we think for our future (problem=future insecurities)

Or maybe for finding the perfect gift (problem=difficult-to-please girlfriend)

Or maybe for stringing together two full meals (BIG problem=money)

Every-time, we think to solve.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein

So we think to solve. But do we always think towards the solution?

Yeah people, that’s the question. We know the problem, but we ain’t looking for the solution always. We humans have an uncanny knack of complicating things. So here are a few stupid errors while thinking, and their solutions, not to be overlooked for any of us:

1. Color-Blindness:- Sometimes we look at a problem in a certain light and then forget that we have an entire rainbow of colors still left to view from. Use your different perspectives guys; tackle the problem from another side.

2. Enemy-mode: - “You are wrong, hence I am right.” We go guns blazing if our arch rival thinks differently. Be cool, he might actually be correct for once.

3. Spectacles: - Short-sightedness; short term solutions, can screw up your future big time; so give your problem a long-term solution

4. Hum to bhai aise hain, aise rahein ge : - Once a fool, always a fool. Every problem cannot possibly have the same tried and rusted solution. So rustle up and jog your greys for a new and innovative solution

5. Herd –mentality : - Yea, well this one needs no explanation; just stay away from the masses

6. Circle of pain :- The last and worst one. A vicious whirlpool of mindless, endless, non-conclusive thinking that does not let you sleep properly, yet living a dream when awake. Depression causing, stay as far away from this one as possible. How to get out of it:

Take a paper, write it, tear it, chuck it, forget it.

So follow these simple rules, and voila, you will be on your way to successful problem-solving and decision-making.

Happy thinking. J

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to manage one’s own emotions and relate well with others.
It is a crucial factor throughout our lives.

Emotional Intelligence is composed of four parts: To perceive or sense emotions, To use emotions to assist thought, To understand emotions, To manage emotions.

To develop Emotional Intelligence we should develop skills to achieve a happy and successful life. In every field E.I is 2 times as important as cognitive abilities. E.I is not however, just about scores and results. It’s about our ability to understand what we’re feeling and manage those feelings so they don’t negatively affect others. It’s also about understanding what is going on in others and using that knowledge to manage situations effectively. It is not about being nice all the time; it’s about being honest. It’s not about being touchy but about being aware of our feelings and those of others. It is not about being emotional it’s about being smart with our Emotions.

Unless we learn what makes us its difficult to control our behavior let alone prevent our emotions to control us but once we know ourselves, our strengths, weaknesses our boundaries and breaking points we can develop strategies to prevent unwanted circumstances and situations.

The more we nourish ourselves, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually, the optimally healthier we will all be.

EMOTIONS

Can you feel them?they talk to you.can you hear their whispers?

Emotions are an amazing thing;you can heed them or ignore them,but you cannot escape them.

And are you an emotional person?

Your pain,your anger,your lust,your hope,your pride,your jealousy,your fear,your love,your greed,your empathy,your respect;do they call out to you?

Yes?Then you are an emotional person.

Emotions are the smallest part of your being that perhaps do not define you as an individual but do define your being a person.

so cry a little when you are hurt

get angry when things dont go your way

fantasize a little about what if?

hope for a better future with more money and happiness(and perhaps a hot wife)

have an attitude that you are the better person

get jealous of that preposterous bitch with the hot guy drooling all over her

run a little fromn the dog that bares his teeth to you

care,trust and understand your loved ones

feel the emotions of others

respect the decisions of others,though you may not like them

laugh a little when your funny-bone is tweaked

laugh a little more (:D)

And when you let your emotions wash over you,you will realise the true meaning of being alive.

Be emotional,for even as the pain bites you,and the love heals you, the laughter will tell you that you breathe,you live.

Career Selection

What Should I Do?

Ever wondered what should i do with my life?How to take the correct decision regarding my career?

Well here's what you ought to do:

1. Ask yourself: what do you want to do. Everyone has a dream career. Find out yours.
2. Job or Business: would you rather work for a fixed salary or risk the occasional losses.
3. Technical or Non-Tech: are you a technical person or a cultural kind.
4. Introvert or Extrovert: behind the scenes guy or the face of the project.
5. Ask your peers: what do your well-wishers think you ought to do. What are your strengths and weaknesses.
6. Take a proficiency test: find out your inclinations towards the various intelligence's.
7. Educate yourself: find out the various careers available, requirements of each, demands of each career.
8. Curriculum: read up the syllabus of each course and see if your interests outweigh the uninteresting topics.
9. Consult: talk to persons in the fields that you shortlist.
10. Final Hurdle: ask yourself if you will be happy with what you have shortlisted. If the answer is yes,then voila,you have your career path set in front of you and go all out trying to achieve it.

Fascinating Fingerprints

Human body is a complex and mysterious system.

Each sub part of this body has its own secrets and facts. As time progress, we discover new facts and secrets of the human body.

The most fascinating part of the human body is the fingerprints. It is a very intriguing and mysterious part. It is like a ciphered message, hiding all the details about you.

The first milestone in deciphering the fingerprints was the fact that fingerprints are unique for each human being. Uniqueness leads to the ability of fingerprints in helping us to identify, distinguish each individual. Biometrics is used in forensic analysis as well as for authentication processes.

Moving ahead with fingerprints, I was amazed and stunned by realizing that fingerprints could tell us our Innate Intelligence. Innate Intelligence was one of the things very difficult to be determined.

For example, IQ determined by tests is very subjective to test conditions, mood of the person, location and various other factors. While deciphered fingerprints tell you the IQ in the state unaffected by the variable conditions.

The deciphered fingerprints not only tell you the IQ but also EQ (Emotional Quotient), AQ (adversity Quotient) CQ (Creativity Quotient) and all the other multiple intelligence proposed by Howard Gardner.

Technology breakthrough in deciphering fingerprints has made is easy to identify Innate Intelligence.

Identifying ones Innate Intelligence is of vital importance for every aspect of life.