Learning Fast and Slow

I pick things up really quickly whereas my other half takes many attempts to master a new skill. It might seem like I am the lucky one here but in fact there is a downside to my instant learning: Whilst I can be proficient in a new skill in a matter of minutes that new learning often doesn't stick, ask me tomorrow and I may well have forgotten most of what I learnt. On top of that after my initial steep learning curve I find it difficult to make further gains which means that I can be overtaken by a "slower" learner within a few weeks.

In the classroom some students seem to understand a new topic instantly and can answer the class task questions straight away. This can be demoralizing for a student who needs longer to grasp the concept and who initially makes mistakes with the questions. But it may prove to be that the "slower" learner's understanding is superior when it comes to demonstrating that same skill at a later date. Just "getting it" is not the point in class - there needs to be embedding and enrichment.

Of course mastering the basics quickly has its advantages, especially if you need to get a one-off task done today but for the longer term slower learning can mean better learning. Take learning new maths skills as an example. If you just want to be able to answer one question on compound interest then you only need to understand the process today but if you want to be able to do well in an exam next Summer you are going to need to delve deeper and take your time to consolidate that knowledge.

One way to ensure that deeper, longer term learning takes place is to revisit topics regularly. We sometimes avoid going back to something we were "good" at in case we find that we are not as great this time but with learning we have to face this fear of failure and understand that forgetting is part of learning. Reviewing past topics regularly is key to embedding new learning in a way that lightens the load come revision time.

If like my partner you see yourself as a "slow" learner redefine yourself as a "deeper" learner and refuse to be rushed.

#Reflection