Student Answers – Frequently Asked Questions

Whether you are learning how to play the guitar or learning how to ride a bicycle, there are two ways that most people learn. One method is the “just do it” method or the so-called “dive-in” method. If things don’t turn out right, you simply make changes to what doesn’t work and try again. Nobody can predict whether you will succeed eventually. It is also not known why this method is successful, it just is. This is the type of thinking that encourages some parents to throw their babies into swimming pools to help hem learn to swim. Or successful entrepreneurs who take a risk on an idea or concept.

Then there is the other method, which is “think about it” method. It involves thinking and analyzing a problem before jumping into it. In this method, decisions are made only after the outcomes have been carefully considered. This method is controlled by knowing what will happen. For some people, it gives them a certain amount of assurance, if they are worried about the consequences.

Obviously, both methods have pros and cons. But each situation has to be evaluated to find out which method will work best in any given scenario. When launching a mission to the moon, for example, the astronauts cannot hope that they will find the right course and hit their target simply by trial and error. All known possible outcomes and new problems must come to light in the many practice runs in simulators. They would fail disastrously if they tried to navigate in the vacuum of space if the “try first, discuss later” method is chosen. For a mission of this complexity and cost, every single detail has to be precisely calculated before the launch and every single detail planned, including back ups. On the other hand, children can learn to walk, swim or cycle through trial and error. In these skills, they do not need to know the physical laws that govern their motion.

A child learning to ride a bicycle must be aware of certain rules, often the unspoken ones. For instance, if the bicycle starts to tilt to the left, he must turn the handle to the right. The child does not need to know about the law of gravity, inertia, or physics to figure that out for long. Nobody has told him what happens when the bicycle tilts, experience alone is enough to teach him what the consequences will be.

When the child has become a skilled cyclist, all the necessary movements are automatically ingrained in their ability and they don’t even need to concentrate on their steering. They can admire the landscape instead, or talk to a friend, listen to music or even eat and drink. At a certain stage, they may even show off and take their hands off the handlebars, trusting their momentum and sense of balance will prevent them from crashing into a tree or shrub.

Not many people are aware that they can train their memory to remember a multitude of information. Like riding a bicycle, it may be a bit challenging at first but the rewards of such an endeavor far outweigh the initial difficulties. But the good news is, just like learning how to ride a bicycle, there is a “training wheel” stage where the student uses what he or she is already familiar with. For example, you will already know the parts of your body or an area that you are very familiar with like your house or the usual route to work or school. Such memory techniques and memory training methods have been used since time immemorable, long before computers and digital diaries were invented. Once the student is familiar with the workings of the mind, he or she can progress to more advanced learning modality.

A trained memory is definitely an asset. Not only does it save valuable time for any student, it’s very important in daily home or working life. In today’s fast paced environment, sometimes we need all the help we can get and it can and should be fun too. So why not experiment on your own to find out ways you can use your very own imagination to help you learn better and remember better. Remember, if you can’t accept a few scrapes and knocks here and there, you’ll never experience the thrill of the wind blowing in your hair.