LOL Learning Cycles

As a student (in a formal school, the school of hard knocks or just of life) being a fast learner, and being able to get the most out of your learning opportunities helps. I had a programming professor have a hard time believing how little time I'd been studying the topic. By understanding these three learning cycles, I can better optimize my efforts. First is the theory and practice cycle where compare them to keep ourselves on track. Second is the motivation, effort and goals cycle taking us through all of our actions, which are learning opportunities. Last are those eureka moments that seem to strike out of the blue.

With all the different breakdowns of learning behaviors, it seems pointless to try to create a general approach using subjective parts. These three cycles show the objective structure I see in learning. It's like writing. The tools, personal way of holding the tools, handwriting style and more are all individualized, but the act of writing can be shown generally to help everybody with the letters, words, tools types and mediums used in writing.

Theory & Practice

Theory is all in our heads, while practice is what's done with our hands. Theory without practice lacks a grounding in reality, while practice without theory is grounded from flights of fancy. By putting them together with connect dreams with reality, so we can find ways to make dreams into reality.

Motivation, Effort & Goals

This learning cycle is a general doing cycle. Without motivation, there is no effort. Without effort, goals will not be reached. With motivation, we will put out effort, which is needed to reach a goal. The types of motivation, effort and goals affect how effective we will be.

Eureka

Our efforts, fueled by motivation and guided by goals and what we have found out, can blind us to more success. It's simply that we need to take breaks, act in moderation and do other things. The different patterns in life can show us new ways of thinking about a problem. If we do new things, while motivated to do more, we increase the odds of having eureka moments.

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