1 Why Learn How to Learn?

Why Learn How to Learn?

Many students pursue a college degree with a specific life goal in mind, such as entry into a career field, or advancement within a profession in which they are already working. Even if coming into college without a solid idea for a major, the shared experience of college students is an understanding that a college degree may greatly increase the likelihood of a satisfying career and financial stability. Yet college students increasingly need to balance academics with other areas of life, including being an employee, parent, caretaker, and life partner. If you are reading this as a college student, you likely already recognize that time is one of your most valuable commodities. You need to be able to get the most out of every class meeting, every assigned reading or learning task, every group study session, every other moment you are dedicating to your learning instead of your other life pursuits, roles, and responsibilities.

Learning certainly can be challenging, and frankly should be. Learning only happens with effort, since cognitive “heavy lifting” is what physically changes the brain to create memories, connections, and insights. Much like building a muscle or physical endurance, the hard work results in growth of the mind. Learning also takes frequent, consistent practice. Just as becoming better at guitar, playing basketball, or a favorite video game takes repetition, effort, and time, academic learning requires that effort and commitment. And, much like we notice when our muscles grow, we also notice when we are becoming better at guitar, basketball, a video game, or an academic subject like Economics, Chemistry, Latin, or Creative Writing. It’s joyful and exciting to see the fruits of our efforts take shape, yet it also can be stressful and frustrating when we do not see the gains we are seeking.

When students begin to learn about learning, a common response is, “I didn’t know there was another way of doing it!” This is not surprising, as most college students never learned HOW to learn. Every college student, new and returning, creates opportunity by asking an important question: “Are my academic habits working for me?” That is, are your efforts leading to the levels of learning and academic performance that you want, or perhaps need for your major or professional goals? Many students continue the same behaviors from the past, even if the results are not ideal. There are two reasons for this. First, when something is a habit, it’s comfortable, and change is hard. Secondly, many students don’t realize that there are other ways of approaching learning.

Regardless of how you have done academically in the past, everyone has room for improvement. Would becoming a bit more efficient with time management be helpful? Or, how about being able to read a chapter or article and be able to remember and apply the information? Perhaps a few tips on how to study for exams may be worth exploring? This book will address specific strategies for learning efficiently and effectively, providing tools for making the most of academic “time-on-task”, and for continuing progress towards degree completion. It will help you avoid common learning challenges, and instead increase your memory, understanding, academic performance, and enjoyment of learning.