Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Learning Something New is Hard

In If it were easy… from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin states.

“When difficulties arise, it might very well be good news. Because those difficulties may dissuade all the people who aren’t as dedicated as you are.”

My parents always told me that if it was hard to learn how to do, then it might be something important or everyone would be doing it.

If something is hard to learn, there are fewer people that know how to do it so my skills might be worth something to someone else.

In my mind, quilting is hard. I have friends who quilt and make beautiful quilts. Some of them sell their quilts for a lot of money to people who want a quilt but can’t make it themselves.

I love to knit but it has taken me quite a few years to build up my skills in order to make things that I think are good enough to sell. Learning to knit was not as hard as perfecting my skills. I knew the technique but putting it all together was hard. By putting the techniques together, I’ve been able to make beautiful things.

I want my students to know that learning something new is hard for everyone. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how much education you may have had. Learning anything new comes with a price. It takes time, patience, and practice.

When I struggle with something new, I try to complete my project and then decide if it is worth my time to continue to practice. If it is something I really want to do, I need to commit to practicing even though I’m struggling. I have faith that the more I practice, the easier it will become. This is what I want my students to understand.

Learning to read was not easy, but now I can do it without even thinking about it. I can read for pleasure or for work. Reading opens my mind to a lot of new adventures. As long as I can read, I feel like I can do anything. I want my students to feel the same way.

Learning to drive was not easy and it took a lot of practice before I became comfortable with it. Once I learned to drive and had a car, it opened the world to me.

I want my students to realize that even though I have a college degree, I still go through the same learning process that they go through every time I want to learn something new. There is no magic point in life where everything is easy. Let’s face it, life is hard so learning new things in life is not going to be any easier.

How do you help your students deal with this concept? Please share.

1 comment:

LPU - STN Distance Education & Learning Center in Chandigarh said...

Pre-knowledge helps people to connect with new information and build on existing knowledge, which makes it easier to learn new skills even more.

Diploma through Distance Education