Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we must be accountable for who we become.
My husband has been teaching from home.
It has prompted me to think about the pros and cons of online learning.
Although I would miss the social interaction and extra-curricular activities, I would have preferred to learn from home had I a serene work environment.
In my coaching certification courses, I became aware of the following learning styles:
Visual learners (pictures, graphs, diagrams, maps)
Auditory learners (listening, speaking, watching videos)
Kinaesthetic learners (doing, moving, acting, experiencing)
None of these seemed to describe how I learn. I process information best by reading and writing - an additional learning style I have now come across.
From an early age, our son Christian demonstrated an ability to learn visually, aurally and experientially, also known as multi-modal learning. He enjoyed sketching, illustrating, reading, writing, listening, acting, animating, speaking, and even singing. As the founder of Popcross Studios, he now teaches and entertains aspiring artists.
Christian reaches an audience of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners. He puts out two videos per week, writes his own scripts, edits, illustrates, acts, and interacts with his subscribers. Please click here to view a very entertaining recent vlog (video blog).
Unlike Christian, if I watch an educational video, I have to write down the information to remember it.
After watching a movie, I seldom recall the plot. I prefer to read the story.
There are so many opportunities to learn from online summits and podcasts. But when given a choice, if there is a transcript for the content presented, I gratefully choose to read it. It’s faster and more efficient for me. But I aspire to become a multi-modal learner like Christian.
Childhood priming may have something to do with my learning style
First of all, I had no access to television until I was approaching ten and computers until I was in grade 11. I learned to program using punch cards on a mainframe. And it wasn’t until the 1990’s that we got a personal computer at home.
Second, English is not my native tongue. In elementary school, I could not understand a word the teacher said. I had to go home and re-learn from the textbooks - highly inefficient. It made me feel inadequate.
Third, in my first year in Canada, a teacher was very impressed by a story I wrote. She asked me to share it with the class. I mispronounced several words. I recall pronouncing bear as beer. My classmates thought it was hilarious. In context, it probably was. But, the story was not funny. I was so embarrassed.
After this incident and several similar ones, I lived in fear of being tested orally. I became quiet. Even though I was a strong reader, when asked to read aloud, I struggled. And while I aced written exams and assignments and should have been a year ahead, my timidity held me back.
I felt such shame. In fact, like Jim Kwik, author of Limitless, I spent so much of my time in school trying to shrink so small that I would not be visible in class.
To this day, given oral instructions, I occasionally create so much noise in my head that I cannot process the information.
To compensate for my inability to express myself orally, I attracted friends and relationships who welcomed the opportunity to finish my sentences for me. It made me feel safer. I was content to hide in someone else’s shadow.
Awareness helps create change. In midlife, I found my voice
It started with taking the Dale Carnegie Course while working on Bay Street. I had to become resilient and overcome my fear of public speaking and visibility.
Later, I challenged myself at Toastmasters. Peer evaluations were humbling but, I persevered. I had to become thick-skinned.
I volunteered for speaking opportunities every chance I could. I embraced the challenge. Although my presentation skills still need polishing, I no longer shy away from the stage.
Throughout school, I was competent in maths and sciences. But in high school, I started to flourish in English. I loved writing essays and fiction.
Sadly, my first English assignment in university was marked so harshly that I lost confidence in my writing ability.
More recently, I took a course on book publishing. For practice, I committed to starting by writing one blog per week. So far, so good. This year is my second attempt. Life got a little bit crazy a few years after my initial effort.
I do recall a child prodigy once say, if you accomplish a fraction of what you’re capable of, you’ll amaze yourself. I continue to diversify my learning styles and abilities.
I will close with another quote from Jim Kwik’s book: Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life.
Becoming limitless is not just about accelerated learning, speed-reading, and having an incredible memory. Yes, you will learn how to do all of that and more. But being limitless is not about being perfect. It’s about progressing beyond what you currently believe is possible.
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