0019 10 Easy Ways to Learn More
The Brief
Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen to the Architecture Student Diaries where it is my mission to help you kill it in Architecture school whilst making you, the best you in the process. Learning is something we as humans do from the moment that we are born. Like all animals we instinctively learn our fundamental functions to allow us to live life, sometimes this is with a bit of a helping hand from someone older. These functions include crawling, walking, talking, drinking, eating and basically how survive as a human. As we start to get older though, we are programmed and instructed by society to learn more complex answers and functions through our school years as children and teenagers. However, as we reach adulthood learning becomes no longer a requirement, but rather a choice; and it is those who do not choose to continue learning that typically get left behind.
For an exercise here you could look at Charles Darwin’s ‘On The Origen Of Species’ and see that it was those animals that did not adapt to their environments and threats that eventually become extinct through natural selection; one can compare this with a human who does not continue to learn as our world and technologies evolve. Now that’s heavy, I know, and I’m not saying that if you don’t continue to learn that your blood line is destined to die out, but rather I am just attempting to outline how truly critical learning is to humanity. If you want to ensure that you continue to learn and grow as a person, this class is for you. Outlined through this session are 10 quick and simple ways to continue your learning in adulthood and to train your brain to learn more effectively, to ensure you don’t get left behind in adulthood.
Below is a breakdown of what we will discuss in today's lesson:
Ask Questions
Practice Your Skills
Attend Seminars and Workshops
Learn in Multiple Ways
Do Not Multitask
Experience New Things
Watch Documentaries
Read Books
Use Online Learning Platforms
Read The Architecture Student Diaries
Now, let’s get into it. Class is now in session.
1. Ask Questions
It’s scary, I know. Putting your hand up in front of a class or going up to someone and asking for an answer to something you don’t know, and then worrying about sounding stupid to them and those around you; everyone feels this. Asking questions can be daunting, but it is one of the most effective ways to learn more. Whether it be asking someone to clarify something they just said or asking for more information, this is a sure-fire way to expand your knowledge. Ask your tutor or professor questions, your classmates, your boss at work, or an architect that you meet one day. Typically, people like to talk, especially if it is about something they know and are interested in. The odds are that if you run into an architect who designed a building you really like and you want to know what inspired them, they are going to be more than willing to have a conversation with you about it, just ask them; you’ll get your answer and potentially find a new contact in the process.
2. Practice Your Skills
You know the saying: “Practice Makes Perfect.” If you want to learn to be a better sketcher, guitarist, photographer, or anything in life, the number one way to learn and improve is to continue practicing. It is well documented that learning through doing is a successful strategy to ensure that the information that you have learnt stays with you as it stimulates more areas of the brain than simply reading or listening to what do to. John Dewey, one of the most well-known and influential educators of the 20th century and creator of the ‘Dewey Theory” revolutionised education by introducing Progressive Learning which in theory routes back to hands on learning as opposed to simply watching and listening. So, if you want to learn to get better, keep practicing.
3. Attend Seminars and Workshops
University teaches you how to learn, not how to do; seminars and workshops teach you how to do, with what University taught you to learn. These types of learning experiences are usually much more of a step-by-step process where you are shown exactly how to do something, rather than you needing to find the answers for yourself like in a University paper. There are literally thousands of seminars and workshops run every day around the world, on a near limitless number of topics and interest areas; so, you’re guaranteed to be able to find one suited for you. Seminars come in all shapes and sizes from free one-hour online sessions to $10,000.00 fortnight-long conventions, and just because the free ones are free does not mean that they necessarily have less valuable content; however, there are exceptions. It is common for government bodies to hold free seminars on different topics regularly, even though they don’t make financial gains they still gain in other ways as it assists them to strengthen their society and have better educated people. Have a search online and find a seminar or workshop that interests you and learn something new today!
4. Learn in Multiple Ways
People learn in different ways; this is a known fact. There are several different learning styles and ways in which one can learn, many of which are outlined in this class. However, it has been found that learning the same thing in more than one different way can assist in reinforcing this learning as you will not be only learning in one region of the brain but many. The below outlines a few ways to hit multiple areas of the brain when learning to better reinforce your knowledge.
Know how you Learn:
Some people are visual learners who learn by watching, some are auditory learners who learn by listening, some are kinesthetic learners who learn through physically doing things and some are reading/writing learners who learn through the written word. It is important to find out which learning style best suits you, but this doesn’t mean you should only learn in that style. Further to this, there are many other ways to learn such as the following:
Learn by Linking to Past knowledge:
By linking what you want to learn to something you already know you can strengthen the connection in your memory and thus remember it easier. For example, if you want to learn how to draw two-point perspective image, try to link the process back to something you already know; this may be one point perspective drawings, or isometric drawing. If you can find connections, you only actually have to learn half of this new information.
Learn by Teaching Others:
knowledge in your brain. If you learn something from your tutor and you want to remember it, try to put it into your own words and then teach it to a friend. If they have learnt what you told them and what you told them matches what the tutor told you, congratulations! You have now properly learnt that lesson.
5. Do Not Multitask
You may think that multitasking is a benefit and a time saver, in some cases this is correct, but in learning it is definitely not. By doing multiple tasks at once you are forcing your brain power to constantly shift between different things, each time that it shifts it needs to refocus to the new item. Because of this shift you not only lose time, but you lose focus. If you multitask when you are trying to learn, you are never truly putting 100% brain power into the learning activity and so you are likely to miss things, take longer to learn whatever it is you are trying to, and make mistakes.
6. Experience New Things
One of the easiest ways to learn more is to experience new things. Think about it, when you do something new, you’re automatically learning about it or how to do it. If you kick a soccer ball for the first time, you’re learning how just by moving your leg, if you go to Hawaii, you’re learning what Hawaii looks like just by standing and walking. It’s as simple as that. if you continue to strive to simply experience new things, new cultures, and new places you’re always going to be learning without even trying. Easy, right? These things can be as big or small as you want them to be. Let’s make this a bit more topical to architecture: The next time that you have a free afternoon, go for a walk or drive along a street or through a town that you haven’t been before, look at the structures around you, both man made and natural. By doing this you are learning about that areas vernacular design and new styles that you might be able to use in your work in the future!
7. Watch Documentaries
Another easy way to learn more is simply by watching documentaries. Never in human history has it been so simple to expand your knowledge. All the worlds information is now at the click of a mouse on your computer, or better yet, a press of a button on your Netflix account. There are so many streaming services out now that I am not even going to bother listing them, but one thing they all have in common is that they have documentaries galore. Think of a documentary as a textbook that has been turned into a movie; like Twilight being transformed from a novel into a movie but less cringeworthy and more educational. With documentaries you can learn just about anything you want while sitting on your couch, under a blanket and drinking a cup of coffee. So, get binging.
8. Read Books
I read. A lot. Shocker, huh? In Steven Hawking’s book ‘Brief Answers to the Big Questions’, Hawking’s explains that if the world stacked all new books up in a line as they are published, to keep up with the line you would need to be moving at 145km/h (90m/h) … That’s a lot of books! There is a reason that so many books are produced, and that is because people want to read them. The key intention of a book is to transfer information, whether this by theories of the universe or a bedtime story for a child. Regardless of the content, books are for learning. They are easily accessible, can be physical or on your smart device and when compared to the knowledge gained from them, are quite cheap. I will admit some books are expensive, but that reflects the effort put into them; it is no different than a qualified architect charging more than a standard building designer. Reading always has been and always will be a terrific way to learn.
9. Use Online Learning Platforms
Today’s internet age is a true gift to those of us who want to learn more. When compared to what was required to learn new things in the past, what we can access now with a few mouse clicks is astonishing. I have touched on platforms like LinkedIn Learning, MasterClass and Skillshare in other classes of mine in the past such as 0016 What to do in Your Spare Time. Online platforms such as these put some of the world’s best educators right at your fingertips with guided classes on almost anything you would like to learn. Most of these services do have fees similar to that of Netflix, though many universities offer free access to LinkedIn Learning which I take advantage of a fair bit. LinkedIn Learning has a tutorial for almost anything you would like to learn from Microsoft 365, Leadership workshops and Podcast making. If you want to learn in a fun, fast and modern way, check out one of these platforms.
10. Read The Architecture Student Diaries
Of course, I had to add this one in here. You’re already reading this, so you clearly are on the right track to making the most of your learning and being the best you, and I applaud you for that. Here at TASD I strive to help you as much as I can by putting out content like this that will help you not only in your studies at architecture school, but in life in general. To make sure you get the most out of your time at University and your future career, keep spending time here and you will notice things getting easier. Also, if you know anyone else who might benefit from reading TASD, make sure to let them know and make them part of the TASD community too!
Final Notes
Learning is so important to who we are as people and to allow us to continue to develop in our futures, both professionally and personally. We learn from day one and never stop, it is just part of who we are as humans. I hope that these 10 tips for learning more will assist you in your journey. Is there something that you have been wanting to learn for a long time but haven’t yet? Did this class inspire you to learn or try something new? Let me know in the comments and please like and share so more people can start learning new things to with TASD!
Ladies and Gentlemen, class dismissed.
Iain Colliver, SONA, YBA, GKIHS
