Regardless, education is nothing if it does not provide a certain degree of general knowledge and culture of other fields. In order to prevent schools and colleges from spawning specialists that are laser-focused on their field alone, the practice of quick learning has gained increasing popularity in the last years. However, tackling and even partly understanding a subject in a brief time can be extremely demanding. Mixing it with other starkly different matters of interest only adds more difficulty. As such, a few techniques and practices have to be adopted and mastered in order to successfully engage in quick learning.
They are masters of prioritizing
In order to be able to tackle different topics and a large quantity of information in a short period of time, the ability to self-organization is key. Quick learners are excellent in setting priorities[1] and achievable objectives for themselves. To do this successfully and consistently, one needs to play around his or her own personality and study habits as there are nearly as many learning styles as there are people. A careful, studied approach to a subject can save a lot of time and help outline its important parts.
They know how to motivate themselves
Connected to the previous point, benchmarking is the practice of organizing any task into sub-goals. This breaking down of a titanic assignment works well as an incentive. Humans are wired to receive a degree of satisfaction upon completing a task. For that reason, large and time-consuming activities can seem like an eternity. Quick learners, however, use benchmarking to keep themselves motivated and energized throughout the entire time of the project or task. This keeps productivity at elevated levels and brings about the peace of mind specific to a job well done.
They are good at asking for help and collaborating
Lots of organized, disciplined and intelligent individuals make the mistake of relying solely on their own ability to cope with an immense amount of information. As a result, their data absorption rate is modest and their comprehension of the studied subject is approximate. By comparison, quick learners know how to collaborate and ask the right questions. By doing so, they lower the information load on themselves, allowing for a better understanding of diverse subjects. Students, for example, can now access collaborative learning platforms such as Edmodo[2], where they can engage with teachers, take quizzes in order to test their knowledge on various topics, as well as manage their progress.
They spend time and effort to revise and practice
Human memory is not perfect. As such, what was once thoroughly understood and memorized may sooner or later fade away. Foreign languages are the best example of this occurrence. Left unpracticed for a longer period of time, words and expressions are easily forgotten. Quick learners constantly go over what they have studied, rewriting or outlining notes in order to keep the information at least partly fresh.
They learn from every failure
Success, as prized as it is by society, can result in a weakening of the ability to deal with new and challenging circumstances. In short, failure can foster adaptability, whereas success is more likely to lead to overconfidence. Quick learners do not become frustrated and most of all, they do not give up. Instead, they extract new techniques and methods of learning from each failure.
They do the right thing in the right place
The importance of the surroundings during learning is evident to anyone. Focusing requires calm, quiet and a lack of distractions. However, changing the environment can have a significant impact on one’s ability to learn in that moment. As such, regularly switching from the usual dark room to the park or a library is beneficial and recommended. One trick is to tie a certain subject of interest to a location. For example, a med student may study embryology in the library, biochemistry at home and read up on anatomy in the park.
They rely on hard copies to help them concentrate better
Technology is greatly influencing learning styles. One of the visible changes is that smartphones, tablets and laptops are gradually pushing print out of the usual work space or classroom. Nowadays, students no longer confine themselves for hours on end in the library to study dusty manuals, nor do they fight for who gets to use the single copy of a certain work. Instead, information is made readily available to them online. Papers, studies, reports, syntheses of greater books are all a click away. However, when it comes to learning, researchers have found[3]that about 90% of students prefer hard copy or print for school work. Similarly, 92% would choose a printed version when dealing with a longer text. The same percent report to be able to concentrate better when reading a hard copy. Significantly, the same study reveals that 85% of American students said that they find it easier to multi-task when reading on a laptop or tablet.
They choose to believe in themselves when there is any self-doubt
The traditional view is that to be able to understand and practice something, you need intelligence, skill, and good learning habits such as the aforementioned ones. However, according a private internet access Netflix expert[4] he said “it is an underlying sense of self-efficacy, personal agency and the motivational and behavioral processes to put these self-beliefs into effect.” Simply put, educational psychologists have discovered the complex role that self-doubts, false beliefs, unfortunate self-monitoring and strategy choice dilemmas play in the cognitive process of learning. To be able to learn something is thus connected to one’s balance and beliefs about the self-motivation and self-confidence being prime movers towards success, something which quick learners have mastered. By following these 8 techniques to appropriating information, quick learners are able not only to go over a large quantity of data, but to also achieve higher levels of comprehension. Their example might be the model of the future, a time in which information only continues to expand and to become more and more diversified.
