The 3A's of learning - Part 1
One of the theories that I subscribe to about learning is the 3As. They are Awareness, Application and Attitude. Let me start with the Awareness.
Why is it important to be aware of new things? Why can't we stick with the tried and through methods, cry my lazy readers? Being aware of new things help one to differentiate things, anticipate when things are obsolete or at least approaching their decline and to open one's mind to possibilities.
Let me give a more concrete example. Recently, I learnt about a bird called the Asian Koel. I was actually studying about crows and birds that look similar to them when I encountered these brood parasites. Yup, the Asian Koel is actually a cuckoo. The male Asian Koel has black feathers with red eyes and pale looking bill. The female looked rather different. I noted that it had stripes and red eyes.
Yesterday, I was at a park when I noticed an odd bird. I had dismissed it as a dove except that it had a striped tail. Still, striped tails are not much for me to go on.
Moreover, once I had taken a photo of the size of the bird, I realized that if it was a dove, it was loading up on steroids. (For the bodybuilders out there, it should read human growth hormones (HGH). Steroids only increase muscle mass. This bird was hulking out as well.) From the silhouette below, I knew that it was not likely to be something I had seen.
I started looking for the red eyes. In the out of focus shot below, I noted that the striped breast and red eyes.
A closer look. But not a prettier picture.
Let Wikipedia explain the rest. "The female of the nominate race is brownish on the crown and has rufous streaks on the head. The back, rump and wing coverts are dark brown with white and buff spots. The underparts are whitish, but is heavily striped."
So what did awareness of the Asian Koel make a difference? If I was not aware of the Asian Koel, I might have given up once I failed to capture a good picture of the bird at the first few tries. I might have assumed also dismiss all-coloured birds as doves.
I cannot predict when awareness of an issue will pay off. Nobody gave me a timetable for life. There is stuff in my brain that will never be used. Some even have to be replaced without ever seeing the light. The greatest benefit of awareness makes it difficult for me to be ignorant.
"Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth." Ludwig Borne
Why is it important to be aware of new things? Why can't we stick with the tried and through methods, cry my lazy readers? Being aware of new things help one to differentiate things, anticipate when things are obsolete or at least approaching their decline and to open one's mind to possibilities.
Let me give a more concrete example. Recently, I learnt about a bird called the Asian Koel. I was actually studying about crows and birds that look similar to them when I encountered these brood parasites. Yup, the Asian Koel is actually a cuckoo. The male Asian Koel has black feathers with red eyes and pale looking bill. The female looked rather different. I noted that it had stripes and red eyes.
Yesterday, I was at a park when I noticed an odd bird. I had dismissed it as a dove except that it had a striped tail. Still, striped tails are not much for me to go on.
Moreover, once I had taken a photo of the size of the bird, I realized that if it was a dove, it was loading up on steroids. (For the bodybuilders out there, it should read human growth hormones (HGH). Steroids only increase muscle mass. This bird was hulking out as well.) From the silhouette below, I knew that it was not likely to be something I had seen.
I started looking for the red eyes. In the out of focus shot below, I noted that the striped breast and red eyes.
A closer look. But not a prettier picture.
Let Wikipedia explain the rest. "The female of the nominate race is brownish on the crown and has rufous streaks on the head. The back, rump and wing coverts are dark brown with white and buff spots. The underparts are whitish, but is heavily striped."
So what did awareness of the Asian Koel make a difference? If I was not aware of the Asian Koel, I might have given up once I failed to capture a good picture of the bird at the first few tries. I might have assumed also dismiss all-coloured birds as doves.
I cannot predict when awareness of an issue will pay off. Nobody gave me a timetable for life. There is stuff in my brain that will never be used. Some even have to be replaced without ever seeing the light. The greatest benefit of awareness makes it difficult for me to be ignorant.
"Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth." Ludwig Borne
Comments
Post a Comment