Tip of the Month: July 2006
From Mastery of Learning
Be willing to be as ignorant as you are.
There are several aspects that are important to learning effectively. First, there is a curiosity or interest in learning the new subject. Then there is uncovering the structure or organization of the information that you want to learn. Next, there is relating it to what you already know. And finally there is testing your knowledge.
The most important condition is being willing to be as ignorant as you are, being willing to admit that you don’t understand, that you don’t know. Being willing to be as ignorant as you are allows you to relax as you learn. It allows you to find out where you need to start and it lets you know what questions you need to ask. It leaves you with fewer preconceptions and filters as you engage in the learning process.
Relax. Be willing to be as ignorant as you are (but no more ignorant).
