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| From: http://www.instituteforhabitsofmind.com/quotes/139 |
We learn every day--from what happens in our lives, from what happens in school. Everyday we learn things that we can use later on in life. Be it a simple math formula that can come in handy when we learn a new topic in Math later on, or a problem encountered that constitutes a learning experience that can prove useful in similar situations in the future. Every day is a chance for us to acquire new knowledge and to grow as persons. Every new experience, every new piece of knowledge gained can be useful for us, for life.
Many students make the mistake of learning in silos--not taking the knowledge and experience gained in their personal lives and in other academic disciplines, and using this knowledge to inform their learning and life decisions. A project that went bust in school can help you understand what works and what doesn't, and this knowledge can prove handy in another project endeavour, or when one works later on in life. Something that you've read about before and affected you on a personal level can be used as material in an essay writing test later on in the future. What you learn in science and technology can inform what you learn in expository writing. Everything that you've learnt in the past can be applied as knowledge in new situations!
Philosopher John Dewey once said, "We do not learn from our experiences; we learn by reflecting on our experiences." Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson also once said, "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood." Let these quotes be your guiding principles and know that "Learning is the ability to make sense out of something you observe based on your past experience and being able to take that observations and associate it with meaning." -- Ruth and Art Winter. Continue to learn and reflect on experience, think about the times you've succeeded because you applied past knowledge to new situations, and cultivate the good habit of mind of thinking back and recalling lessons learnt and how these lessons can be applicable to your future life and learning!
