Doc Meek

Posts Tagged ‘learning easily’

Wednesday, August 4, 2010. My oldest daughter’s birthday today! She’s all grown up, married, has two children, and left home long ago. 😮 Happy birthday, Tanya! And many more!

Tanya and her two daughters; photo from Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=1167193&op=1&o=global&view=global&subj=583987065&id=711955527&fbid=27865975527

Learning to love learning

Tanya is a good example of the importance of loving learning. If you don’t want to fall in love with learning, that’s OK. Just learn to enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it now, find a way–somehow–to learn to make it easier for yourself to study more efficiently and to remember longer. You can do it, believe me.

That’s what I teach my students in my private practice at THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE. When you learn to enjoy learning, or at least to enjoy becoming more competent, it will stand you in good stead your whole life through.

Tanya finished high school with good grades and went on to nursing school to pursue and obtain her RN (Registered Nurse) Certificate. Later, she completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing.

When she worked “up north,” as we say in Canada (it’s actually “down north,” in terms of elevation), she was both nurse and “doctor” in the sense that she was the only “medical” person for many miles around. She provided great service in Canada’s north.

Later, in more turbulent times

Later, when she was going through a “rough patch” in her life, she was so grateful to have secured post-secondary qualifications, as she was able to provide sufficient income to more than just survive.

So, pay attention girls. You never know what life will bring. Get all the education and/or training that you can and you will always congratulate yourself for looking after your future self as best you could.

When the going gets tough in your schooling, get help. Fortunately there is usually an abundance of help of all kinds for people who are trying to better themselves through advanced education or training.

To the best that is in you, girls!

Blessings, Doc Meek, Wednesday, August 4, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah ———————————–

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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I just published my first article for today (Saturday, June 12, 2010, in the morning), entitled: “Brains love movement & ‘take-a-break’ music (and maybe even a power nap?). If you wish to review that article, simple click on the title immediately below:

Brains love movement and “take-a-break” music (plus . . . maybe even a power nap?)

Someone reminded me that that is true for working brains. They do need a break from working and learning.

What about a learning brain in the very act of learning?

Herewith, my second article for today (Saturday, June 12, 2010, in the afternoon), entitled: “A learning brain learns best with color, movement, and gentle music.”

A brain that is actually in the process of learning–a learning brain–also likes movement, even while engaged in the very act of learning. Complex as the brain is, it still loves the simple things (color, movement, and gentle music), to help it learn more easily and remember better, stronger, longer.

What do you mean by color?

If you study and learn using pastel-colored paper with regular pens and pencils, or using multi-colored pens or pencils on regular white paper, you engage a part of the mind that loves color and enhances learning. Working on a blackboard at school (if it is colored green, as most are nowadays), with or without colored chalk, also stimulates the brain for most efficient learning.

Teacher Helping Student at Blackboard – bonniej; image from the following website:

http://teacher-mentorship.suite101.com/article.cfm/reflective-teaching-strategies-for-more-effective-k-8-instruction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What do you mean by movement?

If you can find ways to move your body while learning or studying, you will jump ahead of the class. 😮 An example at home might be jumping on a rebounder (mini-trampoline) while memorizing something you may have found not easy to memorize before. An example from the classroom might be squeezing a small soft sponge ball in your left hand while writing with your right hand (or vice versa if you are left-handed), which engages a part of your brain that loves physical movement and will help you learn better if you move part of your body in some way. Even chewing gum is helpful, although most teachers prefer this to be done at home. 😮

What do you mean by gentle music?

Not rock. That will just make your body want to move, while nullifying your thinking brain. 😮

The learning brain loves music that is swinging low and easy, about one beat per second or 60 beats to the minute, sometimes called “baroque” music. This engages a part of the brain that amplifies learning. Hey, you zing to the head of the class.

“Uprightness” is also needed for most efficient learning

This is a good topic for a future article. [See P.S. below for future article.]

Blessings and Friendship,

Doc Meek, Saturday, June 12, 2010 (2nd post, in the afternoon)

At Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA; not at South Jordan, Utah, USA

P.S. Click on the title below for this future article, published Thursday, June 24, 2010:

The learning brain needs “uprightness” for greatest efficiency

I previously wrote about the fun “Triple M Strategy” (Making Mental Movies): the easy way to increase reading comprehension and writing skills.

I did not remember to share some other aspects of Making Mental Movies.
I say to young and old alike:

“Some of you already know how to make mental movies and you
are doing it all the time, even if you haven’t thought about it yet.

“People who make mental movies of what they are seeing or
hearing or reading can easily remember what they have seen
or heard or read about, because they don’t have to remember
what they saw or heard or read about.

“These lucky people just re-wind the movie and play it in their
mind (projected out on to a screen in front of them, a small screen
or a big screen). These lucky people can then easily see what it
was they saw or heard or read about. It is easy to answer questions
when you can see your own movie on your own private screen
and see what happened.

“Hey, you don’t have to remember anything! Just look, see, say! 😮

What if you are not one of these lucky people who can make their
own movies and answer questions easily out of what they see on
their own private movie screen?

“Some people don’t know yet how to make movies in their head,
which they project outwards on to a screen in front of them. It
could be a smaller closer screen, or a bigger farther away screen..

“I used to spend a lot of time teaching people how to make their
own mental movies and project them out onto their own screen
in front of them.

“Then I discovered a big secret!

“It doesn’t matter whether you know how to make mental movies
or not. It doesn’t matter if you know how to project mental movies
out on to your own private screen in front of you.

“If you already know how to do this, great! You are lucky!

“If you don’t already know how to do this, it doesn’t matter!
You are just as lucky as the others! Wow. 😮

“If you don’t know how to make mental movies and project them
out on to a screen in front of you, just pretend!

“Just pretend!

“Pretending works just as well as if you already knew how! WOW!

Doc Meek

Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA; and South Jordan, Utah, USA

I responded to a teacher who suggested that I write about writing, to help her students:

Thank you for the suggestion! I’ve never tried to describe this in an email.

I have always felt I had to do it in person, to demonstrate in in order to get mutual understanding. So, here goes, responding to your suggestion to try this via email. I may not succeed, OK?

[It’s OK if I make mistakes; that’s how I learn.] – Classroom “TRUTH SIGN”
From page 51 of Dr. Harmin’s book entitled STRATEGIES TO INSPIRE ACTIVE LEARNING: Complete Handbook. (Published 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2002.)

Here is what I say to an individual student, or a class, with whom I am working:

“OK, now I would like you to think about writing this story, essay [whatever].

“Remember, the first thing you do when you are going to write on the blank page in front of you, is to lay down your pen. Yes, whenever you have to write anything like this, first lay down your pen.

“Now, close your eyes and make a mental movie about what you are thinking of writing. If you don’t know yet what you are going to write about, close you eyes and just let mental pictures come to you of various things until you spot a picture that is interesting or appealing to you in some way, or that you like, and then make a mental movie about that.

“How to make a mental movie? Well, to keep it interesting, make it in color (say on your pretend screen out in front of you, out in front of your closed eyes, a comfortable distance from you). Make the screen farther away and huge if you wish, so you can see it clearly, or make it smaller and closer so you can still see it clearly. Whatever you like.

“If you know what you want to write about, make a mental movie of that. Have fun with this and remember that you can change it any way you want. It’s your movie… you’re the director… and you can create any kind of movie you want.

“Make it simple to start. It needs 3 parts.

“Have a beginning, a middle, and an end to your movie.

“Have fun with this. There is no limit to your imagination here.

“You could even add a sound track to make it more interesting, right?

“Do the sound track inside your head, just like the color movie, so your are
not bothering anyone else! :o)

“When you’ve done the beginning, the middle, and the end of your movie,
rewind it to the beginning, and watch it to see how it goes. If you like it,
rewind again, open your eyes, pick up your pen, and start writing out on
paper what you are seeing in your movie.

“Don’t try to remember everything. Just watch a little bit of the movie, write
a little of what you are seeing, watch a little bit more, write a little bit more,
and so on.

“That’s right, I am glad to see you taking the time to have fun creating
your movie before you write anything down on paper.

“If you don’t like the beginning of your movie, change it, rewind and play
it to see how it looks now, enjoying how this new beginning fits in with
your middle and your end.

“If you don’t like the middle of your movie, rewind and create a new middle.
Same for the end.

“OK, so let’s see how much fun we can all have with this!

“Hey, you can even star in your own movie if you want to. It’s your movie!

“You can always fix your movie up by rewinding and changing it any way
you like. It’s a lot easier than trying to do a re-write on paper, because you
can fix the movie very quickly in your mind.

“Your brain can work a lot faster than your hand and pen.”

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