Learn the Best Way and From the Best Teachers

 "I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn," said the genius Albert Einstein. If you can figure out the conditions in which you learn best, you will learn more. Everyone learns differently. Some of us absorb information better if we hear it (auditory learners). Some of us learn better if we see it (visual learners.) Some need lots of distraction in order to get focused. Some of us think better in a serene environment.

Heidi: I like quiet and methodical learning situations. But I always remember a brilliant roommate I had in college. She couldn’t study unless she had earphones with rock and roll music blasting in her ears. Also, I’m a visual learner; I have to see what I’m learning, so I write it down. One of my sons, on the other hand, doesn’t take notes, but he seems to be able to repeat much of what he hears.

Sam: I learn best when I understand how the subject will make me a better and more effective person. Taking notes and reviewing them from time to time is also helpful for me.

So...how do you learn best?

Many of us have had important teachers in our lives--relatives, school teachers, and friends. Who have been your teachers? Why were they a good influence? Ultimately, everyone has something to teach us, even our employees and our kids.

Heidi: The teachers throughout my life have been the people who encouraged me and showed me that I had more potential than I realized. They all had a giving spirit and wanted me to reach my dreams. Sam is the most encouraging mentor and teacher I have ever had.

Sam: My best teachers were those who challenged me to do better. The most influential was a high school social studies teacher who gave me a B when others who had lower scores got as. She explained that, based on the students’ past work, she knew that I could have done better than I did, whereas the others in the class had done the best work they could do.

(Written by Samuel K. Freshman and Heidi Clingen, authors of TheSmartestWay™ to Succeed Series and to Save—Why You Can’t Hang on to Money and What to Do About It.)