Summer is not the time to take a break from learning.
Opportunities for learning do not sleep in the warm months. They do not fade with the years. They do not disappear when we ignore them.
In all the days of our lives, me must recognize the need to learn. We must seize opportunities for growth that arise from challenges in our lives or from a desire to expand our knowledge base.
Children of all ages should be challenged to accept the value of establishing learning goals and measuring success. Here are the three simple questions to ask of every person at the completion of every step in every educational journey. 1. What do I know? 2. What can I now do? 3. What have I experienced?
Think about each element:
Do I have new knowledge, how many things do I now understand, what facts can I quote, what data have I internalized, what have I learned about myself?
Can I use the new knowledge to create solutions to problems? Can I use a new skill for enjoyment?
Finally, how has opening myself to new experiences developed new insights and impacted my opinions?
The key to lifelong learning is to see the big picture, establish expected outcomes and debrief the lessons of each experience. When the summer fun fades the learning will be added to the lives of those who cultivate the process.
