Relate

Knowledge is like the ocean. It is expanding and no boundaries. We are like fish, we always swim and explore the knowledge to make ourselves a better person. Many people think that learning is struggling. We crack our head and sacrifice our leisure time to learn new things. Therefore, we always want to find a simple way to gain new knowledge. Two methods can enhance your learning experience.  

        The first method is the scientific approach. Are you still remember when you are doing a science experiment during high school time? A science report consists of hypothesis, procedure, results, discussion, and conclusion. We can use this approach to apply in learning new things.  In this book it shares four simple steps:   

1.     Write a hypothesis

2.     Test the theory

3.     Conclude

4.     Think about future improvement    

                    

Hypothesis means to try to form an assumption after you have obtained the information from learning materials. Next, you can try to develop a series of actions to test the theory. Record the results from the action. Try to learn from a mistake and think about how to improve in the future.

Let me share with you an example. I am interested to learn cooking. Firstly, I learn how to fry noodles. I surf the internet and find a recipe that shows how to cook a delicious fried noodle. After I have found a recipe from one website, I am attracted to the image. The fried noodle looks tasty! I am incredibly happy because I found a recipe to fry the noodle. Now I give a symbol to this recipe, recipe A. form a hypothesis: If I follow the recipe A, I can cook a delicious fried noodle.

 Secondly, I go prepare the ingredients and write down a procedure by referring to the recipe.  I set a date to cook a noodle. Set a date can avoid procrastination!  I start to fry the noodles after all the ingredients and cooking utensils are ready in the kitchen. In the beginning, I pour the cooking oil to the frying pan. Next, I fried the meat and fish cake. Noodles are poured into a frying pan after meat is cooked. I fried the noodles and add the salt and some seasoning. Thirdly, vegetables and scrambled eggs are added into the frying pan. Tasty fried noodle is ready to serve after 5 minutes!

  Now I start to enjoy my fried noodles. First I test the taste of fried noodles. I ask myself some questions. Is it salty? Is it the amount of noodle sufficient? Is it too oily? I am trying to write down the areas of improvement after I have eaten the noodle. Then I can fry a more delicious noodle next time in my next cooking time.

 The second method is the analogy. The analogy is the most important and powerful process of learning. You can relate expertise to anything in your life. Nowadays the world is changing too fast. We always keep worrying our knowledge is outdated and it is suffering to relearn the skill again. However, it is not true because knowledge is transferrable and flexible. Your old knowledge is always useful. You can relate new knowledge to old knowledge. Expand your knowledge to enrich your life. You can use compare and contrast methods to learn new knowledge. Find the similarities and differences of old knowledge and new knowledge to get more understanding. Let me share with you one analogy example. 

I am a control engineer. Every day I need to work to ensure the machine is run smoothly and efficiently. Here is the basic control loop architecture.

            In the control world, the input is the command signal of a controller. After the controller receives the signal, it will respond to the signal and respond to the input signal. The process is how the controller executes the motion of the machine. The output is the output signal of the controller. It shows the actual status of the machine. In the beginning, the output has lagged the input. The error signal is the difference between input and output. 

           During the machine execution, the output is produced and it is closer to the input value. The controller receives a feedback signal and calculates the error. After that, the controller improves the process based on the error signal, and finally, the output value is equal to the input value. It takes time for the machine to respond to the input. The controller is like the human brain. When it observes the error, it will correct the error so that it can produce a good response.  Now, how this knowledge can help me in my life? Recently I learn public speaking. I have joined the toastmaster and enhance my public speaking skill. 

         I realize that I can apply this concept to learn public speaking!  Input is to deliver a speech that can impress others. The process is the action of delivering a speech. The output is the evaluation or command from the coach.  When I know I am going to deliver a speech, I try my best to deliver a good speech. After the process is done, I receive feedback from my audience and I learn from the mistake. It can be measurable. It can ask your audience to rate your performance based on the scale 1 to 10.  I try to correct my mistake and enhance my public speaking skill and deliver the speech again. The process is repeated, and I am getting closer to 10. I have related the public speaking and control system successfully and it has become a better person.

                                      

            Lastly, the scientific approach and analogy are powerful tools of learning. It can enhance your learning experience and make your learning journey more interesting. I hope you can enjoy the learning journey by applying these two methods. Integrate your new knowledge into your life and let it become part of your life.