A guest post by John Dewey [tweetmeme] Some attitudes may be named…which are central in effective intellectual ways of dealing with subject matter. Among the most important are directness, open-mindedness, single-mindedness (or whole-heartedness), and responsibility. Directedness Confidence is a good name for what is intended by the term directness. Confidence is not a name for what one thinks or feels about his attitude; it is not reflex. It denotes the straightforwardness with which one goes at what he has to do. Whatever methods of a teacher call a pupil’s attention off from what he has to do and transfer it to his own attitude towards what he is doing impair directness of concern and action. Persisted in, the pupil acquires a permanent tendency to fumble, to gaze about aimlessly, to look for some clew of action beside that which the subject matter supplies. Dependence upon extraneous suggestions and directions, a state of foggy confusion, take the place of that sureness with which children (and grown-up people who have not been sophisticated by "education") confront the situations of life. Open-mindedness [A]n attitude of mind which actively welcomes suggestions and relevant information from all sides. Openness of mind means accessibility of mind to any and every consideration that will throw light upon the situation that needs to be cleared up, and that will help determine the consequences of acting this way or that. [I]ntellectual growth means constant expansion of horizons and consequent formation of new purposes and new responses. These are impossible without an active disposition to welcome points of view hitherto alien; an active desire to entertain considerations which modify existing purposes. Retention of capacity to grow is the reward of such intellectual hospitality. The worst thing about stubbornness of mind, about prejudices, is that they arrest development; they shut the mind off from new stimuli. Open-mindedness means retention of the childlike attitude; closed-mindedness means premature intellectual old age. Exorbitant desire for uniformity of procedure and for prompt external results are the chief foes which the open-minded attitude meets in school. The teacher who does not permit and encourage diversity of operation in dealing with questions is imposing intellectual blinders upon pupils — restricting their vision to the one path the teacher’s mind happens to approve. Were all instructors to realize that the quality of mental process, not the production of correct answers, is the measure of educative growth something hardly less than a revolution in teaching would be worked. Single-mindedness [W]hat the word is here intended to convey is completeness of interest, unity of purpose; the absence of suppressed but effectual ulterior aims for which the professed aim is but a mask. It is equivalent to mental integrity. Absorption, engrossment, full concern with subject matter for its own sake, nurture it. Divided interest and evasion destroy it. Social instincts, the strong desire to please others and get their approval, social training, the general sense of duty and of authority, apprehension of penalty, all lead to a half-hearted effort to conform, to "pay attention to the lesson," or whatever the requirement is. Amiable individuals want to do what they are expected to do. One has only to recall his own experiences in school or at the present time when outwardly employed in actions which do not engage one’s desires and purposes, to realize how prevalent is this attitude of divided attention — double-mindedness. We are so used to it that we take it for granted that a considerable amount of it is necessary. It may be; if so, it is the more important to face its bad intellectual effects. Responsibility By responsibility as an element in intellectual attitude is meant the disposition to consider in advance the probable consequences of any projected step and deliberately to accept them: to accept them in the sense of taking them into account, acknowledging them in action, not yielding a mere verbal assent. It is only too easy to think that one accepts a statement or believes a suggested truth when one has not considered its implications; when one has made but a cursory and superficial survey of what further things one is committed to by acceptance. Observation and recognition, belief and assent, then become names for lazy acquiescence in what is externally presented. It would be much better to have fewer facts and truths in instruction — that is, fewer things supposedly accepted, — if a smaller number of situations could be intellectually worked out to the point where conviction meant something real — some identification of the self with the type of conduct demanded by facts and foresight of results. The most permanent bad results of undue complication of school subjects and congestion of school studies and lessons are not the worry, nervous strain, and superficial acquaintance that follow (serious as these are), but the failure to make clear what is involved in really knowing and believing a thing. *** John Dewey was one of the great philosophers of the last century, and regardless of whether you have ever read a word he wrote, you have almost certainly been impacted in one way or another by his thinking about education.  The above post was assembled from passages extracted from Chapter 13 of Dewey’s Democracy and Education. Democracy and Education is available in its entirety through Wikisource. I think it is a book that should be read by anyone who takes their role as a citizen in a democracy seriously - not just those who work in the field of education. Depending on your background and reading habits, you may find it somewhat tough going, but Dewey is much easier to read than many philosophers, and you will be rewarded for your efforts many times over. As always, I welcome you thoughts. Jeff Related posts:20 Social Networks for Lifelong Learners 25 Free Online Resources and Web Apps for Lifelong Learners 15 Language Learning Tools for Lifelong Learners

We’ve still got a lot to learn, eh? Rest in peace, John. (John Lennon, October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980) (Click through if you don’t see the video) No related posts.

I was starting to put together a post on Top 10 "Big Ideas" in Education from the University of Phoenix blog when I realized that I really do not want to do a full post on it. At the same time, I wanted to say more than 140 characters about it, so the Mission to Learn Twitter stream was not an option. As I was debating whether I need a Tumblr account, it occurred to me that this is the sort of thing for which I could be using Facebook. So, I’ve posted something over on Facebook and thought I’d take this opportunity finally to highlight the existence of the Mission to Learn Facebook page. If you are a Facebook user, I encourage you to visit often and give it a "Like." I’ll be doing more and more there over time. Jeff Related posts:Mission to Learn Site Restoration 10 Most Popular Posts of All Time on Mission to Learn A New Look for Mission to Learn

[tweetmeme] The clock is ticking down on Christmas, and I’m guessing there are a few readers out there like me who still have some shopping to do. Here are some gifts - in the form of learning activities - you may want to consider for the lifelong learners in your life. Most of them are digital, so you don’t have to worry about getting them shipped some place on time. 1. Learn to Save the World $25 at a Time I thought I’d start with one that might not seem obvious. Kiva is a nonprofit that facilitates micro-lending to entrepreneurs across the world. By lending as little as US $25, you can help a shop owner in Ghana increase her inventory or a small farmer in Costa Rica build a greenhouse. (Examples of projects I have helped fund through my Kiva account.) Naturally, you can’t help but learn a lot along the way. US $25 gets you a downloadable Kiva gift card to fund a friend or family member’s account. 2. Monkey Around at a Zoo or Museum I’m lucky to live not too far from the North Carolina Zoo and we also have fantastic museums in our area. Just do a quick Google search and you will almost certainly come up with great museum or zoo annual membership options in the vicinity of someone on your list. 3. Take Note Readers here know I am an advocate of taking and reviewing notes, and I’m slowly becoming addicted to Evernote, the note-taking application that syncs your notes across the Web, your desktop, your iPad, and your mobile phone. For US $5 a month, or $45 a year, you can snag a premium subscription that offers some great extra features for the avid learners in your life. (Note the gift option on the right side of the page.) 4. Experiment The array of gadgets, gizmos, and kits that the amateur scientist now has access to is really quite astounding. Check out the wide selection at Edmunds Scientific. 5. Amazing Lectures to Go Anybody who says the lecture is dead hasn’t experienced the great content available from the Teaching Company or LearnOutLoud. I’d call it brain candy, but it is far too nutritious for that metaphor. Lately, I’ve been particularly enjoying Robert Greenberg’s How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, but there are selections to cover all interests available from both sites. Pick a topic, and grab a gift certificate. 6. Get Schooled In Rock With its latest release, Rock Band 3 in "Pro" mode has become a serious learning tool. If being the next Jimi Hendrix is your thing, you can now opt for an actual Fender Squire Stratocaster, touted as "a fully functional, full-sized, six-string electric guitar that also functions as a game controller."  Or opt for the wireless drum or keyboard options and start building actual musical skills from basic up to expert level. 7. Train the Brain Lifelong learners are always looking for ways to beef up the ‘ol gray matter. Give the learner in your life a boost with Lumosity Brain Games. 8. Learn a Language Ah, a mainstay of New Year’s resolutions: "This year I am going to learn to speak ___________." Help the learner in your life keep that resolution with some great language learning options like those from Transparent.com and Visual Spanish (FREE Spanish Lessons!). 9. Give to Learn There are so many ways in which nonprofits support our learning and the learning of others, but they can’t do their work without adequate funding.  You can hardly go wrong in choosing an organization to contribute to, but if you are looking for ideas, one of my favorites is Heifer International.  Also, note that Wikipedia - a key resource for pretty much every lifelong learner these days - is currently in the midst of a big fundraising drive. 10. Read …wait for it… a book Yes, that’s right. The good ‘ol book, in paper form, is still one of the greatest gifts there is. If you aren’t sure what a good book might be, check out the New York Times list of 100 Notable Books of 2010 or its Modern Library selection of Top 100 Novels. Whatever you choose, my recommendation for buying is to find a local independent bookstore, if one still exists in your area. We’re lucky here in my area to have the great Flyleaf Books. Got other ideas? Please share them in the comments. Happy Holidays, Jeff Related posts:20 Social Networks for Lifelong Learners 25 Free Online Resources and Web Apps for Lifelong Learners 15 Language Learning Tools for Lifelong Learners

[tweetmeme] There are a number of books I return to time and again for inspiration. Among those in the non-fiction category, Made to Stick and Switch by Chip and Dan Heath are easily in my top 10, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity recently to participate in a Switch Bootcamp offered by Dan. It was a full day affair packed with lots of great content and conversation, but one brief exercise we did jumped out at me as particularly in the spirit of Mission to Learn. The exercise, derived from the Heaths’ overall framework for change, was aimed at identifying "bright spots" in our efforts to establish habits and achieve personal goals. As we went through it, I realized that it was a simple, but effective approach to the sort of reflection and goal-setting I often advocate here on the blog. Here (with Dan’s permission) are the steps: 1. Identify a goal you want to achieve with a simple "I want to ___" statement. I decide to go with "I want to spend more focused time writing songs." It’s something I used to do a lot of, but rarely make much headway with these days. 2. List out three or four times/circumstances in which you have previously been successful in achieving or making significant progress toward the goal. For me, my last long string of song writing was all too long ago in graduate school, and to a certain extent, before that when I was playing music more with other people, rather than just on my own. In more recent times, the last decent song I wrote was for a recording I did for my son’s birthday. 3. Identify the factors that made you successful in these circumstances The obvious one for me was that I had much more free time back in graduate schools days and earlier, but that realization was not very helpful - I do a reasonably good job of blocking out the small amount extra time I can find for writing in general, but that hasn’t resulted in much song writing. But the process of reflecting made me realize two other factors. One was that I usually had some sort of clear focus that drove past song writing - like writing a song for a some special occasion or putting together some new tunes for a show. The other was that I tended to read a great deal more poetry and fiction at the times when I was most prolific, and I also tended to go to more live music shows - in other words, I was exposing myself more to things that probably helped to spark the type of creativity I needed for writing music. 4. Come up with specific actions that help reproduce successful times or remove barriers Simple as it sounds, the fact that something other than "more time" might spur my song writing was a revelation. Finding more time right now would be like getting blood from a stone, so I need to get more out of the time I have. One specific action will be to mix up my reading a bit more. As fond as I have become of non-fiction - like, er, Switch - in recent years, I need to get back to reading more poetry and fiction. I also need to figure out a focus that would drive me to writing more songs - something as simple as finding an open mic night to play at some point in the not-too-distant future. Leveraging another idea from the Heaths, I might need to set myself an "action trigger" to make sure I follow through on these actions - like, for example, reading a poem right before diving into work each morning and jotting down a few ideas. I need to think about the specifics a bit more, but you get the idea. So, that’s it. I’ve served myself up as a guinea pig here with the hope that you will see how very easy and yet incredibly useful this exercise can be. Give it a try, and please comment to let me know how it turns out. Jeff P.S. - Subscribing to Mission to Learn: Ah, what a great idea for starting off 2011 right. You can do it for free by RSS feed or e-mail. Related posts:4 Simple Steps to Jump Start Your Learning Habit While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Or the Importance of Setting Learning Goals 5 Powerful Reasons to Make Reflection a Daily Learning Habit, and How to Do It

As we head into the second month of the year it’s a good time to reflect on what you have learned so far in 2011, and what you might do to become a better learner throughout the year. I’ve started jotting down some tips along those lines. Here’s the first: 1. Adopt a growth mindset in all things If you have not yet read Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, put it at the top of your list. Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford, has spent years researching what differentiates people who achieve and maintain success and she’s boiled it down to a simple dichotomy: consistently successful people have a growth mindset - a belief that they can always learn, grow, and become better at whatever they set their sites on. This is in contrast to the fixed mindset that holds back so many people - a belief that whatever talents or abilities you have are basically innate and not changeable to any significant degree. Now, I would assume most people who self identify as lifelong learners already possess a growth mindset to at least some degree, but as I read Dweck’s book, it became clear to me that there are more than a few areas of my life in which the fixed mindset rules. Take a close look at your own life, and I suspect you will find the same. One key to becoming a better learner is to ferret out these fixed mindset areas and replace them with a growth mindset. As long as you are willing to put a little time into reflection, that’s easier to do than it may sound. A particularly powerful conclusion of Dweck’s work is that simply being conscious of the dichotomy between growth and fixed can make a tremendous difference. So what are you waiting for - start putting a growth mindset to work today. Addition (Feb. 8, 2011): Just came across this post on Carol Dweck by Dan Pink. Links to the transcript of a talk given by Dweck as well an infographic on the two mindsets. Jeff P.S. - The next tip is coming soon. To be sure you receive it, I highly recommend subscribing to Mission to Learn either by RSS feed or e-mail. Related posts:10 Ways to Be a Better Learner: No. 3 - Ask Questions 10 Ways to Be a Better Learner: No. 2 - Cultivate Your Network By The Numbers: 5 Favorite Learning Habits List Posts You May Have Missed

This is the second in a series of posts that present my thoughts on how to become a better learner. The first covered adopting a growth mindset. This one addresses actively developing the network of learning connections and content in your life. Cultivate Your Network I suspect most regular readers of Mission to Learn already have some sense of the power of networks when it comes to learning. As much as we may wish to learn, time is a finite resource - we can only have so many experiences and absorb so much content as individuals, regardless of whatever resources aside from time (e.g., money, power) we may have at our disposal.  Our knowledge no longer resides solely in our own minds (if it ever did); it resides also in our connections. We have to rely on others if we truly want to expand our potential for learning. Given this premise, it makes sense that one of the most important strategies for increasing our capacity as learners is to build a significant number of connections with others and - more importantly - to strive consciously to make the quality of these connections as high as possible. I find I tend to give priority to three factors when assessing potential additions to my own learning networks: Content Is the connection a source of content that is consistently relevant and useful to me?  Does the content help me to accomplish something? Does it stretch my thinking in meaningful ways? Integrity Can I trust the connection? Does the connection really have the knowledge and experience to provide quality content? What is the quality of the connection’s network? Diversity Does the connection represent a viewpoint that is different in some meaningful way from my own? Or, if similar to my own, is significantly further along in knowledge and understanding? Naturally, there are other possible factors and other questions that can be asked about each, but the main point is to be conscious of the factors that make a learning connection valuable to you and to apply these factors actively in managing your learning networks. Sometimes that means applying them to find new connections; a lot of the time it means applying them to trim away connections that do not have significant value.  It’s truly a matter of cultivating, not simply growing. A couple of closing notes - First, you may have noticed that I have said nothing about the Internet, social media, or other technologies above. I’ll get to those in a future post, but the focus here is on the actual points of connection - the "nodes" in network-speak - and working to increase the quality of those points. Second, none of this is to imply that you need to take a cold, ruthless approach to managing your networks.  Personally, I think both networks and learning benefit from a significant amount of chaos and complexity. Nonetheless, within all that chaos and complexity, you can strive to carve out and build upon a set of key connections that contribute significantly to your focused learning efforts. What do you think? Are you making an active effort to cultivate your learning networks? What’s working and what’s not? Please comment and share. Jeff P.S. - The next tip is coming soon. To be sure you receive it, I highly recommend subscribing to Mission to Learn either by RSS feed or e-mail. Related posts:10 Ways to Be a Better Learner: No. 3 - Ask Questions 10 Ways to Be a Better Learner: No. 1 - Growth Mindset 3 Key Practices of the "Sophisticated" Learner

I’m being relatively slow and deliberate in putting together my list of 10 Ways to Be Better Learner (See No. 1 and No. 2), and one reason for is that I’ve been sifting through past posts on Mission to Learn to see which ideas and themes tend to come up again and again. As part of that process, I thought I’d highlight five of my favorite posts from the learning habits category here on Mission to Learn. If you happen to be a new reader here, I’d recommend clicking through the learning habits posts as a way to get a feel for what the blog is all about. Here, however, are five posts from that category I think are worth highlighting: 7 Reasons to Memorize Some Poetry One commentor called this a "wonderfully nerdy post" - a high compliment, in my opinion. These days I’m revisiting Ozymandias. What’s in your memory bank? 7 Secrets of a $9 Billion Industry Ever wonder why all those self help books take up so much space in your local Barnes & Noble? Here’s why. 7 Learning Lessons from a Toddler I’m betting most parents can come up with three or four before they even click the link. 3 Key Practices of the "Sophisticated" Learner I’m a sophist at heart. You should be too. 5 Traits of the Super Learner Faster than a speeding bullet all the way from 2008. (Ah, c’mon - click the link. Who doesn’t want to be a super learner?) Have fun, Jeff Related posts:10 Most Popular Posts of All Time on Mission to Learn Free Language Learning Resources - The Master List

In my last post, I referenced an earlier piece I wrote on the value of memorizing poetry. That brought to mind the video below that my wife (herself a very fine poet) recently showed me. In it, a 3-year old recites a Billy Collins poem. As far as I can tell, this is not a result of over-bearing parenting, but purely of the kid’s interest in poetry. Now, granted your average three-year old tends to have a memory like a sponge (my own son can rattle off great amounts of Bob Dylan and John Prine lyrics), but I think most of us are up to mastering at least a sonnet or two. Here’s the video: Related posts:Some Wise Learning Insights From a 12-Year Old Imagine. Just Imagine. Happy Birthday, Bob

Ask Questions - It's Elementary Ever attended a class or seminar and when the time came for participants to ask questions, only one or two hands are raised (if any) - out of a room with dozens of people in it? Ever read a provocative newspaper article, blog entry, Facebook wall post, or tweet and not submitted a question about the "facts" it contains or the author’s sources and motivations? Ever gone through a day, a week, a month, or even more at work without stopping to ask "Why?" about what you are doing and what you have learned in the process. Ever voted in an election without really asking who the candidates are and whether the issues they stand for are the ones that deserve priority? I could go on, but you get the point. Our days are filled with opportunities for asking questions that we often don’t take. Much of the time that’s fine: it can get exhausting to question everything. But I think there is plenty of evidence that most of us, most of the time, are not asking enough questions - much less good ones. As I’ve pointed out before, toddlers have no problem asking lots of questions, but as we age, life demands, social pressures, and perhaps just plain fatigue tend to sap our desire and ability to continually probe, particularly outside of the comfort zones into which we inevitably settle.  If you want to be a better learner, you have to cultivate - daily, consciously - both the desire and the ability to ask questions. It’s that simple, and that hard. Any questions? Jeff P.S. - As you might have guessed by the "No. 3," this is part of a series. Here’s No. 1 - Adopt a Growth Mindset, and No. 2 - Cultivate Your Network. Related posts:Asking Better Questions: 3 Decision Points 10 Ways to Be a Better Learner: No. 2 - Cultivate Your Network 10 Ways to Be a Better Learner: No. 1 - Growth Mindset