What differentiates learning from education? And what do you need to learn fast?

Sometimes, we mistake the two for each other and miss our learning goals. 😞

Learning is knowledge gained through experience. Education is knowledge gained through teaching(s). Have you set out to learn something in the past only to end up learning about it?

This is part 1 of a series of posts on learning fast.

In this one, I share 4 basics to help you succeed at learning fast. 😜

Here are the 4 basics to consider to help you learn fast. 💡

1. Decide if you want to educate yourself or learn.
2. Know what success looks like and focus your efforts.
3. Get or create a learning path (what you need to know and do to learn).
4. Know how you’ll check for understanding and learning.

Learning about something doesn’t need you to get experience on the subject through doing. You can simply get an education on the subject (external knowledge). If your goal is to have a conversation about something, this is a viable way to go.

Learning something involves getting some experience through doing or performing (internal knowledge). Reflections on the outcome and process drive home the lessons learned.

What next? 💪

Think of one thing you’re currently learning (about).

1. Are you looking for education or learning?
2. What does success look like for you?
3. Do you have a learning path?
4. How do you check for understanding or learning?

Share your responses in the comments below.

If you know the answers to these questions, you’re on your way to learning fast. 😜

After all this, there are 2 things that will make you super motivated to learn anything fast. This will be the focus next time. Join me then.

Until next time, I want to challenge you to #GrowTheGood in your life and the lives around you.

– Evans “Learn” Musomi

Update: Part 2 is out. 🎉

Bonus

Here’s a bonus for getting this far: how I applied the basics above when learning to dance Salsa and make tasty polony sandwiches back in campus.

1. I was in it to learn - be able to do (dance) and make (sandwiches).
2. Success was being able to make a tasty sandwich for myself, like the ones my friend Brian made, and being able to dance Salsa smoothly like Eric Freeman.
3. I got a recipe for the sandwich from Brian and learned Salsa basics (music, steps, patterns) through YouTube videos and later on through a series of dance classes with Mervyn. This formed my learning path.
4. I checked for understanding and learning by trying out the recipe and Salsa basics I’d learned multiple times, until I got the results I was after.