The ministry of public education

1.2. Approaches to learning

Most people use seven approaches to learning:

1. Learning can be adventure;

It is difficult to learn if you are stressed or bored. Almost all handbooks encourage us to be effective rather than virtuous, and to seek out ways of making our learning more fun. Degree courses take several years, so we need to find ways of making our learning enjoyable.

Small children learn extraordinary amounts without trying particularly hard – simply through being relaxed, observing, playing, role-playing, trying things out, and making mistakes and being interested in what they are doing. They don't regard setbacks as failures; they don't worry about what others think; and they do not tell themselves they might not be able to learn. When a child falls over she or he just gets up and moves again, and eventually walking becomes easy. Adults can learn in this way too – if they allow themselves.