What Are You Studying?
How sharing what you are studying can help you study.
I’ve been thinking of this idea in a corner of my brain for a while.
The idea came about because I do a lot of teaching. I discovered early in my teaching career that I had to make sure I knew the subject matter I was teaching very well before walking into a classroom or training environment.
I have taught things like swimming, grammar and computer software, all things I know a lot about. But when I went to teach these things, it didn’t matter how good my swimming stroke was, or how well I wrote, or how competent I was on computers, I had to make sure I knew the details before facing my students.
I didn’t want to be asked a question I didn’t know the answer to and I wanted my students to be excited about whatever I was engaging them in.
But I’m tired of teaching. I simply don’t want to do it any more. But I need a way to make sure I learn well what I am studying. So, I came up with the idea to write about what I am studying. It sounds like a good idea.
Simply put, for those who are in school, studying for an exam, trying to get a certification, or simply because you want to study something you have an interest in, surely writing about what you are learning can help you learn.
When you write, you have to synthesize ideas to make them readable. You have to organize your thoughts in a logical manner. Writing can help you identify gaps in your knowledge, which is, in my opinion, the main cause for writer’s block.
So write when you study. Don’t just write book reports for your professors, write for yourself and for others. Put your ideas on paper and share them. Debate them. Make sure you know what you have learned.
I hope that helped.
