66. How Do You Learn - Videos, Books, Doing or Just Talking?

Topic 66 22 February 2019 How Do You Learn - Videos, Books, Doing or Just Talking?

1. There is an idiom: "Once you stop learning, you start to die". So what is your favourite way to learn new things?

2. Here are two different kinds of culture: a) Consumers & Spectators; b) Makers and Doers. Do you belong mostly to a) or b)? Why? Give some examples of both a) and b).

3. Some people learn best by doing things with their hands. Some learn by watching. Some learn by listening. (I find I learn best by teaching). We call these different kinds of intelligence. Give an example of how you are good with one of these methods (and maybe bad with another method).

4. I read all day. It is very easy for me, and I enjoy it. Almost half of Australians cannot read the labels on food jars (this is a world-wide problem called 'functional illiteracy'). Most people are somewhere along a line between high literacy (read long things easily) and low literacy. Where are you on this line a) in your first language, and b) in English? Do you want to change your literacy level?

5. Video websites like Youtube have millions of viewers. You can find out about almost anything on Youtube. Do you think this is a good way to learn about things? What are some problems with it?

6. "You cannot tell lies with photos and video". How true is this? Give examples of how you think it might be true or not true.

7. Social Media sites like Facebook are easy to look at because they have lots of pictures or videos, but (usually) not many words. Therefore they attract billions of people. Do you think that Social Media sites are a good way to learn things? Why or why not?

8. When I was very young there was no TV (and no Internet of course!). We all listened to the radio. Some people still listen to the radio - for news and music, but also discussions and information. What is one advantage of listening to the radio, compared with TV or the Internet? [In Australia there are private radio stations, mostly for music. There is also the ABC, which is established by law and paid for by taxes. The government is forbidden by law to interfere with the ABC. It is independent]

9. Once in Melbourne I taught English to car mechanics from all over the world. These guys learned skills very quickly with their hands, but they hated classrooms and books. They were not stupid! What are some jobs that are best for people like this? What about yourself? Are you an hands-on learner?

10. A lot of people say "I'm no good at maths" and avoid anything that has numbers in it all their life. What do you think might be a good way to teach maths to people like this? What branch of maths is the most important for ordinary people to understand?