Thinking Differently

selective focus photography of glass ball on sandy ground

Learning and gaining in knowledge is indeed a productive endeavor. Education challenges the mind and expands horizons. It can stretch us and change what we think about. But some of the most beneficial education challenges how we think, not just what we know.

One of my favorite professors in college, and possibly the best teacher I ever had, taught me a lot about mathematics and physics. But his greatest gift to me was not the new knowledge he provided me, it was teaching me how to think better and learn more effectively.

Knowledge can change how well you do the thing you are trying to improve, but real learning – the kind that challenges your perspective and alters how you think – allows you to do something better entirely. It allows you to go far beyond just being better at what you were already doing. New information can help you crawl faster. But challenging how you approach the problem of locomotion – real learning – can help you stand up and run.

Seek environments that do not just test what you know, but also those which challenge how you think.

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