Posts Tagged ‘learning’

Making Genius

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

In his excellent book: “Scientific Genius, Dean Keith Simonton of the USC-Davis, suggests that genuises are forming more novel combinations than the merely talented. His theory has etymology behind it: Cogito- “I think”- orginally connoted “shake together”. Intelligo, the root of intelligence, means to “select among”. This is a clear early indication about the utility of permitting ideas and thoughts to randomly combine with each other and selecting from the many the few to retain.

Like the highly intelligent child with a case of Legos, the genius is constantly combining and re-combining ideas, images, thoughts into different combinations on both the conscious and unconscious levels.

When asked how he was able to come to E=MC2, Einstein called it “combinatory play”. He hadn’t, after all, invented energy, mass or speed but he was able to look at the same world as everybody else and come up with something different. In fact, he considerd this combinatory play to be essential to his thinking.

In my book: “The Secret Creator Within”- 23 Ways To Awaken Your Creative Genius, I actually start my treatise with this important idea by presenting my first ‘Creative Pop’ after a much quoted line from Linus Pauling, the great chemist:

“The best way to get a good idea

is to get lots of ideas.”

To illustrate this concept let’s take Tony Bennet. It has been said of him: “Tony Bennet never sings the same song—once.”

When he was asked if he ever got tired of singing “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” his answer was revealing.

“Do you ever get tired of making love?”

When I heard him say this I wondered how could a man who has performed the same song thousands of times, surely on every occassion he’s had to do a concert in a very long career, still find it so new , so fresh, so exciting that he could compare it to making love?

It’s because he has found the magic in our ‘Creative Pop’— each time he goes on stage he’s looking for ALL the ways this song can be expressed. And after these many years, the countless perfomances of this, his biggest hit, he’s still searching for the next best answer.

It’s amazing when you think about it—he hasn’t exhausted the possibilities—after some fifty years.

The lyrics never changed, “the city by the bay” never went anywhere new, the “cable cars still flew half-way to the stars” each time. The basic melody never changed. But this mastersinger could vary the nuance, the phrasing, the tempo, or the scale each time into a myriad of exciting new combinations.

It’s true Tony Bennet never sings the same song—once!

Did TV producer Lorne Michaels stay with the same cast of Saturday Night Live? No, he constantly looked for new talent, skits, and ways to present humor. He too, always on the quest for the next answer.

Did writer/producer Norman Lear stop creating TV sitcoms when All In The Family was a blow out success? No, he went ‘Uptown’ and everywhere else in his creative search because he kept generating the next idea.

Did Bill Gates stop growing his tiny company in 1975 or stop with his first successful idea, a prototype software package, and halt with the name Microsoft? No.

Mr. Gates went on to the next ideas, and still hasn’t finished finding all of them. He eventually became the richest man in the world.

One way of looking at a problem just doens’t cut it and certainly doesn’t generate genius.

So, how is this done? How can we start to ‘awaken’ creative genius? To explore this I lean heavily on a theory I’ve developed based on a comment by Charles DuBois. He said:

“The important thing is this:

to be able

at any moment to scarifice

that which we are for

that which we could become.”

If we ponder these words carefully, and then ask ourselves: what stops us from creating more ideas and solutions, what makes us so satisfied with the one answer we usually can find? We discover a key in the above quotation from Dubois.

Very often its because we cherish our current state, that immidiate solution, so much that we become too afraid or too timid in changing or discarding it. We’ve been taught, through education and experience, to be afraid of change.

Make no mistake about it, generating the next answer requires a change in your thinking and motivation. It takes courage, too. You must sacrifice what you’ve already found as soon as you find it. Who would want to do that? No one does. No one except ‘original thinkers’ and creative geniuses.

To them this is second nature. They are so content in combining ideas and shuffling together one position against another that they hardly find much sacrifice in losing a single solution shortly after its discovery. There is a sort of inner converstation that is constantly pulsing— which they heed— because it leads to real breakthrough, what I call ‘original’ thinking.

Start Teaching Your Children At An Early Age

Sunday, January 16th, 2011

It is really never too early to start teaching your children about money. And the sooner you begin teaching your children about money the better chance they will grow up to have a well-rounded and responsible appreciation of the uses and value of money. Some parents may not begin to teach children about managing money at an early age because they simply don’t understand where or how to begin.

In the very beginning when children are very young money education can begin simply by teaching them to identify various coins. You can then reinforce what money is used for by taking your children shopping even at an early age and pointing out what is going on.

As children get a little older and into elementary school this might be a good time to start providing a weekly allowance for each child. It really doesn’t matter how much this allowance is. The child should be taught about what would be appropriate uses of this money as well as the consequences of spending too carelessly. This is also a good time to begin to teach your children about the importance of regularly giving whether it be to a local church or charitable organization. If there is a particular item that your child wishes to purchase that is a perfect opportunity to teach them how many times they will need to receive an allowance in order to save enough for this purchase.

Another way you can begin to teach your children the value of managing money carefully is to take them with you on trips to the grocery store. Lead them through the process of comparing various brands of the same product in order to determine what would be the best value.

Elementary children can also learn a lot about money if they are encouraged to seek out ways to earn money by helping with chores around the house.

As children get older and into their teenage years, is a good idea to continue to give allowances but these allowances should be tied to household task and other obligations for which they are required to do.

Some additional suggestions for money education in late teenage years include: allowing children to do the family grocery shopping, and evolving them in planning a budget for an upcoming trip, and helping them complete their tax returns if they’re employed. For older teens it can also be a helpful learning experience to help them secure a small installment loan. This will teach them to learn to budget for regular financial obligations as well as build their credit.

Take the time to teach your children about the proper management of money and they will be much better prepared to be financially responsible adults.

Now Is The Time For Learning

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Have you always wanted to grow a vegetable garden but just haven’t gotten around to it? Or perhaps you have always hoped to knit a blanket but you still have not learned how to knit. It is not to late to do the things you have always wanted to do. Regardless of your age or current skills, now can be the time to begin learning new things.

Learning is an amazing ability that all humans have. No matter how little or how much we know now, there is always more to learn. There is no limit to the skills and knowledge that we can gain by learning.

Take a new hobby for instance. Learning to do something productive like sew, knit, or plant a vegetable garden is a great way to spend time. While learning you are using your mind and filling time with things that are active and important. Learning is a much better way to pass idle time than to do passive things like watch television or play video games. Your life will be richer and more fun as you spend hours learning new skills. You will have a great sense of accomplishment when the thing you have been hoping to do for years becomes easy and natural for you. Learning new things is also a great way to expand your knowledge and keep your mind sharp. Time spent learning by reading, for instance, is a great mind exercise and it can be enjoyable and beneficial.

Consider children. From the time they are born they are learning new things day by day. They learn to recognize the voices and faces of their family, and eventually they learn to sit up and then crawl and then walk. If children were not constantly learning they would stay children forever. At a young age children begin going to school for the purpose of learning even more new things. They learn to count, to read, to play with others and to read.

Adults can learn something from children about the importance of learning. If, once our years in school were complete, adults continued to learn new things and gain new hobbies at the rate that children learn just think about how much more we would know today. Our lives would be filled with an incredible wealth of knowledge and with a variety of skills and hobbies that keep our lives full and satisfied.

Take a close look at your life. Make a list of things you have always wanted to learn or be able to do. And then commit yourself to learning something new starting today.

Using Math Games to Enhance Learning

Saturday, January 1st, 2011

Ever wonder how you could get your son or daughter to be more interested in math? Math is hard work, but with some fun maths games, you can capture their attention while they learn. So, how can you find some fun maths games? They are actually not very hard to find. If you look up math games on Amazon.com, for instance, many books will come up that have math games. Or, you can look up math game on the internet for free, and find many free resources for math games. There are online games, or games that you can read about and play at home with your child.

So, what is the best way to incorporate them into your child’s study schedule? It is best to cover the basics first, but let him know that the game awaits him if he masters the subject. Positive reinforcement is a proven technique for children. By saving the fun maths games for the end, you’ll not only grab your child’s attention for learning math, but you’ll give him a reward that he’ll enjoy and benefit from.

Here is an example of a challenging, but fun game. Jot down on a piece of paper the number 1-20. The game is then to, using the same number no more than 5 times and using any standard mathematical function, try to have that written number as the result. For example, if trying to get the number 1 with 5, 7’s, one may come up with1 = (7 7)/7 7/7. For 2, you may come up with (7 7)*7/7/7 = 2. Pretty simple at first, but it gets challenging later on. This and other fun maths games can be used to challenge children to use math in new and creative ways.

There are other fun maths games that can help a child expand his mind or your mind. For example, a popular game called Sudoku is being played by many adults these days. The game is easy enough for kids, but can be challenging enough for adults to enjoy. Try, and you’ll be hooked!

Note to Muse on – Seven Keys to Superiority Note taking

Saturday, December 25th, 2010

People appear to be as divided on note taking as on any hot-button federal issue. United troupe determination abstain from you all the reasons why they don’t take notes:

I’d measure concentrate on listening.
I don’t be aware what to write.
Note engaging in no way worked in search me in school.

While the note alluring enthusiasts will counter with:

Irresistible notes keeps me focused.
I can always refer to my notes – I don’t deliver to rely on my memory.
Charming notes works in the service of me.

While this article may not grasp the die-hard non-note takers convert, it disposition reject them some tools to try. And square the most avid note takers thinks fitting arouse some new ideas to tote up to their approach.

Most of us use note taking techniques we learned or developed while in school. At that time our purpose was the obtaining of facts with the plan of reciting it vanquish on a check-up or examination. As adults our aim for note alluring is typically quite different. We are charming notes on:

A band caucus
A phone entitle
An question or other face-to-face confluence
A workshop or seminar
A enlist, article, newsletter or podcast

In all of these cases, while we demand to buy insight or info, the outcome aim of our note engaging isn’t a trial, but practice of what we’ve learned. As with most anything in existence, when we mutation the goal we may need to re-examine and coppers the techniques we partake of to get there.

Here are seven ways to force your note attractive more profitable and valuable to you:

Start with the end in mind. Start by reconciliation why you are compelling the notes. Don’t boost them because you are “meant to,” rob them because you know what or how you potency application them. Having this exact replica in your mind commitment lift you take the favourable notes without being lulled into writing down everything.

Succumb the linearity. Most people enrol notes that are very linear in nature. Not all lectures, conversation or meetings be modelled after a tyrannical 1, 2, 3 or recapitulation pattern. Concede yourself to take notes without a tyrannical linear format. There on be times to communicate with a tabulate, but there purpose also be inducement allowing for regarding more free more comments and thoughts.

Catching ideas. While you are in the workshop or chin-wag new ideas order arise up. They may be connected to the lay of the land, or they may not - either way you want to nab the idea while you prepare it! Give yourself laxity to transcribe down your ideas with your notes.

Arrest actions. The feeling you are discussing or wisdom nearly (and that being so enchanting notes on) may set forward identified with action steps you want to take. If you are entrancing notes in a session or face-to-face dialogue this clout appear obvious. But again, as you are engaged in winning notes you may about of a untrodden vitality step or task. Make unshakeable you a postal card these down and don’t be defeated them.

Upon shortcuts. You commitment find that if you despise abbreviations, or elaborate on other shorthand that works for the benefit of you, it leave order your note winning easier and faster. Since you won’t liable to be sharing your notes with anyone, the nature of your shorthand can be precise personal. This facility will mitigate you boost up your note taking.

Father a format. It is possible that you thinks fitting find that developing a prevalent contents wish form your note taking easier, or ordered more enjoyable. I partition a note taking time in to two columns. In the conservative column I gain possession of my ordinary notes. In the formerly larboard column I draw a bright bulb at the pinch back – secondary to it I lay the ideas I set up during the note intriguing situation. About half modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ down the left column I place a make sure of effect innards everted of a essay writing service lilliputian box. This is my icon on actions. I list the actions I think of or are generated while I am taking notes in this area of each page. I percentage my looks as a example, you are accepted to shoot up it or up up with your own!

Review and summarize. Peradventure the most valuable fashion you can do comes after you are done. Lift a handful minutes to discuss your notes – adding any words or phrases that desire go them clearer. The inspection process when one pleases resist you retain and make the notes more useful. Once you from reviewed them, lay hold of a join of minutes to note the most important points again. This summarization will useful to as a important parenthetically a via to “implant in” the erudition you gained from the situation.

Each of these seven things can help you redeem the value of your notes. If you take notes regularly, struggle harmonious or more of these approaches. And if you aren’t a note taker, think about these ideas as a progressing to whack at a renewed near to note intriguing – sole that might offer you value without the barriers you deceive encountered in the past.

Start Teaching Your Children At An Early Age

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

It is really never too early to start teaching your children about money. And the sooner you begin teaching your children about money the better chance they will grow up to have a well-rounded and responsible appreciation of the uses and value of money. Some parents may not begin to teach children about managing money at an early age because they simply don’t understand where or how to begin.

In the very beginning when children are very young money education can begin simply by teaching them to identify various coins. You can then reinforce what money is used for by taking your children shopping even at an early age and pointing out what is going on.

As children get a little older and into elementary school this might be a good time to start providing a weekly allowance for each child. It really doesn’t matter how much this allowance is. The child should be taught about what would be appropriate uses of this money as well as the consequences of spending too carelessly. This is also a good time to begin to teach your children about the importance of regularly giving whether it be to a local church or charitable organization. If there is a particular item that your child wishes to purchase that is a perfect opportunity to teach them how many times they will need to receive an allowance in order to save enough for this purchase.

Another way you can begin to teach your children the value of managing money carefully is to take them with you on trips to the grocery store. Lead them through the process of comparing various brands of the same product in order to determine what would be the best value.

Elementary children can also learn a lot about money if they are encouraged to seek out ways to earn money by helping with chores around the house.

As children get older and into their teenage years, is a good idea to continue to give allowances but these allowances should be tied to household task and other obligations for which they are required to do.

Some additional suggestions for money education in late teenage years include: allowing children to do the family grocery shopping, and evolving them in planning a budget for an upcoming trip, and helping them complete their tax returns if they’re employed. For older teens it can also be a helpful learning experience to help them secure a small installment loan. This will teach them to learn to budget for regular financial obligations as well as build their credit.

Take the time to teach your children about the proper management of money and they will be much better prepared to be financially responsible adults.

Now Is The Time For Learning

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Have you always wanted to grow a vegetable garden but just haven’t gotten around to it? Or perhaps you have always hoped to knit a blanket but you still have not learned how to knit. It is not to late to do the things you have always wanted to do. Regardless of your age or current skills, now can be the time to begin learning new things.

Learning is an amazing ability that all humans have. No matter how little or how much we know now, there is always more to learn. There is no limit to the skills and knowledge that we can gain by learning.

Take a new hobby for instance. Learning to do something productive like sew, knit, or plant a vegetable garden is a great way to spend time. While learning you are using your mind and filling time with things that are active and important. Learning is a much better way to pass idle time than to do passive things like watch television or play video games. Your life will be richer and more fun as you spend hours learning new skills. You will have a great sense of accomplishment when the thing you have been hoping to do for years becomes easy and natural for you. Learning new things is also a great way to expand your knowledge and keep your mind sharp. Time spent learning by reading, for instance, is a great mind exercise and it can be enjoyable and beneficial.

Consider children. From the time they are born they are learning new things day by day. They learn to recognize the voices and faces of their family, and eventually they learn to sit up and then crawl and then walk. If children were not constantly learning they would stay children forever. At a young age children begin going to school for the purpose of learning even more new things. They learn to count, to read, to play with others and to read.

Adults can learn something from children about the importance of learning. If, once our years in school were complete, adults continued to learn new things and gain new hobbies at the rate that children learn just think about how much more we would know today. Our lives would be filled with an incredible wealth of knowledge and with a variety of skills and hobbies that keep our lives full and satisfied.

Take a close look at your life. Make a list of things you have always wanted to learn or be able to do. And then commit yourself to learning something new starting today.

Reviweing Excellence - Concord Law School

Friday, September 10th, 2010

Established in 1998, Concord Law School was the first school to offer a completely online method of obtaining a law degree. They are pioneers in the online education industry with many highly successful students. Currently, there are over 1,800 students enrolled in their online classes to obtain a law degree. Many of these students have been working for awhile and already have their bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Students are generally successful in their chosen career and choose to obtain a law degree in order to further advance their career opportunities.

Concord Law School offers a Juris Doctor degree that is recognized in the state of California and other states throughout the country. The coursework covers all necessary aspects of law and prepares the student to take the bar exam in the state of California and then other states as allowed by the bar rules. After passing the bar, the student can then practice as a licensed attorney. This will open up advancement in your current field of work and allow for opportunities in other fields as well. From law firms, to private legal departments in corporations to government agencies, the job market is vast for attorneys.

Today’s society has become much more litigious, and as such the demand for attorneys is increasing greatly. Most businesses need an attorney consultation at least occasionally if not for litigation then to exam documents or do compliance audits. Attorneys generally make a good salary, higher than the national average. It is an ideal time to enter this market as there is no shortage of attorneys needed. Concord Law School will be able to help you achieve the goal of becoming a licensed attorney.

People who have been working for some time and already have their bachelor’s degrees usually have responsibilities to their career and family that make returning to school more difficult. While the desire to get a law degree may be there, the time to accomplish it may not be. Concord Law School helps alleviate this problem by allowing you to learn in the comfort of your own home and by setting your own schedule. This will prevent any conflicts with family and career responsibilities while still enabling you to get a higher education.

In order to enroll at Concord Law School there are several criteria that must be met. The average grade point average for undergraduate work should be at least a 3.0. There is also an interview process as well as a qualifying test. Once the test results are in the admission application goes to a board to determine final enrollment status. If accepted, the courses will occur online and you will have to be familiar with the Internet and have a basic knowledge of computers and office applications such as word processing programs.

Concord Law School allows students to obtain a law degree with an entirely online course of study. They are innovators in the online education industry and will provide a quality education to enable students to pass the bar exam and practice as a licensed attorney. The opportunities available to attorneys today are vast and can greatly improve your lifestyle.

Reviweing Excellence - Concord Law School

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Established in 1998, Concord Law School was the first school to offer a completely online method of obtaining a law degree. They are pioneers in the online education industry with many highly successful students. Currently, there are over 1,800 students enrolled in their online classes to obtain a law degree. Many of these students have been working for awhile and already have their bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Students are generally successful in their chosen career and choose to obtain a law degree in order to further advance their career opportunities.

Concord Law School offers a Juris Doctor degree that is recognized in the state of California and other states throughout the country. The coursework covers all necessary aspects of law and prepares the student to take the bar exam in the state of California and then other states as allowed by the bar rules. After passing the bar, the student can then practice as a licensed attorney. This will open up advancement in your current field of work and allow for opportunities in other fields as well. From law firms, to private legal departments in corporations to government agencies, the job market is vast for attorneys.

Today’s society has become much more litigious, and as such the demand for attorneys is increasing greatly. Most businesses need an attorney consultation at least occasionally if not for litigation then to exam documents or do compliance audits. Attorneys generally make a good salary, higher than the national average. It is an ideal time to enter this market as there is no shortage of attorneys needed. Concord Law School will be able to help you achieve the goal of becoming a licensed attorney.

People who have been working for some time and already have their bachelor’s degrees usually have responsibilities to their career and family that make returning to school more difficult. While the desire to get a law degree may be there, the time to accomplish it may not be. Concord Law School helps alleviate this problem by allowing you to learn in the comfort of your own home and by setting your own schedule. This will prevent any conflicts with family and career responsibilities while still enabling you to get a higher education.

In order to enroll at Concord Law School there are several criteria that must be met. The average grade point average for undergraduate work should be at least a 3.0. There is also an interview process as well as a qualifying test. Once the test results are in the admission application goes to a board to determine final enrollment status. If accepted, the courses will occur online and you will have to be familiar with the Internet and have a basic knowledge of computers and office applications such as word processing programs.

Concord Law School allows students to obtain a law degree with an entirely online course of study. They are innovators in the online education industry and will provide a quality education to enable students to pass the bar exam and practice as a licensed attorney. The opportunities available to attorneys today are vast and can greatly improve your lifestyle.

A Brief History of Distance Education

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Distance education has afforded generations of students the opportunity pursue their educational goals outside of the traditional school system. It has allowed countless students the ability to further their education, while allowing them to maintain their obligations to their families and employers. While distance education is not for everyone, it has certainly stood the test of time. The following is a brief timeline of events related to distance education.

• 1840 &ndash Isaac Pitman begins teaching shorthand by correspondence in the UK.

• 1858 &ndash The University of London creates its External Program.

• 1883 &ndash New York State authorizes the Chautauqua Institute to award degrees earned via correspondence.

• 1891 &ndash The Colliery Engineer School of Mines renames itself International Correspondence Schools.

• 1892 &ndash The University of Chicago starts administering the first university courses by mail.

• 1906 &ndash The Calvert School of Baltimore becomes the first primary school in the United States to offer correspondence courses.

• 1916 &ndash The National University Continuing Education Association is created in the United States.

• 1921 &ndash Pennsylvania State College begins broadcasting courses on the radio.

• 1933 &ndash The University of Iowa begins broadcasting courses on television.

• 1950 &ndash The Ford Foundation begins offering grants to create and develop educational programs for television broadcasting.

• 1967 &ndash The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is created.

• 1970 &ndash Walden University is established.

• 1974 &ndash California State University offers a Masters degree via correspondence.

• 1982 &ndash The National University Teleconferencing Network is established.

• 1984 &ndash The personal computer is named “man of the year” by Time Magazine.

With the advent of the personal computer and the development of the internet, distance education has evolved into an extremely important element of modern education. Most every university in North America offers courses online, while an entire cottage industry has formed around the concept of online education. There are countless online courses available to members of the general public. The wonderful thing about online education is that there are no borders, and prospective students worldwide now have access to the same opportunities. Online learning has the ability to make the world a better place. In some ways, it already has.