Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner

Step 9:  Identifying your learning barriers

We all have them.  They block our best learning efforts.  It is time to bring them to light, look at them carefully, and part with them decisively.  What are they?  They are learning barriers. 

Today, I suggest an exercise in self-awareness.  As you go about your day, take notice of all your good intentions:  all the things you want to learn and do.  Just get a small notebook and jot them down as they pop up in your head.  The next day, pull out your list, take another look at your intentions, and ask yourself what stops you from taking a step forward towards making them a reality.  Write down your justifications.  Repeat this exercise for a few days until you start seeing a pattern.  What prevents you from giving attention to your intentions?

Orientation Series:  21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1:  Setting your learning objectives
Step 2:  Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3:  Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4:  Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5:   Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6:  Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7:  “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8:  Tapping into your social networks