New Ways to Learn
If you wanted to learn something new, your first thought would be to find someone to teach you; a teacher, a specialist in the field, a skilled individual. This traditional method of learning has carried you from grade school to high school, and perhaps college – but let’s move into the twenty-first century.
Today, we have immediate, unlimited access to any topic we want to learn about, and we don’t have to enroll in school. Plenty of free courses can be found online, and let’s not forget about YouTube University, as we call it. Just search for the topic of your choice, then sit back with a cup of tea and watch/listen while a skilled individual lectures you on the subject. For deeper learning, all you need to do is take notes while listening. Studies prove that the act of writing, putting pen/pencil to paper, enhances your learning experience and increases your chances of retaining the information. No classroom. No disruptive classmates. Just you, sipping your tea while soaking in the new information.
Oops! I Forgot to Think
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rushing through the zeitgeist like a raging river, taking our brains along for the ride and leaving us mere humans with mental atrophy.
You know what I mean! Five minutes of trying to figure out what to write, we get mentally tired and turn to one of the chatbots for a boost. A boost is one thing, but relying on AI to actually write for you can certainly make you forget how to think, believe in your own ideas, formulate those ideas, and trust the results. Be honest: do you find yourself second-guessing everything you write – more than you used to? Was there a time, before AI hit the scene, that you were confident about your writing? Even if you lacked confidence in your writing ability, I’ll guess that it was not hard to accept the results and submit the writing. What about today? Now, it’s hard to even be okay with what we put on paper, because it’s so easy to judge it against how a chatbot would have written it. Let’s get back to thinking deliberately, choosing to exercise our brain, and choosing to believe in our abilities. Let’s exercise our brain muscles again. The sky will not fall. Trust me.
Word of the Week
Paradigm
Definition
A paradigm is a particular way of thinking about, understanding, or approaching something. It can describe a pattern, model, or framework that shapes how people interpret the world.
When You May Use This Word
- When discussing a major change in the way people think about a subject.
- When writing essays or nonfiction books about changes in society, science, education, or culture.
- When discussing a new approach to solving a problem.
- At the office when describing a change in the way an organization approaches its work.
- In lectures or conversations about ideas that have changed the way people understand a subject.
Example in Academic Writing
The development of digital technology created a paradigm shift in the way researchers collect, analyze, and share information.
Example in Conversation
Once I stopped thinking that I had to do everything myself, it completely changed my paradigm about asking for help.
Make It Stick
Challenge yourself to use this word at least three times this week. Try using it in a conversation, in your writing, or whenever it naturally fits. The more you use a new word, the more likely it is to become part of your everyday vocabulary.
Accessibility Options
Adjust the page to make reading and using this site more comfortable.
.