Lesson 8: Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est

Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est. Knowledge is power. And it is, indeed. I am so grateful at the end of this class, because it turns out I not only learned about jewelry and learning, but I also learned a lot about myself, some of which is pretty insightful and eye-opening.

Qui Audet Adipiscitur. She who Dares Wins.

Jewelry making was something I have always secretly admired, but I had never really had the guts to try it out. Am I a jewelry expert after two months of learning about this topic? No. Have a learned about jewelry making? I am happy to say, yes! Make that a big YES! 

Sure, I set the goals too high: thinking that I will easily learn four different techniques in no time. It did not go that way exactly, but I do not plan on stopping here. I now distinguish and handle quite a few new tools in my life, which is a transferable skill in many different areas of my life. I walked down the memory lane a bit, and reconstructed my high school knowledge about Friendship Bracelets. But, I also learned how to make extensions, clasps, and loops, as well as pearl knotted bracelets, wire wrapped bracelets and earrings with wire wrapping and head pins. In addition, I fixed most of my broken jewelry, which is a victory in itself. 

Per Aspera ad Astra! Through Difficulties to the Stars!

I have been fascinated by learning for the past 20 years, but I have never actively thought about learning through my own learning. This experience definitely put things in a different perspective for me. Having myself as an object of observation was a tougher position to be at, since I had to both create instruction opportunities for myself and evaluate my learning process, but in the end, I think it served a wonderful purpose, as I gained very deep understanding. There are a few things that particularly fascinated me!

First insight is in relation to recall and short-term memory. Learning that short-term memory is not only limited, but can also get severely overloaded was a true revelation for me! I now think of it, and it seems so obvious to me, but when it happened to me in the middle of my Michaels shopping spree, I was not amused at all. I almost took it as a defeat, and yet it is perfectly normal. Long-term memory, on the other hand, can be quite a warehouse: huge, but quite disorganized. I always knew that you need to work on creating those chemical connections between different pieces of information to improve recall and memory, but that I would remember a 20-year-old event from my past, out of the blue, is quite fascinating!

Second, working on this blog made me think a lot about novices and experts. In particular, what are the things you need to do to achieve that "expert thinking". One of the things that I believe is crucial in learning is the fact that you need to learn to distinguish the things you understand from the things you need more information on. Once you achieve that stage, learning becomes less difficult and much more enjoyable.

Vincit Qui Se Vincit. She Conquers who Conquers Herself.

Like I said before, throughout this blogging process I learned the most about myself. To begin with, I learned that I am my own worst enemy. Once I manage to conquer my own fears and convictions, I strive. The problem is, I do not always manage to identify the problem is in me. On that note, I have to learn to believe in my previous knowledge and experience. At this point in my life, there are pretty extensive and solid, and I can use them both to my advantage, because it is not about how smart you are, it is about how much work you put into it, right?

I learned other things, too. For instance, I learned not to be too certain about the things I believe I am certain about. Many times the mind can play a trick on us and when I am most certain, I may just be wrong. Next, I realized that I rely too much on external memory, such as notes, cell phone, my laptop, calendar and so on, while I should actually work on developing my memory skills. In addition to that, I am where I come from and though I do not identify with it too much, it is a big part of who I am, and I need to learn to acknowledge it. Finally, as research shows, I, too, learn better when I already have some experience in the topic and/or when I can connect the new with some of my old experience. 

All in all, awesome experience! I hope I create other opportunities about learning that I can blog about.