How to Be a Super Learner

by Irene Helen Zundel

The brain is a magnificent thing. It weighs just

three pounds and can fit in the palm of your hand,

yet it is incredibly powerful. Did you know that

if you wanted to build a supercomputer with the

same number of "bits" of information the brain

contains, it would need to be housed in a building

the size of the entire state of Texas, and that

stood over 100 stories tall?

With such powerful equipment inside our skulls,

why is it that so many of us find learning so

difficult? And why can't we easily recall what

we learn?

I believe it is because we are raised and educated

with faulty methods of learning, and we fail to

teach our kids in a manner that maximizes the

awesome potential of the brain.

Scientists now recognize there are seven kinds of

intelligence, yet schools emphasize only two,

verbal and mathematical. There are several styles

of learning, yet schools stress the old and tired

method of read or listen, memorize facts in

isolation, repeat facts on a test, and move on

to the next set of material. The atmosphere in

schools is regimented, yet educational experts

will tell you that students learn more when they

are relaxed and enjoing a task. It seems like

teachers are trying to program an intelligent

machine, instead of developing the unique

intelligence and creativity of the children

in their charge!

Pioneers in the field of accelerated learning have

determined what conditions need to be present for

optimal, stress free learning to occur and what

techniques help to produce those conditions.

Here are some of the things that they have come

up with:

1) People are not alike, nor do they learn the same

way as everybody else. Most of us have a dominant

learning style, a preferred way of receiving and

processing information. Identifying and using your

dominanat learning style will help you learn and retain

new information more easily.

To determine your own learning style, ask

yourself these questions:

Would you prefer to listen to a tape or a

lecture instead of read a book?

Do you have an ear for foreign languages?

Do you tend to sound out unfamiliar words?

Do you pick up clues about people from the way

they speak?

Would you rather give a talk than write a report?

If so, you prefer an audio approach to learning.

Is getting information from a book what you like

best?

Do you need visual aids such as pictures, diagrams,

and maps to help you learn?

Do you visualize the spelling of a new word?

Do you observe people's dress and eye movements?

If so, then you are a visual learner.

Do you prefer hands on experience when you're

learning?

Are you more interested in practical applications

instead of theory?

Do you like to get the feel of a new word or a

new idea?

Are you aware of other people's body language?

If so, you are an emotional/kinesthetic

learner.

Combining all three learning styles is even more

effective! It enables you to learn with your

"whole self" and mastering new material becomes

easier and more enjoyable.

2) You learn best when your body is relaxed and

your mind is alert.

Studies have shown that listening to Baroque

music puts you in this ideal learning state. The

relaxing measured tones, played at a rate of 60

beats per minute, naturally reduce pulse rate and

blood pressure, and alleviate stress. Left and

right hemispheres of the brain become integrated

and the mind absorbs information more easily.

The conscious and subconscious mind are also

united, allowing the memory regions of the

brain to be readily accessed. The subliminally

influenced subconscious mind begins to work in

concert with the conscious mind, instead of

against it, dissolving old patterns of

negativity and bad past programming.

Learning blocks are dissolved and success

states are more readily achieved.

Foreign languages can also be learned at a

rapid rate with excellent retention, when

Baroque music is played in the background

during study periods. Fluency can be achieved

in 30 days, instead of the usual two years

required in a school setting, and with a

retention rate of 85%!

3) Using visualization and imagination

can enhance memory. It is especially effective

to recall a time when you were extremely happy,

experiencing a peak performance, or achieving

something memorable before you begin to study.

Doing so floods the brain and body with stress

fighting, feel-good chemicals called endorphins.

Experts have found that this "chemistry of

pleasure" enhances the ability to learn and remember.

4) Learning is also enhanced by immersion --

being happily wrapped up in the task at hand,

and staying with it until your interest wanes.

By putting your whole mind and positive emotions

into the process of learning, you absorb more with

less stress, and find it easier to recall what you

learned later on.

There are many resources for accelerated learning

techniques. My personal favorite is the

Superlearning website at www.superlearning.com.

I have used their methods and products in homeschooling

my own son, and with excellent results!

You might also want to check out:

Accelerated Learning Network

4250 South Granby Way Suite C

Denver CO 80014

USA

Phone:1-800-797-4616

1-720-870-9797

Fax:-1-303-221-0232

E-mail: aln@accelerated-learning.net

http://www.acceleratedlearningnetwork.com/

This article is an excerpt from my 2001 book, Make Your Kid A Genius! (Tools to Maximize Your Child’s Potential from the Womb Through College.) You can obtain a free copy in the "downloads" section of my website at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com