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发表于 2006-11-17 09:34:59
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测试一下升级后的论坛发主帖有没有问题
顺便转篇我觉得很好的文章过来
原文的地址在国内的话需要代理才能上，也一并转起来吧。。。
Things You Really Need to Learn Guy Kawasaki last week wrotean item describing 'ten things you should learn this school year' inwhich readers were advised to learn how to write five sentence emails,create powerpoint slides, and survive boring meetings. It was, to myview, advice on how to be a business toady. My view is that people areworth more than that, that pleasing your boss should be the least ofyour concerns, and that genuine learning means something more than howto succeed in a business environment.
But what should you learn?Your school will try to teach you facts, which you'll need to pass thetest but which are otherwise useless. In passing you may learn someuseful skills, like literacy, which you should cultivate. But GuyKawasaki is right in at least this: schools won't teach you the thingsyou really need to learn in order to be successful, either in business (whether or not you choose to live life as a toady) or in life.
Here,then, is my list. This is, in my view, what you need to learn in orderto be successful. Moreover, it is something you can start to learn this year,no matter what grade you're in, no matter how old you are. I couldobviously write much more on each of these topics. But take this as astarting point, follow the suggestions, and learn the rest foryourself. And to educators, I ask, if you are not teaching these thingsin your classes, why are you not?
1. How to predict consequences
Themost common utterance at the scene of a disaster is, "I neverthought..." The fact is, most people are very bad at predictingconsquences, and schools never seem to think to teach them how toimprove.
The prediction of consequences is part science, partmathematics, and part visualization. It is essentially the ability tocreate a mental model imaging the service of events that would follow,"what would likely happen if...?"
The danger in such situationsis focusing on what you want to happen rather than what might happeninstead. When preparing to jump across a gap, for example, you mayvisualize yourself landing on the other side. This is good; it leads tosuccessful jumping. But you need also to visualize not landing on the other side. What would happen then? Have you even contemplated the likely outcome of a 40 meter fall?
Thisis where the math and science come in. You need to compare the currentsituation with your past experience and calculate the proabilities ofdifferent outcomes. If, for example, you are looking at a 5 meter gap,you should be asking, "How many times have I successfully jumped 5meters? How many times have I failed?" If you don't know, you shouldknow enough to attempt a test jump over level ground.
Peopledon't think ahead. But while you are in school, you should always betaking the opportunity to ask yourself, "what will happen next?" Watchsituations and interactions unfold in the environment around you andtry to predict the outcome. Write down or blog your predictions. Withpractice, you will become expert at predicting consequences.
Evenmore interestingly, over time, you will begin to observe patterns andgeneralities, things that make consequences even easier to predict.Things fall, for example. Glass breaks. People get mad when you insultthem. Hot things will be dropped. Dogs sometimes bite. The bus (ortrain) is sometimes late. These sorts of generalizations - often knownas 'common sense' - will help you avoid unexpected, and sometimesdamaging, consequences.
2. How to read
Oddly, by this I do not mean 'literacy' in the traditional sense, but rather, how to look at some text and to understand,in a deep way, what is being asserted (this also applies to audio andvideo, but grounding yourself in text will transfer relatively easily,if incompletely, to other domains).
The four major types ofwriting are: description, argument, explanation and definition. Youshould learn to recognize these different types of writing by learningto watch for indicators or keywords.
Then,you should learn how sentences are joined together to form these typesof writing. For example, an argument will have two major parts, apremise and a conclusion. The conclusion is the point the author istrying to make, and it should be identified with an indicator (such asthe words 'therefore', 'so', or 'consequently', for example).
Alot of writing is fill - wasted words intended to make the author lookgood, to distract your attention, or to simply fill more space. Beingable to cut through the crap and get straight to what is actually beingsaid, without being distracted, is an important skill.
Though your school will never teach you this, find a basic book on informal logic (it will have a title like 'critical thinking'or something like that). Look in the book for argument forms andindicator words (most of these books don't cover the other three typesof writing) and practice spotting these words in text and in what theteacher says in class. Every day, focus on a specific indicator wordand watch how it is used in practice.
3. How to distinguish truth from fiction
Ihave written extensively on this elsewhere, nonetheless, this remainsan area schools to a large degree ignore. Sometimes I suspect it isbecause teachers feel their students must absorb knowledgeuncritically; if they are questioning everything the teacher saysthey'll never learn!
The first thing to learn is to actullyquestion what you are told, what you read, and what you see ontelevision. Do not simply accept what you are told. Always ask, how canyou know that this is true? What evidence would lead you to believethat it is false?
I have written several things to help you with this, including my Guide to the Logical Fallacies, and my article on How to Evaluate Websites.These principles are more widely applicable. For example, when yourboss says something to you, apply the same test. You may be surprisedat how much your boss says to you that is simply not true!
Everyday, subject at least one piece of information (a newspaper column, ablog post, a classroom lecture) to thorough scrutiny. Analyze eachsentence, analyze every word, and ask yourself what you are expected tobelieve and how you are expected to feel. Then ask whether you havesufficient reason to believe and feel this way, or whether you arebeing manipulated.
4. How to empathize
Mostpeople live in their own world, and for the most part, that's OK. Butit is important to at least recognize that there are other people, andthat they live in their own world as well. This will save you from theerror of assuming that everyone else is like you. And even moreimportantly, this will allow other people to become a surprising sourceof new knowledge and insight.
Part of this process involvesseeing things through someone else's eyes. A person may be, quiteliterally, in a different place. They might not see what you see, andmay have seen things you didn't see. Being able to understand how thischange in perspective may change what they believe is important.
Buteven more significantly, you need to be able to imagine how otherpeople feel. This mans that you have to create a mental model of theother person's thoughts and feelings in your own mind, and to placeyourself in that model. This is best done by imagining that you are the other person, and then placing yourself into a situation.
Probablythe best way to learn how to do this is to study drama (by that I don'tmean studying Shakespeare, I mean learning how to act in plays). Sadly,schools don't include this as part of the core curriculum. So instead,you will need to study subjects like religion and psychology. Schoolsdon't really include these either. So make sure you spend at least sometime in different role-playing games (RPGs) every day and practicebeing someone else, with different beliefs and motivations.
Whenyou are empathetic you will begin to seek out and understand ways thathelp bridge the gap between you and other people. Being polite andconsiderate, for example, will become more important to you. You willbe able to feel someone'shurt if you are rude to them. In the same way, it will become moreimportant to be honest, because you will begin to see how transparentyour lies are, and how offensive it feels to be thought of as someonewho is that easily fooled.
Empathy isn't some sort of bargain. It isn't the application of the Golden Rule. It is a genuinefeeling in yourself that operates in synch with the other person, a wayof accessing their inner mental states through the sympatheticoperation of your own mental states. You are polite because you feel bad when you are rude; you are honest because you feel offended when you lie.
You need to learn how to have this feeling, but once you have it, you will understand how empty your life was before you had it.
5. How to be creative
Everybodycan be creative, and if you look at your own life you will discoverthat you are already creative in numerous ways. Humans have a naturalcapacity to be creative - that's how our minds work - and with practicecan become very good at it.
The trick is to understand howcreativity works. Sometimes people think that creative ideas spring outof nothing (like the proverbial 'blank page' staring back at thewriter) but creativity is in fact the result of using and manipulatingyour knowledge in certain ways.
Genuine creativity is almostalways a response to something. This article, for example, was writtenin response to an article on the same subject that I thought was notwell thought out. Creativity also arises in response to a specificproblem: how to rescue a cat, how to cross a gap, how to hang laundry.So, in order to be creative, the first thing to do is to learn to lookfor problems to solve, things that merit a response, needs that need tobe filled. This takes practice (try writing it down, or blogging it,every time you see a problem or need).
In addition, creativityinvolves a transfer of knowledge from one domain to another domain, andsometimes a manipulation of that knowledge. When you see a gap in reallife, how did you cross a similar gap in an online game? Or, if youneed to clean up battery acid, how did you get rid of excess acid inyour stomach?
Creativity, in other words, often operates by metaphor, which means you need to learn how to find things in commonbetween the current situation and other things you know. This is whatis typically meant by 'thinking outside the box' - you want to go to outside the domain of the current problem. And the particular skill involved is pattern recognition. This skill is hard to learn, and requires a lot of practice, which is why creativity is hard.
But pattern recognition canbe learned - it's what you are doing when you say one song is similarto another, or when you are taking photographs of, say, flowers orfishing boats. The arts very often involve finding patterns in things,which is why, this year, you should devote some time every day to anart - music, photography, video, drawing, painting or poetry.
6. How to communicate clearly
Communicatingclearly is most of all a matter of knowing what you want to say, andthen employing some simple tools in order to say it. Probably thehardest part of this is knowing what you want to say. But it is betterto spend time being sure you understand what you mean than to write abunch of stuff trying to make it more or less clear.
Knowingwhat to say is often a matter of structure. Professional writers employa small set of fairly standard structures. For example, some writersprefer articles (or even whole books!) consisting of a list of points,like this article. Another structure, often called 'pyramid style', isemployed by journalists - the entire story is told in the firstparagraph, and each paragraph thereafter offers less and less importantdetails.
Inside this overall structure, writers providearguments, explanations, descriptions or definitions, sometimes incombination. Each of these has a distinctive structure. An argument,for example, will have a conclusion, a point the writer wants you tobelieve. The conclusion will be supported by a set of premises. Linkingthe premises and the conclusion will be a set of indicators. The word 'therefore', for example, points to the conclusion.
Learningto write clearly is a matter of learning about the tools, and thenpractice in their application. Probably the best way to learn how tostructure your writing is to learn how to give speeches without notes.This will force you to employ a clear structure (one you can remember!) and to keep it straightforward. I will write more on this, but for now, check out Keith Spicer's book, Winging It.
Additionally,master the tools the professionals use. Learn the structure ofarguments, explanations, descriptions and definitions. Learn theindicator words used to help readers navigate those structures. Masterbasic grammar, so your sentences are unambiguous. Information on all ofthese can be found online.
Then practice your writing every day.A good way to practice is to join a student or volunteer newspaper -writing with a team, for an audience, against a deadline. It will forceyou to work more quickly, which is useful, because it is faster towrite clearly than to write poorly. If no newspaper exists, create one,or start up a news blog.
7. How to Learn
Your brain consists of billions of neural cellsthat are connected to each other. To learn is essentially to form setsof those connections. Your brain is always learning, whether you arestudying mathematics or staring at the sky, because these connectionsare always forming. The difference in what you learn lies in how youlearn.
When you learn, you are trying to create patterns of connectivityin your brain. You are trying to connect neurons together, and tostrengthen that connection. This is accomplished by repeating sets ofbehaviours or experiences. Learning is a matter of practice andrepetition.
Thus, when learning anything - from '2+2=4' to theprinciples of quantuum mechanics - you need to repeat it over and over,in order to grow this neural connection. Sometimes people learn byrepeating the words aloud - this form of rote learning was popular notso long ago. Taking notes when someone talks is also good, because youhear it once, and then repeat it when you write it down.
Thinkabout learning how to throw a baseball. Someone can explain everythingabout it, and you can understand all of that, but you still have tothrow the ball several thousand times before you get good at it. Youhave to grow your neural connections in just the same way you grow yourmuscles.
Some people think of learning as remembering sets of facts. It can be that, sometimes, but learning is more like recognition than remembering. Because you are trying to build networks of neural cells, it is better to learn a connected whole rather than unconnected parts, where the connected whole you are learning in one domain has the same patternas a connected whole you already know in another domain. Learning inone domain, then, becomes a matter of recognizing that pattern.
Sometimes the patterns we use are very artificial, as in 'every good boy deserves fudge'(the sentence helps us remember musical notes). In other cases, andmore usefully, the pattern is related to the laws of nature, logical ormathematical principles, the flow of history, how something works as awhole, or something like that. Drawing pictures often helps people findpatterns (which is why mind-maps and concept maps are popular).
Indeed, you should view the study of mathematics, history, science and mechanics as the study of archetypes,basic patterns that you will recognize over and over. But this meansthat, when you study these disciplines, you should be asking, "what isthe pattern" (and not merely "what are the facts"). And asking thisquestion will actually make these disciplines easier to learn.
Learningto learn is the same as learning anything else. It takes practice. Youshould try to learn something every day - a random word in thedictionary, or a random Wikipedia entry. When learning this item, donot simply learn it in isolation, but look for patterns - does it fitinto a pattern you already know? Is it a type of thing you have seenbefore? Embed this word or concept into your existing knowledge byusing it in some way - write a blog post containing it, or draw apicture explaining it.
Think, always, about how you are learning and what you are learning at any given moment. Remember, you are alwayslearning - which means you need to ask, what are you learning when youare watching television, going shopping, driving the car, playingbaseball? What sorts of patterns are being created? What sorts ofpatterns are being reinforced? How can you take control of this process?
8. How to stay healthy
Asa matter of practical consideration, the maintenance of your healthinvolves two major components: minimizing exposure to disease ortoxins, and maintenance of the physical body.
Minimizingexposure to disease and toxins is mostly a matter of cleanliness andorder. Simple things - like keeping the wood alcohol in the garage, andnot the kitchen cupboard - minimize the risk of accidental poisoning.Cleaning cooking surfaces and cooking food completely reduces the riskof bacterial contamination. Washing your hands regularly preventstransmission of human borne viruses and diseases.
In a similarmanner, some of the hot-button issues in education today areessentially issues about how to warn against exposure to diseases andtoxins. In a nutshell: if you have physical intercourse with anotherperson you are facilitating the transmission of disease, so wearprotection. Activities such as drinking, eating fatty foods, smoking,and taking drugs are essentially the introduction of toxins into yoursystem, so do it in moderation, and where the toxins are significant,don't do it at all.
Personal maintenance is probably even moreimportant, as the major threats to health are generally those relatedto physical deterioration. The subjects of proper nutrition and properexercise should be learned and practiced. Even if you do not become ahealth freak (and who does?) it is nonetheless useful to know whatfoods and types of actions are beneficial, and to create a habit ofeating good foods and practicing beneficial actions.
Every day,seek to be active in some way - cycle to work or school, walk a mile,play a sport, or exercise. In addition, every day, seek to eat at leastone meal that is 'good for you', that consists of protein and minerals(like meat and vegetables, or soy and fruit). If your school is notfacilitating proper exercise and nutrition, demand them! You can'tlearn anything if you're sick and hungry! Otherwise, seek to establishan alternative program of your own, to be employed at noonhours.
Finally,remember: you never have to justify protecting your own life andhealth. If you do not want to do something because you think it isunsafe, then it is your absolute right to refuse to do it. Theconsequences - any consequences - are better than giving in on this.
9. How to value yourself
Itis perhaps cynical to say that society is a giant conspiracy to get youto feel badly about yourself, but it wouldn't be completely inaccurateeither. Advertisers make you feel badly so you'll buy their product,politicians make you feel incapable so you'll depend on their policiesand programs, even your friends and acquaintances may seek to make youdoubt yourself in order to seek an edge in a competition.
Youcan have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but they aremeaningless if you do not feel personally empowered to use them; it'slike owning a Lamborghiniand not having a driver's license. It looks shiny in the driveway, butyour not really getting any value out of it unless you take it out fora spin.
Valuing yourself is partially a matter of personaldevelopment, and partially a matter of choice. In order to valueyourself, you need to feel you are worth valuing. In fact, you areworth valuing, but it often helps to prove it to yourself by attainingsome objective, learning some skill, or earning some distinction. Andin order to value yourself, you have to say "I am valuable."
Thisis an important point. How we think about ourselves is as much a matterof learning as anything else. If somebody tells you that you areworthless over and over, and if you do nothing to counteract that, thenyou will come to believe you are worthless, because that'show your neural connections will form. But if you repeat, and believe,and behave in such a way as to say to yourself over and over, I am valuable, then that's what you will come to believe.
What is it to value yourself? It's actually many things. For example, it's the belief that you are good enough to have an opinion, have a voice, and have a say, that your contributions do matter. It's the belief that you are capable, that you can learn to do new things and to be creative. It is your ability to be independent, and to not rely on some particular person or institution for personal well-being, and autonomous, capable of making your own decisions and living your live in your own way.
All of these things are yours by right. But they will never be given to you. You have to take them, by actually believing in yourself (no matter what anyone says) and by actually being autonomous.
Yourschool doesn't have a class in this (and may even be actively trying toundermine your autonomy and self-esteem; watch out for this). So youhave to take charge of your own sense of self-worth.
Do it everyday. Tell yourself that you are smart, you are cool, you are strong,you are good, and whatever else you want to be. Say it out loud, in themorning - hidden in the noise of the shower, if need be, but say it. Then, practice these attributes. Be smart by (say) solving a crossword puzzle. Be cool by making your own fashion statement. Be strong by doing something you said yo yourself you were going to do. Be good by doing a good deed. And every time you do it, remind yourself that you have, in fact, done it.
10. How to live meaningfully
This is probably the hardest thing of all to learn, and the least taught.
Livingmeaningfully is actually a combination of several things. It is, in onesense, your dedication to some purpose or goal. But it is also yoursense of appreciation and dedication to the here and now. And finally,it is the realization that your place in the world, yourmeaningfulness, is something you must create for yourself.
Toomany people live for no reason at all. They seek to make more and moremoney, or they seek to make themselves famous, or to become powerful,and whether or not they attain these objectives, they find their livesempty and meaningless. This is because they have confused means andends - money, fame and power are things people seek in order to do whatis worth doing.
Whatis worth doing? That is up to you to decide. I have chosen to dedicatemy life to helping people obtain an education. Others seek to curediseases, to explore space, to worship God, to raise a family, todesign cars, or to attain enlightenment.
If you don't decidewhat is worth doing, someone will decide for you, and at some point inyour life you will realize that you haven't done what is worth doing atall. So spend some time, today, thinking about what is worth doing. Youcan change your mind tomorrow. But begin, at least, to guide yourself somewhere.
The second thing is sometimes thought of as 'living in the moment'. It is essentially an understanding that you control your thoughts.Your thoughts have no power over you; the only thing that matters atall is this present moment. If you think about something - some hope,some failure, some fear - that thought cannot hurt you, and you choose how much or how little to trust that thought.
Another aspect of this is the following: what you are doing right now is the thing that you most want to do. Now you may be thinking, "No way! I'd rather be on Malibu Beach!" But if you really wanted to be on Malibu Beach, you'd be there. The reason you are not is because you have chosen other priorities in your life - to your family, to your job, to your country.
Whenyou realize you have the power to choose what you are doing, yourealize you have the power to choose the consequences. Which means thatconsequences - even bad consequences - are for the most part a matterof choice.
That said, this understanding is very liberating. Think about it, as a reader - what it means is that what I most wanted to do with my time right now is to write this article so that you - yes, you- would read it. And even more amazingly, I know, as a writer, that thething you most want to do right now, even more than you want to be inMalibu, is to read my words. It makes me want to write something meaningful - and it gives me a way to put meaning into my life.
[ 本帖最后由 neofacenew 于 2006-11-17 09:36 编辑 ] |
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