Throughout life we are always facing new and challenging mountains and depend upon the tools we carry around with us to reach the top and attain our goals. It is vital to stock our backpacks with the right background experiences and tools to achieve successful ascents. Most students forgo basic climbing skills and carefully gathering tools because they don’t feel the need for them. When the big mountain finally looms before them, they often cannot begin to climb, much less scale the peak. They are lost. For many, the big mountain appears overwhelming and the climb hopeless. They begin to doubt their abilities, intelligence and capabilities for learning.
Some potential climbers have natural ability and do not bother with extended practice, essential equipment and critical experience. They may succeed for awhile, but they usually become lost when they need this combination of resources the most. All too often, students find themselves suddenly facing the stressful predicament of acquiring unfamiliar learning skills and content simultaneously. They find themselves out on a ledge with no tools to help them.
Learning and practicing good, useful, and appropriate study skills builds self-confidence so, when faced with the challenge, students can successfully conquer their own mountains. It is vital they learn HOW to learn along with what to learn. Learning to learn is one of the most basic and important lifelong skills we can acquire. Our lives are filled with hills and mountains. It’s simply not enough to know what to climb; we must also know how to climb. Begin today to fill those backpacks with terrific learning skills that last a lifetime!
