The Pillars of the Learning Process

The Pillars of the Learning Process are the fundamental elements of the learning process in practice. Essentially, how learning takes place — and more specifically, how progress and development is attained — across any discipline.

Contents

1. Learning-Practice-Doing
2. Applying the Pillars of Learning to Various Disciplines

Learning–Practice–Doing

Learning — In this case is the intentional, methodical, and disciplined study of material. It doesn’t matter what field that you are in, learning can help you get better. Increase your skills, credentials, qualifications, salary, but most importantly, make you better at what you want to be in life.

Learning is irreplaceable. Physicists, computer scientists, businessmen, investors (all professionals) can be improved in a very real way by learning something new. A new computer language learned to an intermediate degree quickly literally opens brand-new doorways. A new topic of physics changes how you see the world, a new move changes your options on the basketball court.

To achieve this learning, you need study. An argument can be made that you learn by doing, so learning through projects and application. Learning by problem-solving. I would have given you an argument that this doesn’t necessarily need to be true.

Practice — The Development of Skill Practice is the intermediary between learning and doing. It is where we take knowledge that we have learned, and turn it into skills, which we then perfect and master. Practice is the intentional development of skill, and the transition from theoretical to practical.

Practice is where we take the steps to become.

Doing — In this description, the Doing of the Learning Process is the actual action of doing — or being — whatever it is that you are trying to be. This is where you build the project, build the app, write the book, start the business, run the marathon. Translate your knowledge and skills, into something real.

Applying The Pillars of the Learning Process To Various Disciplines

The first thing to be noted is that there is so much divergence in the detail of the learning process of everything. Sure, practicing 100 free-throws, lay-ups, and 3-pointers a day is completely different than building a few HTML and CSS objects.

But only on the surface.

The basketball player and the coder both have skills to practice that day. They have training to do, skills to learn, and knowledge to apply, which the disciplined do each day.

They also learn about those skills, and develop their knowledge and skills in the same way. They watch others do it, find tutorials, learn from others, practice their skills, and gradually perform at higher levels — according to their natural talent and quality of their learning process.

The main difference between these two is the training of reaction-time, reflexes, and full-body physical dexterity. These (reflexes especially) are the main differences between these practices. One is physical one is not. Yet even things as disparate as Computer Science and Athletics are fundamentally practiced in the same way.

Computer Science (Web Development)

Let us break down web development as an example. If you want to become a Web Developer, the first thing to do is learn and master HTML, CSS, and JS to at least a solid degree of proficiency. (Let us ignore everything else that you need to becomes a Full Stack Web Developer for now.)

All you need to do is develop some solid skill in HTML, CSS and JS — which you can definitely do in three months (with the right system). However, learning HTML, CSS, and JS itself has more than one part.

1. Learning — Complete An Extensive Course On Each HTML, CSS, and JS. These are free on YouTube. My suggestion is that you watch all of them in their entirety, piece by piece maybe over the course of a week or two as you start with HTML and CSS going through those courses with a comb taking complete, thorough, organized notes on your computer (which you will need in the future).
2. Practice, Practice, Practice. You cannot just take notes. That is only a part of learning anything (even something like history). In this case you need to begin building things with HTML & CSS (and JS once you are ready). Build as many things as you can, complete as many small projects as you can. Actively search out new things to build, new challenges, until you can build most things that you see online. All the while…
3. Doing — Working On A Project. A Web Developer build stuff for the web. So you have to build something of a high-level of quality for the web, in order to be a Web Developer.

There is a major difference between each Learning, Practice, and Doing. Even between Practice and Doing.

The hard part is that all of these things often happen at the same time, and a degree of balance must be maintained. While you are working on a project, you might want to practice building a certain feature dozens of times to work out the problems and test out different designs. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci both did this — studying gestures, postures, and anatomy in the marketplace (and more private locations) to get it perfect in the sculptures and paintings.

Practice without new knowledge, skills, and ideas is dead. It maintains, but does not help you grow. Building projects with not enough learning and skill will produce low quality.

All of these pillars of the Learning Process must be maintained and balanced with discipline, every day.

Athlete (Basketball)

The exact same elements of the Learning Process — Learning, Practicing, Doing, and Performance — exist as fundament to the path of becoming any type of athlete as well. While the specifics differe, the main element remain the same.

1. Learning — You have to be constantly learning in your craft. As an athlete you are learning moves and techniques from coaches and trainings. Learning to read defences, and strategies on offence. In addition to specific skills, drills, and mentality. Even more importantly (in my opinion) you have to study the masters. Watch the greats to see how it is really done, at the highest level.
2. Practice — Armed with what you have seen and heard, you need to practice extensively. Make your moves, reads, reactions, second-nature through practice, and continue continue adding and refining with work on your skills. You practice with your team. But you also practice alone.
3. Doing — This is where you apply your skills (by playing your sport). Practice you do on your own time. The actual competition is where see the results. Where you perform, and where you become that thing you wanted to be.

The only difference is that an athlete will have to train Fitness, Diet and Nutrition as well. (Although, in reality, the only difference is that it should be sport-specific in the case of an athlete, because all people should have this aspect of their lives dialed in.)