Learning Life: The Path to Academic Success and Personal Happiness

by Adam Burke

"I don't know how to do that yet, but I will learn." Learning is a process -- going from not knowing to knowing, from not being able to do to being able to do. The reason people do not know, cannot do, is because they never learned how, or they were shown the wrong way. In addition to simply lacking instruction, individuals may also acquire self-imposed barriers to learning -- ''I am not good at that" -- sometimes because they 'failed' on their first try. Learning Life provides a systematic way to shift those root causes, a process to make the adventure of learning and success more efficient and more effective. The text is comprised of four sections -- Foundations, Learning Strategies, Life Skills, and Applications . The Foundations are a unique aspect of this text, a holistic approach to learning developed over many years of classroom instruction. This section of the text consists of three core elements -- mindful awareness to cultivate attention and memory; clear goals and mental imagery to reinforce goal-oriented action and positive expectation; and a quality/continual improvement perspective. The second section, Learning Strategies , provides a model of learning and a palette of techniques to optimize all aspects of academic success. Having the right approach makes the world of difference. The third section focuses on specific Life Skills that are essential for success in human environments, from the home, to the office, to the planet. These include emotional literacy, time and stress management, decision-making, and habit change. The final section looks at Applications in the areas of work, relationships, health, finances and civic engagement. The text emphasizes self-reflection, problem solving, use of data/feedback, and making constructive changes. It is about building an effective life. Ultimately the information and skills are applied in an active research format, based on a learning-by-doing orientation, which focuses on a personal change process related to academic/life success. Learning Life is the product of working with real students making real changes in their lives, significant changes. This is not a rehash of all the old ideas. This is a systematic, fresh approach to student achievement. We can all learn, and knowing how, having an effective strategy, is a game changer. Learning Life provides that path.

378 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2015

Reviews

[Elyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, accessible, and fills an important gap in learning how to learn.

I used this textbook to teach an undergraduate Academic Success course. The text book is well written, accessible and fills an important gap in learning. Most college students have no idea how to use a calendar, set goals, cope with procrastination, study effectively or deal with the myriad of overwhelming emotions and social challenges that come up from being young and on your own for the first time. This book provides a pathway for useful, hopeful and practical self exploration. The text offers a range of creative and practical methods, ranging from mindfulness meditation and visualization to Kaizen, for students to improve concentration and learning. My students enjoyed the assignments that I created from the book, and were surprised at how much more calm, effective and motivated they felt at the end of the semester.

This book is helpful for any student, but I believe it is particularly important for students who are first generation college students. The text provides the background information and practices that support academic success, that more privileged students might absorb from family and culture, but that any student can learn.