How we learn

There are many ways to learn. We can make a guess based on a hunch or intuition. We can take some action to test a hypothesis, the results telling us whether or not we guessed correctly. When we do this, we learn that what we believed was either true or false. Either way, we learn.

Sometimes, instead of taking an educated guess, we just go ahead and take some action with absolutely no idea if what we are doing is right or will work. We throw something at the wall to see if it will stick. Something happens, and sometimes that something is nothing. If we’re smart enough to pay attention, we may make some observations about what happened — or what didn’t. And we learn from the experience.

Often something happens, and we just happen to be there when it does. We recognize what has happened and learn from that observation without having to experience it for ourselves.