The learning methods and training details of Harvard's top students

Chapter 17 The most comfortable thing is not to be a slave to study (2)
Only by working hard to release your own personality can you continuously improve your learning ability
Learning should also be suitable for your own personality, and you cannot force consistency.In learning, everyone's personality has its own advantages, so don't envy others, other people's methods may not be suitable for you.Rich and free individuality is also the fundamental reason why a society is rich in creativity. Without the existence of individuality and the freedom to express individuality, there will be no creativity.

The famous Austrian physicist Pauli was born in the family of a doctor of medicine in Vienna.He has been influenced by science since childhood, and studied physics by himself in middle school.Regarding the discovery of the exclusion principle, Pauli said in his speech after winning the Nobel Prize that the history of the discovery of the exclusion principle can be traced back to his student days in Munich.When he was in secondary school in Vienna, he mastered the knowledge of classical physics and the theory of relativity.

It can be seen that Pauli is a person with very developed intelligence, genius temperament and personality. He can use the most suitable learning method to give full play to his ingenuity.Therefore, it is difficult for him to learn step by step.

After graduating from middle school in 1918, Pauli took his father's letter of introduction to visit the famous physicist Sommerfeld at the University of Munich, asking not to go to university but to be a graduate student of Sommerfeld directly.Sommerfeld did not refuse, but he was still a little uneasy, but soon discovered that Pauli's talent was really extraordinary, so Pauli became the youngest graduate student at the University of Munich.

Soon, Pauli made his debut.He published his first paper on the energy component of a gravitational field. In 1919, Pauli pointed out an error in Weil's theory of gravity in two papers, and commented on Weil's theory from a critical point of view.The clarity of its arguments and the maturity of its thinking are astonishing. It is hard to believe that this book was written by a young man under the age of 20.

Since then he has become famous in one fell swoop.Pauli's journey to school is a leap, which is inseparable and closely related to his innate talent and personalized learning.

Personalized learning can enable learners to "see what others have never seen" and "teach what others have never said".Personality is the foundation of a person's innovative spirit, and personalized learning helps learners to constantly innovate in their learning.The society does not need rote, step-by-step talents, nor does it need slaves to study, what is needed are high-quality talents with self-confidence, ideals, innovation and individuality.

The most efficient learning should not only conform to the characteristics of the learning objects, but also conform to the individual characteristics of the learners. Grasping the two becomes the premise of improving learning efficiency and the trick to improving learning ability.Only when learners work hard to release their individuality and not be slaves of learning can they continuously improve their learning ability.In the target model of talent growth in the information age, the new concept of personalized learning has attracted more and more attention from all over the world, and will become an important indicator for evaluating the comprehensive quality of talents.

[Easy interaction]

1. How does reading Pauli's story inspire you in your studies?
2. Do you think Pauli was successful because he was a genius, or because of his personalized learning?

3. In the process of learning, will you learn according to your own personality?

【Parent-child total product】

According to the multiple intelligence theory of Howard Gardner, a famous doctor of Harvard University, every student is unique. Demonstrates unique cognitive characteristics.Some like to meditate quietly, some like to express their opinions, some like to experience personalized understanding in performances, and some let their imaginations run wild...as long as everyone can experience and acquire skills in their areas of interest Why not do it for fun?Educational psychology research shows: "People learn in a happy and relaxed state, which can effectively improve learning efficiency and fully develop their own potential."

【Harvard view】

Only by not being a slave to books can we get the most benefits
Book knowledge and actual operation are not completely consistent, and good book knowledge does not necessarily mean strong ability.In the process of learning, we should become the masters of books and flexibly use the knowledge we have learned, instead of being slaves of books.

Harvard University attaches great importance to students' practical activities. During the learning process of Harvard students, almost every link is inseparable from practice. They use the method of case teaching to provide students with a broad space for practice, which also makes them of students have strong practical ability.However, our teaching in China often emphasizes theory over practice, and students generally lack the ability to work in practice.Only when we are not superstitious about books, not being slaves of books, and dare to use practice to test the knowledge we have learned, can we get the greatest benefit from learning.

There was a man who liked fortune-telling, and no matter what he did, he would turn to his dilapidated book "Fortune-telling and Testing Characters" to calculate.One day, he wanted to go out to do some errands, but just as he stepped over the threshold, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't read a book before going out.He had no choice but to stand with one foot outside the door and one foot inside the door, shouting hoarsely to his son to bring him the fortune-telling book.After his son took the book, he flipped through it in a hurry. It didn't matter if he flipped through it again. It was clearly written in the book that it is not suitable to go out and move as little as possible.He said to his son: "Son, Daddy will just stand here for a day today. You bring him some food, and Daddy won't move." The son turned around and went to get him some food.At this time, the roof suddenly collapsed, crushing him in the soil all at once, and the clods hurt him so much that his son rushed over to try to get him out. But I still insisted on letting my son read what was written in the book.The son read the book and told him: "It is written in the book that it is not suitable to break the ground." He shook his head and said, "Oh, what a pity, I will live in the soil for a day today! Go and hold the bowl under my nose." , If I want to drink water and eat, you can feed me, but don't move the soil on my body, I'm afraid it will be bad for our family if you move it."

After reading this joke, you may find it extremely ridiculous.However, if we apply book knowledge mechanically and do not know how to apply it flexibly in our studies, we will become slaves to books, which is no different from the "nerd" in this joke.

Today, with more and more emphasis on practical ability, the amount of knowledge does not depend on how much you know from books, but on whether you can use the knowledge in books flexibly.This is not to say that we should blindly doubt the knowledge in books, but to tell us that since we have mastered knowledge, we must control knowledge and be the master of knowledge, not its slave.

It is useless to only know the knowledge in books without really mastering it.In ancient times, Zhao Kuo’s rhetoric on paper caused more than 40 soldiers of Zhao State to be buried alive. Although such a major evil result does not often occur in real life, it will also be ridiculed by practice.

In learning, only by learning and applying it flexibly, and not being a slave to books, can we embark on a new road of development.

[Easy interaction]

1. For the knowledge in the book, do you believe that they are completely correct?In your usual study, do you consciously cultivate your own skepticism?
2. Think about it, in today's practice-oriented world, how do you think you can combine what you have learned with practice?

【Parent-child total product】

The logo of Harvard University is three books, two open upwards and one closed downwards, why?

Harvard wants to tell its teachers and students: books spread knowledge and truth, but books also spread fallacies.Therefore, the teachers and students of Harvard should not only focus on books, not on top!

What Harvard spirit pursues is the critical thinking of professors and students.

Traditional indoctrination teaching is an externally imposed passive accumulation learning process, while critical reading is a process of self-education.Absorbing from criticism is active absorption, absorption after filtering, absorbing the essence, and questioning and criticizing on the basis of understanding, so as to reconstruct knowledge and become the master of knowledge and the subject of learning.

Critical reading must be based on independent thinking.Without independent thinking and innovative consciousness, there is no unique point of view.Therefore, critical reading is the first cornerstone of cultivating creative talents.

(End of this chapter)