Introduction
Learning to Learn is not a treatise on the learning process so I suppose in that sense it's not a particularly good title. It is, however, quite a snazzy one so I'm going to stick with it until I can think of something better. Since I made it generally available on the web I have had a number of constructive comments for which I am grateful. Where possible I have incorporated the suggestions or modified the original to take them into account. One criticism which has been levelled is that it is too long and that students in a hurry will just not have the time to read it all. While I accept that this is certainly true I would like to make the following points in my defence:

First and foremost, students who think that they don't have enough time to read thoroughly whatever material they have been pointed at, or discover for themselves, are more than likely the same students who are guilty of surface, rather than deep, learning. They prefer to read summaries in the belief that the summary contains the essential points. Well, maybe sometimes it does but more often than not such a reader will miss the opportunity of having an important point emphasised or exemplified by analogies which improve understanding and make the whole process more enjoyable and easier to remember.

Secondly and less importantly, too much of the Study Skills advice offered to students in books, and more recently on the web, is presented in a very abbreviated and uninteresting manner. Here I have tried to present my views in a more relaxed, friendly and, I hope, entertaining way which I think will help.

However, for to those who really must cut to the chase, I have bent to their wishes and included summaries of each section which you will find at the foot of each page. Without wishing to draw any comparisons between what I have written here and anything remotely connected with literature, one could summarise Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece War & Peace by saying it was about Russia. There are, you see, summaries and there are summaries. I hope you find mine of some use.

This is not everything you need to know about learning
You are not going to discover some secret about learning here. In fact I'm not even going to suggest how you should go about doing this learning thing because that particular topic is enormous in scope and devilishly complex. The subject known as "Learning" has been battered and kicked about by sociologists, psychologists, behavioural scientists, behavioural psychologists, behavioural psycho-sociologists and psychotic behavioural sociologists for so long that getting to grips with the basic principles is like wading through treacle. In fact, the subject seems so complex that no one appears to be entirely sure what the basic principles really are any more.

Forgive me then for steering well clear of that minefield except to draw on some of it as required. If you want to learn more about the science underpinning how we do this thing called learning then you'll have to go somewhere else. There are plenty of good books on the subject, you will also find a wealth of information on the web. A teacher can but lead you to the door; learning is up to you (Another Chinese proverb)

What you will find here
So if this isn't about how to go about the process of learning then what is it about? What I hope you will find here is some practical advice on

All of which seems a pretty tall order and more than enough to get through in 30 minutes which is about how long it should take to read these thoughts. Before you begin though a word of warning.

Disclaimer
This advice is offered freely and with no strings attached to those who think it might help with their learning. If you think your skills are already sufficient, then beware!

Contents
Learning to learn sets out the reason why some students have trouble learning and provides a solution. It might not be the best solution but nevertheless, it is certainly a solution. There are five parts, maybe more in time. The first sets out why I think students waste their time studying; the second provides a method for finding out what it is that you don't know; the third helps you distinguish facts from understanding; the fourth outlines a task-oriented method for study and the fifth describes how you can increase your studying efficiency by working together. I can't make you read these in any particular order but I do suggest that you start at the beginning and work through the parts sequentially because that's how I wrote them.

Summary

Part 1 Why you are wasting you time studying

Part 2 Discovering your weaknesses

Part 3 Knowledge does not equal understanding.

Part 4 How to study

Part 5 Study Groups

Constructive comments are welcome