Editorial January 27, 1997 Issue

Learning how to learn

Barbara M. Vining

Daniel Goleman, author of the book Emotional Intelligence, discusses what he terms "emotional abilities" and concludes that these are more foundational to learning at all ages than reservoirs of facts or intellectual development. Regarding children, he says, "A child's readiness for school depends on the most basic of all knowledge, how to learn."^{Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam Books, 1995), p. 193 .} He cites the development of such qualities as confidence, interest, self-motivation, self-control, patience, the ability to ask for and follow directions, and cooperativeness as important elements in increasing one's capacity to learn.

Recently I read about dedicated foster parents, Cheryl and Steven Haddad, who are enabling the seriously troubled teenage boys they take into their home to turn their lives around and become successful learners—winning school attendance awards and being named on honor rolls. In addition to the loving, disciplined care these foster parents provide, they reward good behavior. And when one of the boys misbehaves, his "punishment is to write about the positive quality he forgot and what he should do differently next time. 'A lot of kids say, "why don't you just hit me?"' Haddad said. 'I tell them that's too easy. You'll only learn how to hit. This way, you have to sit there and think about what you did.'"^{Judith Gaines, "Fostering hope in life," The Boston Globe, October 27, 1996, p. B5 .} This way, they are learning how to learn, a skill that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

The inherent capacity we all have for learning is given to us by God. Spirit, God, not matter, is the source of man's—everyone's—true intelligence. As the Bible's book of Job says, "There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding" (32:8). Since God is all-knowing Mind and is wholly unlimited, the intelligence He imparts to man, His reflection, is also unlimited. This means that every field of constructive learning is open to us as we turn to God, divine Mind, for guidance. Christ Jesus shows us how to do this.

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