Lifetime Learning

When you tie a reward to something, you strip away its intrinsic value, this is an idea in psychology. You tell your son I will give you 20 dollars for every A you get, sure it may motivate them but now the A has extrinsic value and the research shows that intrinsic value can't last in that situation. The student will never be happy just to get an A. Take away the 20 dollars and now there is no value left, (why should I do this for free?) You can see this alot in professional athletics. We all do this though, I give out reece's after each of you get a PR. The accomplishment itself should be enough. (In my defense, It is more to recognize the athlete than to motivate them. Viz being the only exception haha)

This is my long way of getting to my point, once school is over (college or High school) that doesn't mean learning is over. I understand the point of having tests, it is the (not best) but easiest way to see if the person has learned what they needed to from the class. There is also a problem with people only studying things because they will be tested on it. Now sometimes you are forced to take a class you are not interested in, and it is tough to study. However I recommend trying to actively enjoy learning. I mean increasing your knowledge should be something you enjoy, not something you feel forced to do.

It is not easy to do. I couldn't do it, after I graduated college I was done learning. When I started coaching I realized that I had a deficit of knowledge in exercise physiology and rather than being able to just research and find the information I needed I had to go back to school because I could only really learn when I was being forced to do it for a grade. The good news is my second time through college I was completely engaged I learned for the information not for the test. Now that I have my Masters degree, I am still looking for information, still researching and becoming a lifetime learner.

What I am really looking into for the upcoming year is the kinetic chain of the body. Things like when you have an injury look for a weak synergist. Alot of times with injuries we treat the body part of the injury. If you have a leak on your roof, it shows up with a stain on the wall. Well treating the wall will not fix anything, and sadly that is what happens ALOT. I am really trying to understand the connections within the body. If you have pain in the upperback, stretching the muscles of the chest may be way more effective then working on the spot where there is pain. Really excited to learn more about this and i will definitely post some of the things I find out.

My take home message: Learn for the information not for a test. Try to enjoy it, becasue it is a great skill and there is so much information out there. Alot of people don't.