Managing Your Own Learning [Paperback]

James R Davis Ph. (Author), Adelaide B Davis (Author), James R. Davis (Author), Adelaide B. Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

In today's rapidly changing workplace, learning is more important than ever before. But many people don't understand how learning takes place and how to manage the process. This book shows readers how to analyze their previous learning, design an action plan for future learning, expand their educational opportunities, and use libraries and the Internet effectively in order to become a proactive and perpetual learner.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The fervor with which people have dubbed our era the Information Age--an age to be dominated by those who master the mysterious art of "continuous learning"--is amazing. Yet amidst this unprecedented overflow of information, good old brain skills are needed for not only sorting through info but interpreting and applying it wisely.

That's the purpose of this compact and easily digestible "learning handbook." Its authors, a professor of higher education and a former teacher of human resources management, reassure us we can learn anything we need to know, be it new career/tech/computer skills, subjects we hated in grade school, or how to change a light bulb--presumably if we first "learn how to learn." From there, they introduce us to seven key "ways of learning": behavioral (learning new skills), cognitive (learning from presentations), inquiry (learning to think), using mental models (problem solving), collaborative (group learning), virtual reality (improving performance), and holistic (learning from experience.) The final section of the book is an overview of places to find the info and knowledge we're looking for--from the old-fashioned, bricks-and-mortar library to the newfangled browse-and-click Web.

If you're looking for a hands-on text to beef up your learning skills (complete with those use-your-own-experience self-tests and worksheets we all snicker at yet find so fun and invaluable), this isn't it. Although Managing Your Own Learning offers some general examples to illustrate its theories, it does far more bland lecturing than engaging (so much for learning by doing). What's more, the closing section on how to use libraries, the Internet, and other research tools is fairly simple-minded (on libraries, to wit: "The card catalog has been replaced with an online catalog accessed through a computer station...." No foolin'?) But if you're looking for a clear, concise survey of some of the major learning theories of the past few decades, translated out of the academic gobbledygook of their creators and into plain English with quick-summary sidebars and bulleted-list breakdowns, this is a fine book (it sort of reads like an introductory text for aspiring K-12 teachers). --Timothy Murphy

Review

"Any organization that intends to survive, accomplish its mission, and achieve excellence will find this book valuable.... Essential reading for those who want to stay in front of the pack." -- Barry L. Wells, Associate Dean, Foreign Service Institute, U.S. State Department

"At last, a book that combines educational theory with training strategies-essential ingredients to achieve effective designed learning." -- Fred Van Wert, Chief of Advanced Training, Technology/Flight, 37th Training Group, Lacklang Air Force Base

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576750671
• ISBN-13: 978-1576750674
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,335,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful!, August 7, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Managing Your Own Learning (Paperback)

Managers and trainers rely on James R. Davis and Adelaide B. Davis' book on training strategies, which the authors now have adapted as a personal self-help guide to learning. Although they touch briefly on underlying learning theories and present examples of learning from diverse academic fields (i.e. psychology, sociology, philosophy and communications), this is primarily a step-by-step manual. It begins with a brief self-assessment, guiding you to examine your strengths and weaknesses and to decide what you want to learn. Then, the authors explain how and when to use each of the seven major approaches to learning: behavioral, cognitive, inquiry, mental models, collaborative, virtual realities and holistic learning. They also suggest the best ways to learn in each category. Their well organized book lists major principles, enumerates rules, and provides a summary of each chapter. We [...] recommend this individually directed manual to those who wish to make the most of the time they spend absorbing new information.

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Summary of Learning how to learn, October 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Managing Your Own Learning (Paperback)

Very systematic approach of teaching learning how to learn.

Part one : motivate you to learn "Preparation for learning" Part two : teach you to learn ""Seven ways of learning" Part three : practise your learning "Maximizing Learning"

The look and feel are very good. You can find out the editing of the book made you read the book very comfortable.