As a teacher with more ~12 years of experience I realized there are some key things to look out for when evaluating your learning. I will show you what are the signs of learning, so you can evaluate if you have learned. With reflections on these signs you can also improve on your learning process.

Learning does not have to lead to big changes in how you behave. Small changes in how you do things is enough. As long as you get value from what you have acquired intellectually you are winning in the game of learning. Being able to evaluate what happened will help you fine-tune your own learning process.

You have learned something (new skill, knowledge etc.) when you:

Can do something you couldn’t do before

Learning has happened when you acquired some information that enables you to do something that you couldn’t do before. let’s say you did not know how to program a computer program. By learning about variables, if-statements, loops and functions, you can now write your own computer programs.

When attentive and reflect upon if the acquired information has led to any changes in how you do things, how you act and if you can do new stuff. This is a sign of learning.

Can retrieve useful information to accomplish your goals

When you have learned something and applied the knowledge for real, your short-term memory of what you learned, starts to enter the long-term memory. By being able to retrieve what you need for the moment from the long-term memory, you can use it to create something that engage and provide value for you.

By being aware and evaluating on how efficiently you can retrieve useful information from your long-term memory you can see how well you know something.

Can apply the knowledge in various contexts

The litmus-test of whether you have learned something is if you can apply your knowledge and create something (of value). By recalling what you have learned and by transforming this knowledge in different context, you demonstrate an ability to synthesize acquired knowledge that helps you in your goals/solve problems/express yourself.

Can identify the building blocks of knowledge

When you know something well, you can clearly see what core knowledge within a subject is important for creating more complex stuff. Identify these and you will have an easier time creating more valuable and sophisticated knowledge derived things.

You can summarize what you have learned and can use it in combination with other concepts from your long-term memory in order to create something of value.

See that what you learned can empower you in various ways

Seeing this will help you learn in the long run. You can see why certain knowledge is important to you. Meaning, you see the potential for change by applying what you have learned and can use it to create something of value for yourself and others. You can change yourself and others for the better.

If you are interested in how to learn something efficiently, or want to know how to live a more purposeful life, I can recommend my digital book:

Finding your life purpose:

https://mindoflin.com/resources

Just sign in and you will get access to my transformation process that will help you identify what you value in life and improve your learning process.

This process focuses on efficient learning and productivity by priming the mind so you enter the right mind state. This process also teaches you how to reorder task for task completion. So you focus on productivity. The article also give tips on how to learn faster.

In other words: The art of succeeding with your work is presented in this article.

The slogan for task completion is: "You want if you can". The best way to increase motivation and finish tasks are when the you know how to do it and then does it. The likelihood of success with your work increases when you work actively with learning.

0. Create an environment for effective work

Work in a quiet room. Preferably a boring room, preferably without distracting entertainment. Put your phone in "do not disturb" mode and put it in another room where you can't reach it easily.

Rearrange your desk so that all work materials are neatly and easily accessible. Anything else that doesn't belong to work can be removed. If you use the computer for your work, all distracting/irrelevant tabs can be closed. Don't let yourself be guided by impulses to do anything other than work. Decide to work.

1. Determine the length of the work/study-session

Working/Study sessions that require memory (requires memorization or recall of new information): 20-30 minutes. Otherwise (Using anchored knowledge, problem solving): 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. I stop when I feel mentally tired. Go for undisturbed working/studying.

2. Get an preview of what needs to be done

Write down in bullet form what needs to be done. Prioritize completing tasks. Check with coworkers, teachers, students, AI, etc. if there is anything that is unclear before you go home for the day. So that you can work/study unhindered when working on your own.

Some tips on how to do it when it come to studies:

Before a classes with new content:

• Read the table of contents in the course book for the area the lesson will be about

• Skim paragraphs for relevant sections

• Look for keywords. You don't need to memorize, it is enough that you have been exposed to them.

• Just briefly: See if you can connect the new information to something you have learned before. Asking questions is also sufficient. Don't overdo this point.

Before a study/working session:

Write down tasks that you need to complete in a short bulleted list. Group tasks of a similar nature that don't require mental adjustment when you start the next task.

Write a bullet list of what needs to be done in this study session.

It is important that all the tasks on the list are broken down in such a way that you know how to complete them relatively easily.

3. Focus training for 5-10 minutes

Purpose: So you can maintain focus for a longer period and not get distracted. Use a timer.

How to do it: Focus on the awareness of how the air touches the body. When you breathe through the nose, be aware of how the air touches the nostrils. If distracted from this exercise, come back to awareness of the air on the nostrils. Repeat for 5-10 minutes.

When the ten-minute focus session is over, set an appropriate time for your study/work session. Continue to step 4.

4. Set the timer

Memory-intensive study sessions: 20-30 minutes. 5-10 minute break. 10 minute review. Otherwise: 40-90 minutes. 5-10 minute break. Review for 10 minutes if needed.

5. Review the list of tasks to be completed during this study/work session

Have the intention to complete all the tasks on the list.

Mentally say this: "I will complete all the written tasks on the list in this study/work session in ... minutes" Replace ... with the chosen number of minutes.

6. Start a timer. Study/work effectively and prioritize completing all tasks on your list

7. 5-10 minute break. Then 10 minutes of revision

8. Streak calendar: Can you create a daily study/working routine?

When you have completed your study session, you can mark today's date as completed. If you have a daily working/study routine, it will become easy to maintain a working/study streak.

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How to learn more efficiently

For tips on more efficient learning see this link (My best tips for more efficient learning. Do the right actions during the learning process)

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I created a digital platform using full-stack web development frameworks (HTML, CSS, EJS, Bootstrap, MongoDB, NodeJS and Stripe for monetization).

First the stats:

• I sold to 141 teachers and 363 students

• Total revenue: 176 400 Kr (Swedish Kronor). which is approximately 17.6K USD

Not really a get rich amount but definitely something that proves to you that you can make money selling digital products.

Get a look at the product that I sold

As of now I do not sell the book anymore because in Sweden the course is replaced with a new one.

Here is the pdf for you to look at:

Technology 2 book

The book is also accessible from the blog post:

Link to my teacher-blog article with book

How did I do it?

I saw that there were no books for the course Technology 2 and I saw the need for one so I wrote it. The tech-teachers that I spoke with found it hard to give the course because of lack of literature.

I learned about full-stack web-development and created a digital platform: https://www.teknik2bok.se that hosted my book. The teachers, interested in buying the book contacted me for an invoice, or paid directly through Stripe.

The tech-stack consisted of:

• Front-end, HTML, CSS, EJS

• Backend: NodeJs (webserver)

I used Heroku for hosting.

The teachers got the book in their signed in account and can then share the number of bought books to the students.

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How you can do it

You have to identify if your product has a market. You also need to reach out to potential buyers in order to be able to sell to people in need of the product.

I reached out to all the schools of Sweden that has a high-school program in Technology. All theses students can choose the track Teknikvetenskap (Science of Technology track within that program). These students have to take the Technology 2 course, which means they, along with the teachers are my targeted prospects for the digital book.

It also helped that the book was the only one book in Sweden for the course.

I also reached out to teachers in various Facebook-groups and got people to buy.

I spent very little on ad campaigns (Facebook ads). It was around 20 bucks or something. The ads did not converge so I stopped.

Because the book was unique, it ranked first on google search for “Teknik 2 bok” (Technology 2 book).

I do not think that you need to create your own digital platform and sell the book there. It took me 2 months to create the platform and I have programming experience. The book I wrote in like 3 months (161 pages).

For you I recommend digital storefronts like: Kindle e-books and Gumroad or Apple books and Google play books. Find the platforms that fits you.

So my best tips to you is:

• Write or create something that you are passionate about. It helps you finish it.

• See that there is a value for the product. Will it solve problems for the potential buyers?

• Figure out who the product is for.

• Find ways to reach potential buyers.

• Create the thing.

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Thank you for reading! See you around next time.

In my workplace all teachers are sitting in the same room. We are around 20 teachers in one room, which makes it hard to focus when there are discussions between colleagues. Below are some of my best tips for focused work in a noisy environment.

Tip #1: Use in-ear earphones

Do not use open-ear headphones because sound can enter the headphones into your ear-canal. ANC (active noise canceling) headphones does not work if you have people talking.

I bought a pair of Etymotic Research ETYER2XR In-ear earphones (affiliate link. Helps the publication) that works great. I use the earplugs that blocks sound (the thickest ones that are comfortable for my ears). The earphone comes with different konds of ear-plugs.

Tip #2: Play concentration music

I play alpha-waves audio. I cannot concentrated with music that contains vocals because it affects my attention, which in turn affects my work/learning.

I recommend this audio from YouTube:

It can get a little tiring for the ears for prolonged listening. Other than that it works great.

combine this video with the recommended pairs of earphones and you will easily focus for longer periods of time.

Tip #3: Start a meditation practice and de-stress

Another good tip for good focus is to calm down with a meditation technique that enhances your focus.

Sit down and close your eyes. Focus on the breathing by becoming aware of how the air enters your nostrils. Put all attention on that and when you breathe out, breathe a little longer (slower out-breathe). If you get distracted from this task you be aware of that and return to awareness of the breathe.

You will get much calmer. Be aware of this state and see that you are more calm and have a more natural focus in maintained.

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Effective learning requires you to adapt knowledge until it becomes your own; you must own the knowledge. You shape it to fit who you are as a person!

In the list below, I have listed some tips to help you achieve this (find the ones that work best for you):

• Ask the core questions: What, why, and how am I supposed to learn this material/knowledge?

• Mimic and transcribe: During the learning process, copy or write things down to get a feel for how they work. For example, copy a block of code and run it. Then, modify it and see what happens. Reflect on what you want to build next, find more information, and test it. This makes you a more active learner.

• List new concepts/terms: Identify words you don’t yet understand. Make it your goal to achieve mental clarity regarding what they are, why they are needed, and how they are used.

• Break it down: Does the subject feel too difficult? Break it into smaller parts until you find pieces you understand. This makes it easier to identify the specific parts you don’t understand. Your goal is to clarify exactly where the gap in your knowledge lies.

Being able to describe exactly what you don’t understand is a major win. Use that clarity along with these tips and other resources to succeed!

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• Connect to prior knowledge: Combine new information with what you already know. For example in programming, use if-statements together with variables and user input to determine if a person is of legal age.

• Compare and contrast: Look for similarities and differences. For instance: what is the difference between an algebraic expression and an equation? Are there similarities? You can also create analogies to everyday objects.

  • Example: What is a “list” in Python? A list stores data/information in a sequence. What is that like? Imagine a chest of drawers (the list) where you put items. There are different drawers for socks, pants, and shirts (our data).

• Identify patterns: Can you see patterns in what you are learning? Create step-by-step instructions for yourself.

  • Example in programming: What are the steps involved in creating a program that continuously asks a user for a number?

• Describe processes: Can you create and describe a process for what you’ve learned? For example, write down all the steps required to solve a quadratic equation.

• Apply knowledge in context: Use what you’ve learned to create something. Create a compressed representation (a summary or cheat sheet) of the material.

• Summarize: Make short summaries of what you have learned.

• Teach others: Explain the concepts you have learned to another person.

• Visualize: Create an image, a keyword, or a “feeling” that helps you extract what you’ve learned. Create these for new concepts and processes, then link them together. Use visualization to connect important knowledge that you have already compressed.

• Synthesize: Use different areas of knowledge together to create something larger. Start small and simple, then let it grow into something more complex.

• Verify understanding: Find ways to confirm you’ve actually got it. Take tests. Challenge your knowledge by building and creating!

• Evaluate the knowledge: Identify the information that is fundamental to mastering the subject. Fundamental knowledge is usually the building block for more complex topics.

Learning is an activity that you engage in. You need to actively work with the material that you want to learn. The best tip to summarize all the points above is:

You have learned something when you can use it to create and express what is in your mind!

What do you think about my list? Please leave a comment or restack the article to help me grow this publication.

I am most certain you used some of the points above in order to learn.

If you find the list helpful please consider subscribing for more content on making learning more easy and engaging.

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