I’ve been realizing anew the importance of learning through projects. There’s something about creating a physical representation of a new concept that concretes the information in your brain.
I’m not sure when humanity decided that information in the abstract is the most important part of survival. Slowly we are falling away from the practical application of knowledge; quickly we are approaching the day when no one knows how to apply what they have learned.
Knowledge is obsolete without wisdom to apply it. What better way to put information to use than a hands-on application?
This concept renewed itself in my mind this week as I worked on a project with my brother. He heard along the grape vine that his Sunday School teacher was offering $100 to the person who could best explain the concept of being perfect. (Matthew 5:48) The teacher wanted to hear an explanation in the teenagers’ own words; he didn’t want them to meaninglessly throw Bible verses as evidence.
We sat down together and worked for a good hour on his train of thought. Then we created a graph that he could quickly draw to cement the information in his brain, and then succinctly communicate it to his audience. We added the example of a pirate’s telescope to give his idea a concrete visual, and then set to practicing the 5- minute speech.
No one practiced more earnestly than he did, and no one watched him with more pride than I did. After several hours of work and refining, he had grounded his own idea and was ready to present it.
When it came down to the moment, he realized the question his speech set out to answer was slightly different from the one the teacher had originally asked. But because of his work, he thought quickly on his feet and adapted his answer to the situation.
Here’s the kicker:
With three hours of work, my brother gained knowledge in many areas:
- Debate (how to support your argument)
- Speech writing (how to organize a thought into a convincing argument)
- Storytelling (how to turn an abstract thought into an experience an audience can connect to)
- Psychology (how to convince an audience with your words and body language)
- Discipline (how to stick to a project until it is completed)
- Public Speaking (how to connect to people from a platform)
He gained confidence, pride in his work, and self-knowledge. Even if he hadn’t come up to me on Sunday afternoon, flashing those green bills, the experience would have been well worth his time.
My brother didn’t have to take a course on Psychology or Speechwriting to create a project that utilized key concepts from both these areas. It took three hours of a project to give him access to things that people spend weeks and months reading about before putting into action.
I’m not saying learning is bad. I’m not saying that taking a course in Psychology is wrong. I am, however, advocating for a project-based learning mindset. Don’t just swallow information; put your learning into action!