As a teacher, I have always searched for a more effective way to help students reach the “ah-ha” moment faster with less effort. To explain concepts unconventionally by linking content to the world as my students see it. Sometimes, I’ve been successful. Sometimes, I haven’t. Through this struggle, I noticed that the basic fundamental principles we take for granted in learning may not be the most effective path forward.

I considered how I have learned the greatest lessons in my life and came to the startling conclusion that most of what I know was learned not through classes or lessons but through rolling up my sleeves and jumping into the experience of life itself. I attempted to map how I had learned things in real life outside of my academic programs. For ease of simplicity, I linearly mapped this process. However, it’s not linear; it is closer to cyclical. Natural learning is a collection of steps that seem rearranged in variant fashions depending on the circumstances.