PW10. Intellectual

Aug 9

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Welcome to Self Care: Session 10.

Here you can download the session PDF below by clicking on the button, or continue scrolling to fill out the private digital version.

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For easy access to handouts or worksheets referred to in the session, please use the links below, or continue scrolling.

HOW DO I LEARN BEST? WORKSHEET

To navigate the YouTube playlist, click the playlist button in the top right corner to show all the included videos.

Session Digital Version

Entering your name, email address and hitting “Submit” after you complete the session sends a digital file, including all your responses, to you within the hour. Having a record of your thoughts will increase your understanding and help you learn. As you progress through CRAFT Connect you will be able to measure that progress.

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1. Intellectual wellness is the ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences that can be applied to personal decisions, group interaction and community betterment. The desire to learn new concepts, improve skills and seek challenges in pursuit of lifelong learning all contribute to our intellectual wellness. In order to improve intellectual wellness, it is important to value and recognize creative abilities. It is important to gain and maintain intellectual wellness because it expands knowledge and skills in order to have a “life worth living”.

2. Intellectual wellness refers to active participation in scholastic, cultural, and community activities. It is learning because you are curious – not because you are told to learn. Active participation helps you get the most out of any learning experiences. Some suggestions are listed below:

• Pay attention • Ask and answer questions • Find and work with others who are also committed to learning (sit by them, share ideas, meet, and help each other.) • Be kind and respectful. • Talk with other to further understand the concepts you are learning.

Discuss: What differences have you noticed when you have actively participated in something rather than not being engaged?

3. “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” (Benjamin Franklin, founding father of the United States). Understanding the ways your mind processes information can be a vital tool in helping to strengthen your intellectual wellness. Some people learn best by seeing (Visual), some by hearing (Auditory), some by reading and writing (Reading) and some by doing (Kinesthetic).

HOW DO I LEARN BEST ACTIVITY

Step 1: Turn to and complete the “How Do I Learn Best? Worksheet" at the end of this session.

Step 2: Fill in these boxes to record the total scores for your preferences.

Total number of Vs circled

Total number of As circled

Total number of Rs circled

Total number of Ks circled

If your highest score is well above the others you may have a single learning style preference. How much a single preference stands out decides whether it is a mild, strong or very strong.

Discuss: Share your learning style preference(s) with the group.

4. Successful learners use the style that works best for them as much as they can. Depending on the situation you will need to adapt your learning style. For example, Peter prefers a hands-on approach. He likes to do things. He doesn’t like to sit in a class and listen to a teacher talk. He doesn’t like to read textbooks. But lectures are a part of his schooling and reading is required to pass the tests. He can’t just ignore the requirements because they don’t fit his learning style. He decides to listen as best he can, read as much as he can and then quickly go try things out after class so he can get some hands-on learning. Susan on the other hand, discovered that she learns more when she discusses ideas with other. She decides to study regularly with others.

Discuss: How would you use your learning style in different learning situations? What could you do to learn from a group discussion, a lecture or hands-on activity?

5. Here are seven simple steps to increase your intellectual wellness that you can do right now.

a). Find time during the morning, night, or weekend to sit down and read something for fun. Reading, especially something you enjoy, can improve your intellect by stretching your mind to think about things you normally don’t think about!

b). Read up on current affairs locally, nationally and internationally.

c). Debate an issue with a friend, but choose the viewpoint opposite the one you hold. Sounds tricky, right? That’s the point! Focusing attention on information that is different than your beliefs can improve intellectual wellness. Naturally, we tend to only focus our attention on opinions, beliefs, and facts that hold true to our viewpoints. When you expose the mind to opposing ideas, it expands the mind to grasp new information

d). Taking the time to write down thoughts or journal frequently can help anyone who is trying to make sense of what they are feeling inside. Being able to identify your feelings and understanding yourself more and your actions increase intellectual wellness by exposing your mind to deeper thinking

e). Do a daily word search, crossword puzzle, or sudoku. These are easy activities which keep the mind engaged and entertained simultaneously.

f). Explore public events in your community – lectures, musical performances or play.

g). Play a board game. Strategy board games like Clue, Risk, Settlers of Catan and Pandemic are both fun and intellectually challenging. Try your hand at these to improve your critical thinking skills.

Discuss: Which of these ‘instant’ intellectual wellness activities have you been able to do in the past? What other types of wellness activities do you do?

6. Have you ever considered learning a creative art such as drawing, pottery, crafting or photography? How about martial arts, learning about nature or improving your computer skills? Learning a new skill is a fun and interactive way to improve your intellectual wellness. Choose something in which you will be so engaged that you will lose track of time. Something that will bring you feelings of joy. Music has a powerful impact on our minds. Playing any musical instrument can increase intellectual wellness by learning how to create sounds, make patterns, and emote through music. Learning a foreign language can be beneficial to our intellectual health and your employment prospects. When learning different ways to communicate, your mind expands. This not only helps with being receptive to new knowledge, but also helps broaden information already learned.

Write down a new skill would you like to learn and do.

Discuss: Share what you wrote with the group.

7. Poor time management hinders every aspect of our wellness, especially the intellectual dimension. “Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well.” (Louisa May Alcott, writer.) Staying organized and on track allows your mind to work more efficiently and effectively.

Think: What do I spend too much time doing?

TIME MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY

Read: Here are six steps that can help you better manage your time.

Step 1: Every morning, make a list of the 5 most important things to do that day. These should be important tasks for your work, school, family – not just daily chores. Add names of people to help.

Step 2: Tomorrow morning pray/meditate about your list, then look at it again. Listen for new ideas.

Step 3: Order your list putting a 1 by the most important thing to do, a 2 by the next most important thing to do, and so on.

Step 4. Make goals for the day. Goals should be clear; we need to see if we are making progress. Our goals should also have simple steps to finish them and a time when they should be done.

Step 5. At the end of the day remember to meditate/pray about the things you were able to accomplish.

Step 6: Talk about your goals with someone you care about who can help you., Keep trying.

INTELLECTUAL WELLNESS PLAN ACTIVITY

Start making an intellectual wellness plan by writing down activities you will do this week and when will you do them.

Intellectual wellness activities.

When will you do them?

8. Wanting to engage in intellectual wellness activities is one thing -- doing them is another. Procrastination is putting something off for no particular reason. Emily realized that she tends to procrastinate. Underline some things Emily does that have helped her over it. “I started to wake up earlier in the morning. The first thing I do is create my list of activities for the day. If something seems too hard to do, I think about putting that as the first thing to do. I also think about how long each of the task going to take and then set a time to of the day to complete each task. If I am doing something hard, I do it for 40 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After finishing my task, I take 10 minutes to do something fun. At time I have a hard time focusing, or I may not have enough energy to do a task. Whenever that happens, I move to another task on my list that takes less energy and focus. I return to the to the other task when I have more energy and focus. I keep moving and get things done. It feels good to complete things on my list.”

Discuss: What helps you to overcome procrastination?

Think: Take a few minutes to quietly think about what you learned in this session. Write your thoughts below.

What are the most important things I learned?

What will I do differently because of what I learned?

9. These are our commitments for this week. We will start our next session by reporting on them. This week: I will:

• Work on a list of tasks for each day. • Do an instant intellectual wellness activity daily. • Share what I am learning with my family, friends and community.

How Do I Learn Best Worksheet

Choose the answer which best explains your preference and circle the letter(s) next to it. Please circle more than one if a single answer does not match your perception. Leave blank any question that does not apply. (@2019 VARK-Learn Limited.)

1. I need to find the way to a shop that a friend has recommended. I would:

K. find out where the shop is in relation to some where I know.

A. ask my friend to tell me the directions.

R. write down the street directions I need to remember.

V. use a map.

2. A website has a video showing how to make a special graph or chart. There is a person speaking, some lists and words describing what to do and some diagrams. I would learn most from:

V. seeing the diagrams.

A. listening.

R. reading the words.

K. watching the actions.

3. I want to find out more about a tour that I am going on. I would:

K. look at details about the highlights and activities on the tour.

V. use a map and see where the places are.

R. read about the tour on the itinerary.

A. talk with the person who planned the tour or others who are going on the tour.

4. When choosing a career or area of study, these are important for me:

K. Applying my knowledge in real situations.

A. Communicating with others through discussion.

V. Working with designs, maps or charts.

R. Using words well in written communications.

5. When I am learning I:

A. like to talk things through.

V. see patterns in things.

K. use examples and applications.

R. read books, articles and handouts.

6. I want to save more money and to decide between a range of options. I would:

K. consider examples of each option using my financial information.

R. read a print brochure that describes the options in detail.

V. use graphs showing different options for different time periods.

A. talk with an expert about the options.

7. I want to learn how to play a new board game or card game. I would:

K. watch others play the game before joining in.

A. listen to somebody explaining it and ask questions.

V. use the diagrams that explain the various stages, moves and strategies in the game.

R. read the instructions.

8. I have a problem with my heart. I would prefer that the doctor:

R. gave me something to read to explain what was wrong.

K. used a plastic model to show me what was wrong.

A. described what was wrong.

V. showed me a diagram of what was wrong.

9. I want to learn to do something new on a computer. I would:

R. read the written instructions that came with the program.

A. talk with people who know about the program.

K. start using it and learn by trial and error.

V. follow the diagrams in a book.

10. When learning from the Internet I like:

K. videos showing how to do or make things.

V. interesting design and visual features.

R. interesting written descriptions, lists and explanations.

A. audio channels where I can listen to podcasts or interviews.

11. I want to learn about a new project. I would ask for:

V. diagrams to show the project stages with charts of benefits and costs.

R. a written report describing the main features of the project.

A. an opportunity to discuss the project.

K. examples where the project has been used successfully.

12. I want to learn how to take better photos. I would:

A. ask questions and talk about the camera and its features.

R. use the written instructions about what to do.

V. use diagrams showing the camera and what each part does.

K. use examples of good and poor photos showing how to improve them.

13. I prefer a presenter or a teacher who uses:

K. demonstrations, models or practical sessions.

A. question and answer, talk, group discussion, or guest speakers.

R. handouts, books, or readings.

V. diagrams, charts, maps or graphs.

14. I have finished a competition or test and I would like some feedback. I would like to have feedback:

K. using examples from what I have done.

R. using a written description of my results.

A. from somebody who talks it through with me.

V. using graphs showing what I achieved.

15. I want to find out about a house or an apartment. Before visiting it, I would want:

K. to view a video of the property.

A. a discussion with the owner.

R. a printed description of the rooms and features.

V. a plan showing the rooms and a map of the area.

16. I want to assemble a wooden table that came in parts (think IKEA). I would learn best from:

V. diagrams showing each stage of the assembly.

A. advice from someone who has done it before.

R. written instructions that came with the parts for the table.

K. watching a video of a person assembling a similar table.

John Garbett

PW10. Intellectual

Session Digital Version

How Do I Learn Best Worksheet

PW09. Spiritual

PW11. Financial