The main thesis of the book, which the writer succeeds to demonstrate in a very smart way is that the study process can be meaningful in itself (not just a tool we use in order to get a certain result) and the trick relies in making students want to make the information meaningful themselves. Therefore, proper motivation is one of the strategic solutions that are offered.
An entire chapter is dedicated to mindfulness and intelligence underlining that "when we are mindful, we implicitly view a situation from several perspectives, see information presented in the situation as novel, attend to the context in which we are perceiving the information and eventually create new categories through which this information may be understood." In this way a further myth is demolished, namely the belief according to which there are certain right answers which one needs to learn and keep, regardless of his own beliefs.
The book is easy to read and understand. While the examples Langer quotes are not always the result of serious scientific research the logical argumentation is a convincing one. Personally I think that she draws attention to numerous things that are likely to prevent us from properly acquiring information and maintaining it for long. My experience as a student is filled with the myths that she discusses and I admit that Langer's approach is more...
I have applied her principles and although the freedom they are based upon may seem scary, the results are satisfactory. The trick is to find motivation on your own and once you have given significance to information, then there is no doubt that information has become part of your system. As a teacher I have found these principles challenging. Finding a means to motivate students to motivate themselves is not an easy task and certainly there is no universal instrument that can be applied to everyone. This approach is highly personalized. Nevertheless, despite the bigger efforts required, the results are likely to be impressive.
I believe that the most important impact that this approach has is not upon the study process, but upon life in general. It implies flexible thinking and that may be scary. We are generally tempted to believe that the world is something well defined that can be understood in simple terms. On the contrary Langer suggests that not all knowledge is definite, that not all things can be known, that there are not always answers and that there are no solutions to universally apply. This means that the approach of the person to the surrounding world is extremely personal and that the "right" answer must be found based on our own resources.
Bibliography:
Langer, E. The power of mindful learning.
