L. Ron Hubbard's Study Technology
While it is generally recognised that knowing how to drive a car requires training, it seems to be assumed that knowing how to study is instinctive.
Courses in Driver's Education are abundant and when a student runs into difficulty, he is not told to "Drive harder!" or "Drive more!" but rather he is removed from harm's way and shown how to correct errors and gain understanding.
But such is not the case with the study of most subjects. In the past, when encountering difficulties in a subject we were urged to "Study harder!", "Study more!" or "Concentrate!". This unhelpful advice has been passed on to students decade after decade without showing them how. What has been missing is an actual methodology of how to study to learn, understand and apply knowledge.
However, in the 1960s a major breakthrough occurred. While assisting students in a training programme, educator and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard became aware of the absence of any systematic research and methodology on the subject of study. Thus, he accelerated and concluded his own investigation into how people learn and the difficulties they encountered in the process.
His discoveries resulted in an organised body of data on learning how to learn known as Study Technology, the first subject which actually teaches one how to learn.
Study Technology does not involve "speed reading" or mental tricks or "magic". It is a technology with specific principles one learns and specific steps one consciously applies to effectively study and gain a full grasp of any subject. It resolves the most common reasons students do not grasp what they have read and even the common reasons why they cannot concentrate on their studies. Study Technology is basic to all subjects and the first step to grasp since it deals with learning itself. Once this subject is understood and correctly applied, one possesses the tools to learn any subject. Using Study Technology becomes second nature, like driving a car. Students avoid or correct study problems and, as a result, become self-regulated, independent, lifelong learners.
