Is Accelerated Learning Techniques For You?

By Ray M. Colorado

When I entered University of the Philippines many years ago, I had to attend one week of orientation for new students. At that time I did not appreciate the lengthy seminars for they talked mostly about learning techniques.

I was cocky and confident learning in the university would be easy for me. In high school, I was an honor student among 425 graduates. My national percentile in the National College Entrance Exam was 99%. And didn’t I pass the UP College Admission Test which thousands failed?

Other freshmen students complained about the lengthy explanations of learning techniques, too. "We all graduated honor students in our high school, didn't we?" was the question nearly everyone asked. We complained privately among ourselves, of course. We dared not offend any teacher or staff in our new campus. So I attended my classes not concerned about my learning habits or techniques.

Then came a rude awakening. The results of the first exams showed I failed in two exams and barely passed the others. In Biology, only 200 out of 800 students, passed the first exam. I was among those who failed. In the English class, only two students passed. I was one of the two but my grade was barely passing. Very bad, and very sad.

Apparently the university had good reasons to give those seminars on learning techniques. I could see the other students realized it, too. This was easy to tell because the hand-outs for those seminars were printed on colored papers. After the week of the first exams, almost every freshman was reading those colored sheets of paper. Including me, of course.

Because of that humiliating experience, Accelerated Learning Techniques, sometimes referred to as ALT, remained among my top favorite topics through the years. I listened to anyone who had an idea or experiment on it. It became a personal sport which I tried to improve. I worked on it, much like tennis or golf players work on their knowledge and skills in their sport.

I have been in America for 22 years. In all this time I saw one thing constant, and that is change. Careers get obsolete in a few years. Technology change, fade out, and new technologies are always introduced. You have to study many things in order to qualify for a job, and then you have to learn many things once you're on a new job. Learning never stops.

Three years ago I was so excited that Alex, my first son, had learned advanced programming. Together we created several Web sites, including www.PinoyDirectory.com. But then he decided to strike on his own, by starting his own consulting company, and so I was without a programming assistant again.

I really needed programmers so I can pursue my visions for the Filipino Community. But I was broke and cannot afford to hire anyone, much less a programmer. I had three other sons but they were only seven, nine, and ten years old. How could they become programmers?

At first this question was just an amusing thought. But then it became an interesting challenge. I began to think of doing an experiment on my own boys. Suppose I train these little boys in programming, can they learn to program at the professional level?

Because they are my sons, it was not enough that I ask myself whether it could be done or not. I had to be very careful by asking myself, “Will it hurt them psychologically and emotionally if I give them the same textbooks used in colleges?”

After two years of experimenting, my answer to the first question is a loud and clear YES! It can be done. And to the second question, the answer is NO. But of course we’ll have to see how it goes in the long run. Here is a brief description of what they accomplished.

My youngest son, Hexel, is only 9 years old. He types 72 words-per-minute on alphabet and alphanumeric. He knows HTML, the language used for formatting Web pages. He also knows five programming languages: JavaScript, Oracle database programming, C programming, PHP programming, and MySQL database SQL programming.

His older brother, Dexter, is twelve years old. He types 66 words-per-minute and has learned college level Algebra and Geometry. He knows HTML and mastered advanced JavaScript programming. He also programs in Flash and advanced ActionScript, two languages used by professionals in creating Web pages, educational materials, and games.

To my estimation, Hexel and Dexter are like college graduates if measured by their knowledge, skill and learning capabilities. They can master a college textbook in two weeks. Hexel, for instance, mastered C programming by successfully passing 59 out of 61 exercises of a college textbook.

However, their brother Maxwell has not advanced as much. He has progressed to a level equivalent to a high school student. That is still significant development, considering he is only eleven years old. But given the amount of time I spent with him, I wonder why, compared to his two brothers, his knowledge and skill level is many years behind that of his younger brother Hexel.

Accelerated Learning Techniques is about learning more and learning faster. It does not mean working harder to learn faster. It means learning more in less time. If you are not trying to get ahead of others, it means studying with less time and effort in order to achieve the same result.

This is the first of articles in which I’ll talk about Accelerated Learning Techniques as it applies to learners of all ages. However, I will talk mostly about children and how they can have optimal learning environment at home.

Although I have more than 30 years of continuous personal study on the subject of Advanced Learning Techniques, I do not claim to be the final authority on the subject. I’m far from it. I still look up to dozens of authors from whom I have learned over the years. At the top of my list of favorites are Brian Tracy and Colin Rose.

I have used Accelerated Learning Techniques in my jobs with great success. As I have shown, although very briefly, all my children have gained from it. Many friends who've heard my ideas and gained from them encouraged me to do this series. I hope it will be of some benefit to you, too.

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About the author: Ray Colorado is president of PinoyTexas.com and Filipino Business Directory (PinoyDirectory.com). He is also a Youth Worker at Wesley United Methodist Church in White Settlement, Texas. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas and can be reached at raycolor@aol.com.

7-28-2006