This was the first micro-experiment I tried out.

Hypothesis:

“If ChatGPT can help me identify themes in what I know about how I like to learn, I can prioritise those approaches to learning and be more effective”.

Process:

I challenged myself to write down 50 ways that I know I like to learn. I copied and pasted the results into ChatGPT and used the prompt “Analyse themes”. Here is the output:

Experiential Learning: Emphasizes the importance of hands-on experiences and experimentation. Phrases like “Trying things out,” “Experimenting,” “Making something,” and “Testing ideas” highlight a preference for learning by doing.

Reflective Learning: Highlights the role of introspection and analysis. Entries such as “Reflecting,” “Writing down ideas/journaling,” “Thinking about why something didn’t work,” and “Challenging my assumptions” indicate a strong inclination towards self-reflection as a learning tool.

Collaborative Learning: Shows the value of interaction with others in the learning process. This is evident in phrases like “Talking to others,” “Making something with other people in small groups,” “Explaining something to others,” and “Asking for help.”

Cognitive Flexibility: Indicates a need for mental adaptability and openness to new ideas. Statements such as “Trying to take a new perspective,” “Suspending judgment,” “Knowing that I don’t know the answer,” and “Evolving ideas over time” demonstrate a willingness to embrace different viewpoints and uncertainties.

Self-Directed Learning: Reflects a desire for autonomy in the learning process. This is clear from phrases like “No one is in charge of my learning other than me,” “Able to decide what good looks like myself,” and “I can go off on a tangent if I want.”

Purpose-Driven Learning: Shows a need for meaningful and relevant learning experiences. This is highlighted by statements like “What I’m learning is something I actually care about,” “Learning things I can see the value of,” and “It feels like there is a reward for the effort I put in.”

Resourcefulness: Indicates the use of various resources and tools to facilitate learning. Examples include “Reading,” “Watching videos,” “Listening to experts,” “Googling,” “Asking ChatGPT,” and “Finding forums.”

Challenge and Resilience: Highlights the role of overcoming difficulties and the persistence required in learning. Phrases like “Getting frustrated and working through it,” “Getting things wrong,” “Running out of options to try,” and “Time to get things wrong and start again” illustrate a recognition of the importance of resilience.

Environmental Influence: Shows the impact of surroundings on learning. Statements like “Being in a new environment” and “Meeting new people” point to the influence of external factors.

Temporal Aspects: Emphasizes the significance of time management in learning. This includes “Having time to think,” “Having time to procrastinate,” “Having pressure to do something e.g. a deadline,” and “Having time to think properly.”

Social Learning: Indicates learning through social interactions and the experiences of others. This is reflected in “Finding out how other people do things” and “Asking for advice.”

Reflection on Process

I found getting to 25 ways that I liked to learn easy, getting to 35 hard, and 35-50 really illuminating. Looking back the first 25 were more aligned with the things that I’ve always been told are “good practices” – the later ones were the things that I genuinely find helpful and which bring some joy to the process.

Was It Useful / What Did I Learn?

It was a useful process as it allowed me to identify ways that I can be more control of my learning, and feel more motivated and get more enjoyment out of it. It was useful to have ChatGPT summarise the ideas and find themes and it prompted deeper reflections for me, but the most useful thing in terms of knowing what to do to be a better learner, was definitely the exercise that challenged me to think of 50 ways that I know I like to learn. The challenge with the ChatGPT summary was that it didn’t really help me prioritise. It just reflected my words back to me. By doing the original activity, which provided the source material, I was able to get through the “shoulds” that exist around learning, and focus on what works for me.

I also learnt that ChatGPT is phenomenal at summarising and finding themes in content, which got me really excited for the research potential. I kind of knew this already but I hadn’t used it in this way previously.