“Learning By Doing: A Theory Of Learning Which Advocates Reading How To Manuals, Only After Extensive Hands-On Direct Experience, And Then Only When There Is Need For Help & Guidance. ” by Henry Gurr

To Persons Who Want To Know =>
…..The Best Ways For Learning New Tasks, Especially Complex Tasks:

Congratulations for finding y my WebPage on “Learning By Doing, Theory Of Learning”

For over 30 years, I have been a University Physics Teacher, and a Researcher Of Human Functionality. During this time, it has been my top priority to research human learning, and apply what I discovered in the classroom:

I have thought (& researched), a great deal about the best ways to learn. Also I extensively watched my own learning (successful & not) and that of my student’s. Consequently, the learning, both of myself and my students in my classes & labs, was the testing and the proving of the validity of what I put into practice.

It is with this background that I wrote my "Hints and Helps Guide For the XMind User." Click Here. And as I did so, I came to realize that I was building INTO this User Guide, my own ideas (really a theory), about how a human being can and should, learn new skills & knowledge, the fastest, and most reliable way.
…In other words, my User Guide contained within it, what I have found by direct test, to be the Best Way To Learn New Skills and Knowledge.
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My Story

When I first started using XMind, Mind Mapping APP, (which was downloaded and installed in my computer), it was fairly easy to discover how to use many of its great features! However, I also encountered difficulties and frustrations in getting XMind to do what I wanted. Lots of times I was stuck, and much time was wasted before I got unstuck. I tried XMind > Screen Top > “Help” > “XMind Help”, but found it of limited use. … I Googled for “XMind Instruction Manual”, “XMind Users Handbook” or some sort of “XMind Users Guide”. What I found did help me, especially these => The Best Mind Mapping Software APPs. XMind Forum. (From Internet Click Here.) Additional help was in This Quick Over-View In A You Tube Video. Later, I Googled for “Beginners Guide XMind” and “XMind Users Manual”. Strange to say, these “search terms” resulted in far better findings, than the specific search terms I mentioned above!

… But what I really needed a lot more help than what I found at the time. Thus, I was left to my own devices, which brought trial and error and lots of experimentation, I in a way that I deemed satisfactory, and discovered how to avoid various befuddlements offered by XMind. What I “finally learned how to use XMind”, was eventually written into the above-mentioned Blue Link =>. "Hints and Helps Guide For the XMind User."

Why Does XMind Present Us With These Problems?

What makes XMind powerful and useful is its many automatic features. However, such powerful systems … having lots of “bells and whistler” ...are necessarily complex: There is a lot going on! AND with power, comes an interwoven fabric of difficulties!!
…All of these many features and the ability to manipulate a tool to do what the user wants, comes many steps, which makes it hard to learn and easy to hit a dead end!. Thus, unfortunately, because of XMind’s complexity, no amount of “user friendly” will protect the user from the frustrations, dead ends, and confusions. This is because XMind has so many automatic features, and there is so much more going on than what the user may see or recognize.
…I eventually realized that a lot more real-time, right now direct guidance, such as mouse-hover-popup-signs, might be helpful. Such pop-ups might provide precise XMind help right when the user really need it and a way to ask for it. However, making more real-time direct guidance would take the XMind developers away from improving the workings of XMind itself. I think we would all like the latter choice. This leaves us to depend on mutual help from the XMind Users Forum and user-generated help documents like this one.

Why XMind Users (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask) NEED A => “Learning By Doing, Theory Of Learning”
…Users of XMind (or Other Complex Software Apps) find it remarkably user friendly; with many easy-to-use wonderful features, but having said that, I must still report what happened to me. Despite all of Mind’s user friendly & easy to use, I still ran into many frustrating dead-ends and made very many mistakes. And I had to make huge efforts to correct these mistakes and other errors. These problems, of course, caused lots of needless frustration, confusion, and wasted time.
…Bottom line => I needed a better way to Learn The New Skills and Knowledge Required For Mistake Free & Error Free Use Of XMind.

…So, despite all of XMind’s wonderful features, it is clear that => New users will need to make huge learning effort to be able to fully (and easily and with skill) use its many features AND be Mistake Free & Error Free … Otherwise they will blindly stumble around, instead of getting their next Urgent Big Job done on time.
…And unless new users take time to fully explore XMind, they will never be able to efficiently use XMind's multitude of unique abilities. And without making a huge effort to learn the features of XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask), and gain skills using it, users will most certainly experience lots of needless frustration, confusion, and wasted time!!

…In my experience, it was NOT the XMind Software itself that was the source of my “hang-ups”, both minor and major!! It had been mostly my own lack of knowledge of how XMind actually works, that mostly resulted in the problems that I experienced:

And, of course, this is why I wrote my in the above-mentioned Blue Link =>. "Hints and Helps Guide For the XMind User." … This User Guide is what I wanted (and needed) when I started using XMind.

The remainder of this WebPage will spell out how I think you, dear reader, should approach any new learning situation, with emphasis on learning any complex new task, such as learning to use XMind. And although the complex learning steps below are applied to XMind, which will provide the specific learning tasks and examples.
…Of course please remember =>

Henry Gurr’s “Learning By Doing, Theory Of Learning”=>

…In essence I recommend that you NOT READ my Hints & Helps, until you HAVE A PROBLEM, and then and ONLY THEN, you go to and READ a help document to solve it.
…. SO rather than FIRST READ => INSTEAD, YOU SHOULD => “explore and bump around”, with “”trial and error”, until you absorb, what is needed!! In other words you figure out XMind, by experimenting & osmosis!!
…. This means that, rather than read a User Manual, you just start using XMind & playfully click on everything, (there must over 100 click points), and see what happens!! … THIS is the fastest way to “get up to speed”.
…… ALSO THIS is the fastest way to achieve real & long lasting skill !!
…Thus, my Helps & Hints document below Presumes You Have Already Done MUCH “Explore, Bump Around, & Discover” !! Because, If You Have Not Done Such, Then You Will Have Much Harder Time Understanding My Instructions!!

Closure:
…It is the purpose of this document to help reduce your wasted time. But, you in turn can also help => Please do your part by sending your under suggestions & comments back to me, so this document can be steadily improved. I would like to hear from you.

So, Faced With A Huge Learning Task Such As XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask), HOW Should The Beginner Approach This New XMind Learning Situation??

A) In My Above Mentioned XMind Guide: you will find the following statement: …“XMind, by purposeful design, presumes “learning by doing”: As is true for most good software Apps these days, are “user friendly”, where the beginner is supposed to “explore and bump around”, with “”trial and error”, until he / she absorbs, what is needed!!
…In other words, you figure out XMind, by experimenting & osmosis!! This means that: You playfully click on everything, (there must over 100 click points), and see what happens!! THIS is the fastest way to “get up to speed”. THIS is the fastest way to achieve real & long lasting skill !! This is the fastest way to securely put into your memory (and fingers) what you need to know for the future:. Thus: As you read my “XMind Hints & Helps Guide”, keep in mind that it's instructions presumes you have already done your part, by having already DONE MUCH “Explore & Discover” !!

B) So .... Take My Message Above “To Heart!! .... And as soon as possible, you should be doing A) above with XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask) or any other new project. And as you do the above (and below) Don't forget, what I have said as applied to ANY NEW learning task, especially complex ones!!

C) Why? “NO READ My Hints & Helps, Until You HAVE A PROBLEM, And Then And ONLY THEN, You Go To And READ A Help Document To Solve It.”
…In order to understand any person's words and instructions, you must have “some familiarity”. Otherwise this pile of words will cause more confusion, instead of help!!
…This is generally true for any Hints & Helps Guide or Users Manual! This includes my own words, which you should go to mostly (or only) when you are stuck on a big problem, and need “Word Help”.

D) Yes, I Know, Some Persons Think They Need To “Read First” . ....
Believe me: I suggest the opposite, especially for the up-to-date Computer SoftWare APPs these days: Most especially XMind: This is because most APPs (behinds the scenes) has so many, many “Bells & Whistles”, it gets complicated fast. On purpose XMind seems (and is) simple as the user starts off. But, although not evident at first, XMind's capabilities are huge and complex. It's too BIG to read a huge pile of “How To Use It” instructions !!
…So ... the user should, avoid reading, and just start off just “pushing the mouse around”, and reading the little signs that “pop up”. And “click-on” what ever strikes the user’s fancy! ...,, “Click on it”, and “see what happens”!! This is “Learning By Doing” at it's best. The user learns faster this way!! And the user will remember more this way!!!

In Summary =>
…Before you read any Hints & Helps Guide or Users Manual, you should gain extensive direct hands-on experience, in actually using complex devices.
… Until you actually get this extensive experience thru direct “actually doing it”, there is no way you will ever know what the words mean, if & when you read instructions in various User Guides or User Manuals.

E) Exploring & Learning Xmind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask) Should Be Done With Correct Attitude, So The Learning Will Be => FUN & INTERESTING & REWARDING!!
…But you MUST do this XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask) exploration, at a time you are rested, relaxed, and not pressed for time (highly recommended), What more could you ask for!!?? Don't forget, this is what you should do, with ANY NEW learning task, especially complex, or with computers!!

F) Note =>This: “FUN”. ALONE will speed up learning and increase you memory, of what you need tor the next use of XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask)!!! Now don't forget, this in ANY NEW learning task, especially computers!!

G) You Know => Its The Old-Timey Schooling Thing => “The Eye - Hand - Brain - Action- Coordination - IN REAL ACTUAL CONTEXT!!”

H) READING, By Contrast, Is NOT IN CONTEXT, And Thus Requires Extra Step From Paper (The Abstract), To What You Are Working On (“The Real”) . It is bound to be harder, slower, and less effective, and less fun. I hope you believe me. ]]

At This Point The You Might Spend Some Time Using XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask), As You Do So, Actually Try Out My Above Suggestions for => “Learning By Doing, Theory Of Learning”.

... You should just start off: Just be “pushing the mouse around”, and reading the little signs that “pop up”. And .... on what ever strikes your fancy ...,, “click on it”, and see what happens!! This is => Learning by doing at it's best. You learn faster this way!! And you remember more this way!!!
…And as you are doing this, of course => Watch How Your Mind Works!

…This, in essence is my recommendation, that you NOT READ my Hints & Helps, until you HAVE A PROBLEM, and suddenly MUST READ a document to solve it.

So .... Now ....
1) Have you done the above mentioned “explore and bump around”?
2) If YES, then you are only possibly ready to read my Hints & Helps.
3) But first, read and “take to heart” the following
…Unless you MUST solve immediately some required problem, you should “explore and bump around”, with “”trial and error”, until you absorb, what is needed!! In other words you figure out XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask), by experimenting & osmosis!! This means that, rather than read a User Manual, you playfully click on every thing, and see what happens!! THIS is the fastest way to “get up to speed”. THIS is the fastest way to achieve real & long lasting skill !! Thus, my XMind Helps & Hints Guide below presumes you have already done MUCH “Explore & Discover” !!

A ROUGH DRAFT OF IDEAS, TYPED BEFORE THEY EVAPORATED:
…AN AMPLIFICATION OF THE ABOVE DISCUSSION, LEFT HERE FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH.
...If you don't read Instruction Manuals, so what do you do??? Where is my typed statement => “If you run into a problem don't immediately solve it. Just keep going. It will solve itself .....
.... Reading is abstract b/c words are abstract, and thus not the real thing , BUT if you really are stuck, probably words & reading are the best or perhaps the only way: Especially, for no other reason than => With words we can search Google for help!!

In Human Problem solving, I don't know of another way (besides word search) to expand human Problem Solving Channels. We have abilities such as visual, audio, feel, smell, taste, emotion, but none of these have any way to amplify extend what one person can put to help solve the problem.

…The Book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, has much to say about good and efficient learning. Dynamic learning in real context. You may ask what these are, by email to HenryG__USCA.edu.

… When you first get XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask) running on your computer, you should spend an hour or so “playing around”, to get the “feel of it”. Make pencil notes on paper, to help you remember, what you found out, what you liked, and what didn’t work.
…You will find you first efforts using XMind very much easier, if you have previously had considerable experience using ordinary computers, since what you see, such as the names, and many of your steps, will be already be familiar to you!!
…For the most part, when you are using XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask), don’t worry that you will ruin your computer or erase/delete something important.
…Even after a first hour of “playing around with XMind, you should eventually explore all of the suggestions I have mentioned above, until you have gotten comfortable finding your way around. As you explore, don’t get stuck on problems or questions; just make brief notes, and keep exploring. This is how you learn by osmosis! You will see that many of your problems and questions will be answered “automatically”, and with no extra effort on your part. (This is one of the amazing properties of “How Our Mind Works” Click Here. )

As you are learning to use XMind (OrYourNextComplexLearningTask), I think the best mode of learning, to just merely notice any problems that just might happen, perhaps write scratch notes, and then keep on working: You will be pleasantly surprised that the “answer” to the problem will “occur” with no additional effortt! It's amazing how this goes!
…However, suppose (despite a your best efforts), you are totally blocked by big problem, that needs an answer right -now. Similar to above, when you reach this “zero point of reality”, as Robert Pirsig In ZMM calls it. And as he says =. “It's time to Stop working!! Take a Break: Get coffee or food; Go for a walk; Do some other job; Wait for a better time; Or “Sleep on it!!” . Even IF you are in a hurry, it might be better get some rest or diversion Go talk to someone, or take a run the bath room. Also you might try this =>: Sit quietly, close your eyes, relax, be bored, and “just wait”!! You will be pleasantly surprised that the “answer” to your problem will “occur”, spontaneously, often in a “flash of insight”, with no additional effort!!! (Again, this is one of the amazing properties of “How Our Mind Works” Click Here. )

When “answers” like this occur, your mind will also be automatically and spontaneously be building needed solutions. And “after automatic 'answers' spontaneously come to mind, there will automatic reinforcing and building of long term memories”, such that if you again come anywhere near to, this same problem, the “answer” will automatically & spontaneously (P) pop to mind. Or at least you will solve the problem (or any similar) much more rapidly!! Either way, each encounter or near encounter, will be automatically increasing your long-term memory, hence making you ever more ready for the future! Click Here, To Learn More About The Above. AFTER this page come up, scroll down to where you see => “PROPOSITION 10b): FOR The Problem Solving Brain’s Ongoing Generation, Construction, Creation, Of New Solutions => It Accesses & Uses Previous Creative Optimum (Best or Near Best) Solutions, Stored As Brain Memories, AND Then Goes Beyond To Creatively Finding Even Further Better, Best or Near Best Partial Fit Solution.”

…An example observation of the paragraph third above, was mentioned 10 words => “answer” to the problem will “occur” with no additional effort”. These exact 10 words automatically & spontaneously (P) pop came to my mind, over an hour after I composed and typed, the “pleasantly surprised” in the paragraph third above: In that hour, I had: Finished typing that paragraph, gone outside to recorded temperature & weight data for my Desiccant Solar Collector (also set the timer clock), talked thru travel plans with my wife, and prep + eat my lunch.
…Moreover1, while relaxing after that lunch (P) popped into my mind, the following words => “after automatic 'answers' spontaneously come to mind, there will automatic reinforcing and building of long term memories”. Here (underlined), were 17 more words new to this document, in a new association, that were needed to increase the punch of that paragraph third above. They came to mind automatically & spontaneously, while I was relaxing and not particularly thinking about anything!! Most certainly farthest from my conscious mind was need for special writing for the above paragraphs. But .... a new and better “answer” arrived “out of the blue”!!
…Moreover2: Following the prompt of the underlined 17 words, I composed the paragraph next above. And the typing of each of a previous sentence, automatic prompts another idea, also an “answer”, of the sort being discussed, prompts the words of the following sentence:
…Thus the process of writing (composition and typing), is another circumstance where the sentence writing problem, is the need to type word “answers”, one word at a time: The words, “answer”, after “answer”, after “answer”, after answer .... and suddenly the whole paragraph is there for all to see!!
…Moreover3, (Just Now, came to my mind suddenly & automatically & spontaneously, this new idea => Ray Bradbury's book “The Zen of Writing” has much illumination about all of this automatic & spontaneous, mental arrival of needed words in the process of writing!!
END => A ROUGH DRAFT OF IDEAS, TYPED BEFORE THEY EVAPORATED: