Everybody learns a bit differently. Depending on the subject, you may find that different methods work better than others for one thing and a completely different approach is better for another.
I am not one that learns well in a very structured and rigid environment that involves couching everything in very dry and heavy academic terms that only PhDs can comprehend. I’m not saying that that method is ineffective or wrong, it just isn’t the kind of environment that I learn well in.
For me, I learn through common sense and tactile and emotional interaction. In other words, just getting in and doing. I also tend to learn better if I can find a connection to the subject somewhere in my daily life. That is probably why I always disliked most math. The teachers never really gave us a real life view of how we could use it in our everyday lives outside of handling time and money. It was just “Here is a problem. You solve it like this because that is what I said”.
When it comes to reading, I will retain much more of what I’ve read if the author can personalize the material rather than present it as a college lecture, a list of facts or abstract theory. If I read something and I don’t get the sense that the author has dealt with any of the normal, everyday trials and troubles that most humans experience, I have a difficult time swallowing what they are talking about.
It probably sounds a bit on the wonky side, but I have learned more about myself and what I believe and don’t believe by reading works of fiction than I have from any other source. That isn’t to say that I believe in some make believe world, but those worlds are often created in such a way to help you understand this one and how we interact with it.
Of all of the things that I consider myself good at (I don’t consider myself an expert at anything), every one of them are mostly self taught through getting in and doing and experiencing. Sure, I have also learned by researching, reading, listening to others experiences and opinions, but it was still mostly trial and error. More times than not, lots of error.
I am the type of person that when I get something new that has to be put together, I glance at the instructions to get the general idea and then get started doing. For me, I have found that most step by step instructions are missing at least one or two critical pieces along the way and if I depend only on those, nothing would ever get done or it wouldn’t hold up when it was finished. I have found that my spirituality is much the same. If I have to rely on dry academics or step by step instructions, I’d never have the satisfaction of feeling as though I was a part of forming my spirituality nor would that spirituality hold up to the onslaught of daily life.