In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. – Eric Hoffer
No matter where you fall on the BIM continuum, there is always more to learn, further you can take the tool and process.
You may know the program but can you, for example, get it to address the entire building lifecycle?
And there have never been so many ways to learn.
Books and , tutorials, webcasts, gurus, on-demand video, pilot projects, in-house and out-of-housetraining at local tech school or software reseller, regional training centers, bootcamp, side-by-side training and DIY.
Our friends Eddy Krygiel, Phil Read and James Vandezande are working on a Revit series for new users.
(I am so excited I get to write another spoof!)
Learn tips and tricks in forums such as AUGI forums.
You can order dvds and videos and learn at your own pace in pajamas.
Paul Aubin even has a Revit Architecture 2011 quick reference guide that doubles as a reusable dinner placemat for $4.95
It depends on what you are looking to learn.
And where you are on the BIM journey.
And whether you’re the office or in the field.
You alone know how you learn best and how you retain what you learn.
And that is key to learning.
So chose the method that is a good fit for you and your needs wherever you are on the learning curve.
There is no one size that fits all when it comes to training, retraining and retaining.
Take Revit (please)
You can actually learn it quite easily – several places offer ½ day, 1 day and 3 day training sessions.
Some offer cut prices for those out of work, both onsite and remote learning in the privacy of your home.
So why is learning so difficult?
The way we make learning anything difficult is by any one of four reasons:
- stopping and starting.
- forgetting what you learned by not using it.
- using a method that isn’t a good fit for your budget, lifestyle, mindset.
- doing it for the wrong reasons,
such as being forced by your employer before you’re ready, through peer pressure, fear of not keeping up or being left behind.
There are those who will read the title of this post and either 1. feel justified in their having worked in ArchiCAD, a perhaps more intuitive BIM program or 2. empathize because they too struggled with learning the program and then struggled to keep up with the inevitable changes with each new release.Take a deep breath
Before you pounce – this site is vendor agnostic.
Revit was merely used in the title to provoke and incite a riot – two requirements of any effective blog post headline.
So take a deep breath.
It is not that the lessons themselves are difficult.
Or even that the program application is difficult – though once you do learn to work in BIM you may find some advanced uses difficult to grasp.
The fact is, we each make learning difficult by not honoring the way we best learn.
And by ignoring other basic signs and practices.
Professional practice is hard enough – don’t also make the learning hard.
You owe it to yourself to make learning interesting.
Some training sessions meet from 8am to 5pm in a plain vanilla box of a room.
Not for you.
Can you sit still for that long, let alone learn a new application?
Ask yourself some basic questions
Ask yourself: What’s the best environment for you to learn in?
Doesn’t exist? (Then make it your pilot program and design it in Revit!)
Ask yourself: How important is it that your instructor be fun or at least interesting? Making the information and learning process interesting?
Make sure you are challenged – it is important that the instruction isn’t too easy (you’ll be bored) or too hard (you’ll feel defeated and give up.)
Look for a challenge worthy of your effort – one that will maintain your interest and engage you.
Get your hands dirty.
Work in the program as you go.
And be prepared. Have everything you need at hand before class begins.
Your instructor ought to be prepared as well – for students who are quicker or slower at picking-up the software – and be prepared to make adjustments accordingly.
Ask yourself: How do you know you’ve learned the program?
Having endured the tutorial many only mean you can produce what you were told to do in the tutorial.
Real projects have many more nuances.
The best way to know whether you’ve learned something?
Its very old school.
Take a test.“To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test” found that students who read a passage, then took a test asking them to recall what they had read, retained about 50 percent more of the information a week later than students who used two other methods.
“One of those methods — repeatedly studying the material — is familiar to legions of students who cram before exams. The other — having students draw detailed diagrams documenting what they are learning — is prized by many teachers because it forces students to make connections among facts.”
But don’t take my word. Read the blog post and its over 320 comments.
Ask yourself: How do you know you’ve learned the program?
Teach it.
Those who are fortunate enough to attend training are sometimes asked to go back and teach those back in the office who did not, could not or would not attend training.
No better way to learn than teaching. If given this opportunity, jump at the chance.
Teaching BIM to others is a great opportunity to discover just how well you learned – and retained.
Turn off distractions including smart phones (you can leave this blog on.)
Kids might be able to study algebra while posting on Facebook.
You? Not so much.
In The Power of Mindful Learning, Professor Ellen Langer suggests that all of the all-nighters we pulled in college were for naught.
Why?
According to Langer, real learning takes place in a “mindful” environment, one that provides a context for the subject we are studying and allows us to bring something of ourselves into the process.
Make your training an extension of you.
Know what motivates and what de-motivates you.
Know why you are learning and have some sense about how far you want to take it.
Know who you are doing it for. As with anything you’re going to indulge time and effort in, you’ve got to own it.
Not only the tool but the process.
BIM + Integrated Design 