Why does schemas about learning fail?

The most common reason schemas about learning fails: Recognizing that you have schemas about learning, nodding at the concept, but never actually examining which ones you hold. The trap is thinking this lesson applies to other people — the ones with a fixed mindset, the ones who believe in learning styles. Meanwhile, your own unexamined belief that 'real learning is painful and slow' or 'if I need to ask for help I must not be smart enough' continues to silently constrain every learning attempt you make.

The fix: Write down your honest answers to these four questions: (1) Do you believe some people are just naturally better learners than others? (2) Do you believe understanding a topic should happen quickly if you're smart enough? (3) Do you believe knowledge mostly comes from authorities, or mostly from your own reasoning? (4) Do you believe most knowledge is certain and settled, or tentative and evolving? Now look at your answers. Each one is a belief about learning that actively shapes how you approach every new skill, book, or problem. Circle any answer that might be limiting you. You've just surfaced a schema you've been running unconsciously.

The underlying principle is straightforward: Your schema for how learning works determines how effectively you learn.