The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance Paperback – May 27, 2008

Josh Waitzkin, the inspiration for the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, is no stranger to creating change in his life. Through various life events ranging from when he won his first National Chess Championship at age 8 to becoming the Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands Middleweight U.S. Champion, he has learned not only how to maintain balance in his life, but also how to realize what needs to change in order to be successful. In his autobiography The Art of Learning, Waitzkin discusses some of his life lessons that he learned from mentors in the two opposite environments of competitive chess and Tai Chi – lessons that can be applied in a multitude of areas, including life in general and, specifically, educational settings. By keeping what Waitzkin discusses in mind, teachers and educators can facilitate change and improvement in their classrooms, in their own lives, and in their students’ lives and learning.The Art of Learning is divided into three sections in which Waitzkin describes his learning, meaning that there are three areas of discussion from which educators can draw inspiration for facilitating change in a classroom. First, in “The Foundation,” Waitzkin describes his rise to fame in the competitive chess scene, delving into his experiences and interactions with chess Grandmasters Bruce Pandolfini, Mark Dvoretsky, and Yuri Razuvaev, as well as the lessons he learned from working with each of them. In the second section, “My Second Art,” Waitzkin moves away from chess and talks about his work and participation in Tai Chi, and how he progressed from a student to a master of the Push Hands discipline of the martial art. In the final section, titled “Bringing It All Together,” Waitzkin goes into more detail about the similarities of preparation and execution between chess and Tai Chi, and how he applies what he learned in one to the other. I found that, while reading each of these sections, each chapter within a section had its own theme and lesson, most of which I feel can be included in a classroom setting.In the book’s introduction, Waitzkin establishes his overarching theme of “I am best at the art of learning” by opening with descriptions of his attendance at the Tai Chi Push Hands championship in 2004. He reminisces on his life at the time that Searching for Bobby Fischer was in theaters, saying that he could not walk down the street without people asking him to “autograph their stomachs or legs.” He then says that this newfound fame was not truly helping him achieve happiness, nor was it aiding him in his “search for excellence.” After this experience, Waitzkin enrolled in Tai Chi classes under Grandmaster William C. C. Chen, whose classes encouraged meditation, reflection, and realizing that “the mind needed little physical action to have great physical effect.” Once he used what he learned in Tai Chi to make connections to his chess career, his life “became flooded with intense learning experiences,” ranging from watching water crash onto a shore to using basketball to work on Tai Chi mechanics. Ultimately, Waitzkin began to think about how he transferred his knowledge of chess to Tai Chi, and how this question became the central focus of his life. Waitzkin concludes with his primary theme of this book, which is that he is “best at the art of learning.” As soon as I read the introduction, I immediately began to think about what he could possibly mean by the art of learning. How is learning an art? Can someone “get better” at learning? How can I (or other educators) use what Waitzkin says to incorporate change and improvement with students? In the three sections I described earlier, Waitzkin goes into more detail and provides different techniques and suggestions that support both his main idea and facilitating change in classrooms.One idea that I found particularly helpful and applicable to a classroom setting is one that Waitzkin talks about in the first chapter. In this chapter, Waitzkin meets Bruce Pandolfini, a chess Grandmaster that eventually becomes his mentor and teacher. Waitzkin says that one of the most important aspects about Pandolfini was his educational philosophy, which focused on discussion rather than lecture. Whenever Waitzkin would make a mistake, Pandolfini would ask him his thought process and how he reached that conclusion. Actually, Pandolfini would ask Waitzkin his thought process on nearly every facet of his chess game, encouraging him to think about his own actions as well as finding different paths to reach the same conclusion. By doing so, Waitzkin was able to develop a deeper love and understanding of chess. Pandolfini’s philosophy aligns with my own values in regards to teaching. I am a firm believer in discussion and collaboration when working with students, and Pandolfini took this approach when working with Waitzkin. In my own educational experience, a majority of my classes were heavily lecture based, where discussion was not necessarily discouraged, but was not as prominent as I would have liked. In an educational setting, focusing on collaboration and discussion (as Waitzkin and Pandolfini did) will hopefully encourage students to want to learn and help them develop a deeper understanding of their subject area.An additional point of interest for me (which Waitzkin called investment in loss) was in the second section of the book during Waitzkin’s Tai Chi classes. In simplest terms, Waitzkin describes investment in loss as “giving yourself to the learning process.” In other words, learning comes by resisting old habits and accepting new ones, as well as not being afraid to make mistakes. In Waitzkin’s case, he began to focus exclusively on training, and was eventually was able to exploit other beginners’ habits in his classes. Because he ignored old behaviors, he was able to rapidly progress – he did not let his ego affect his learning. From an educational standpoint, this mentality is perfect for facilitating change in student attitudes. At the beginning of a school year, a teacher establishes an environment that will be set for the class. Depending on what the teacher says and how he or she presents it, students may not feel comfortable learning new methods for solving problems, may be afraid of making a mistake for fear of embarrassment from their peers, or be inclined to let their egos affect their learning. If a teacher exemplifies the mentality of investment in loss at the beginning of the year, the students will hopefully model this behavior, as well. To do so, the teacher can explain that making mistakes is acceptable (in fact, making mistakes is how we learn!), as well as being open to ideas that students have in order to show that new ideas help the learning process. By demonstrating investment in loss, students will hopefully make rapid progress as Waitzkin did with Tai Chi.A final takeaway I found in this book is when Waitzkin mentions “building your trigger” in the third section of the book. In this chapter, the primary focus is… well… focus! Waitzkin talks about focus in terms of important competitions, and “keeping cool” under pressure. He says that when thinking about high-stakes, high-stress times, it is important to avoid giving attention to the moment that “decides your destiny.” If this occurs, then stress, tension, and over-excitement are bound to be present, which will undoubtedly affect performance. To counter these feelings, Waitzkin suggests keeping healthy patterns in day-to-day life so that, when the time comes, everything feels natural. While Waitzkin is talking about Tai Chi in this particular passage, this outlook on focus and attention can also be applied in an educational setting. When I read this passage, I thought of students taking a test. Most likely, students will be nervous or tense about a test for a variety of reasons, meaning the nervousness can take over and affect their performance. If teachers and educators take Waitzkin’s approach, they can begin helping students by incorporating methods in their classrooms that make test taking feel “normal.” For instance, a teacher for an AP Calculus class can create tests with questions based on those found on actual AP tests. In doing so, when the AP test rolls around, the students will already feel like the questions are “normal” because they have grown accustomed to them in class. As a result, students will not be distracted by nerves and will be able to focus on the task at hand, which parallels what Waitzkin says about Tai Chi.As I read The Art of Learning, I thoroughly enjoyed how the book was written as a whole. By this, I mean that I could sit down, open up to any chapter I wanted, and discover a brand new theme different from any other chapter. Even though each of the three sections of the book were devoted to either chess, Tai Chi, or both combined (respectively), I felt that I did not need to read each chapter in the proper order to understand Waitzkin’s messages and lessons. It felt like a season of television’s Scrubs: I can jump into any episode of the season and not feel lost, but I can pick up on the story halfway through. Each chapter was relatively short, but had some themes that made me question both how I live my own life and how I will teach in the future. I also enjoyed the fact that Waitzkin has a desire for learning and improving anything he tries. In an educational setting, this is a perfect attitude to have – everyone is allowed to make mistakes (except on a test!), everyone is encouraged to explore and learn through discovery, and assessments help both teachers and students improve their educational experience.Even though this book was not written by an educator, per say, The Art of Learning has an incredible amount of inspiring material that can be applied to an educational setting. Waitzkin says in his Afterword, “mastery involves discovering the most resonant information and integrating it so deeply and fully it disappears and allows us to fly free.” By taking what Josh Waitzkin includes in his book and incorporating his messages into a classroom, educators will not only encourage students to think about their thinking (as Waitzkin did in his interactions with Pandolfini), but also how to become better learners and students. This book is an incredible read, resource, and guide for facilitating change in a classroom and life.

Josh Waitzkin is an over achiever. He began competing in chess tournaments around the age of eight and was consistently the highest rated player for his age group until he stopped competing in his late `teens for personal reasons. Starting in 1998, he mastered Tai Chi, winning a pair of world championship titles a few years later. He now runs the JW Foundation, a nonprofit helping students direct their own learning in a way that meshes with who they are as people.The Art of Learning is as multifaceted as its author: a compelling autobiography, a discussion of the theory and practice of both chess and Tai Chi, an exposition on general and performance psychology, and a primer on philosophy. I have distilled the most pertinent lessons for the UnCollege community:Everything is InterconnectedThe deepest message conveyed in the book is that many seemingly disparate pursuits are actually connected in subtle ways. A perceptive person can learn much about martial arts from chess, such as, and vice versa. In a earlier post, I sought to break down the barrier between "common sense" and "book smarts", and that sentiment is echoed here in a slightly revised form. Josh writes:"From the outside Tai Chi and chess couldn't be more different, but they began to converge in my mind. I started to translate my chess ideas into Tai Chi language, as if the two arts were linked by an essential connecting ground. Every day I noticed more and more similarities, until I began to feel as if I were studying chess when I was studying Tai Chi" (xvi)."The first step is to learn to think of our various pursuits not as disconnected islands, but rather as part of a whole, each part informing the others. As you go about your day, actively look for ways to learn x from y.Master the FundamentalsAlthough this is hardly an earth-shattering idea, Josh manages to give it unique expression, illustrating the urgency of practicing the basics with examples from his own life. He credits his successes in the early parts of his martial arts career not to having a broad mastery of many tactics, but with having a deep mastery of just a few. The mechanics behind one a single technique are often the same ones that lie behind the entire system. A big part of this mastery consists in gradually internalizing the fundamental principles until they are unconscious and reflexive. This concept is referred to in the book alternatively as numbers to leave numbers and form to leave form, and it applies to every pursuit.Josh compares modern people to fish swimming at the surface, so caught up with the ripples and currents there that they miss the beauty of the abyss below. While there is much truth to this, there is still something to be said for generalization, omnivorous consumption of skills, and polymathy. We should combine both approaches: depth and breadth. Sometimes all we want, need, or have time to obtain is a broad perspective on a field or discipline. That's okay, because every bit is going to stretch our minds and enrich our perspectives. However, if all we ever do is skim the surface, then we're missing out on the value of plunging deeply and intimately into an art. Likewise, cultivating long-term tunnel vision on a single domain of knowledge will mean losing opportunities to see connections between disparate activities and the myriad ways in which one practice informs another.Invest in FailureOne of the more difficult parts of the learning process is bouncing back from the inevitable setbacks and failures. Those of us with a self-image to protect may find shelving our egos and giving ourselves permission to lose particularly trying. By staying focused on the goal - improving as people, not proving how great we already are - we can continue learning. Confidence and pride in our accomplishments have their place, but should never get in the way of personal development.Learn to Love the JourneyAs important as gaining mastery of a skill is, cultivating a love for the process of learning is just as important. If we make the reasonable assumption that even masters still have aspects on which they can improve, it stands to reason that we all spend a lot more time as learners than we probably realize. This principle is so important, Josh places it squarely at the center of success in any field, saying that the path to the top lies "in a well-though-out approach that inspires resilience, the ability to make connections between diverse pursuits, and day-to-day enjoyment of the process." (30)Learning with StyleAn overarching theme of the book, and one of the main tenets espoused by Josh's nonprofit, is to make every aspect of our learning harmonious with and an extension of our personality. Great performers of all stripes know who they are and how to synchronize their activities with their mindsets. In chess, Josh writes, mistakes on the board often expose psychological weaknesses. The reverse is also true; knowing how a person acts under stress or pressure can tell you a lot about how they will play chess. As he began competing at a higher and higher level, Josh kept notes on how he felt during tournaments, specifically when he made moves that turned out later to be watersheds. This practice, continued later with his Tai Chi training, allowed him to grow more and more attuned with himself as a performer. He was able to quickly spot lapses in concentration and repair them, thus strengthening his technique from the inside out. I have kept a journal for years for this reason, and recommend that you all do the same. As you learn more about yourself through writing or introspection, try to find ways to make your pursuits an expression of yourself. The way you play chess, cook a meal, or write a book review should reflect a deepening awareness of your strengths and dispositions.Read the original review here:[...]