Metaskills are skills needed to learn how to learn. They are higher-order skills – like critical thinking, the ability to organize information, the strategy of building on what was previously learned, and the belief that repeated practice can make perfect, or at least result in some improvement.  Going very deep into one subject, learning and understanding it over a course of several years, acts as a point of reference that is useful when we learn other subjects.

The subject or topic is almost unimportant – only it’s easier and more enjoyable if we choose something we are interested in: basketball, Jane Austen’s novels, the gastrointestinal tract, martial arts – the list is endless. The principle is that in the process of learning how to do one thing really well, we learn how to learn.

The question is does learning how to do one thing really well have any economic or personal significance anymore?  According to many experts since we don’t know what skills tomorrow are needed, we must strive to impart real understanding and the ability to apply knowledge to new situations. 

Perhaps the deep learning of a single subject can provide that required general reference point to handle different and new situations, not to mention the patience and fortitude to try, try again.

Source: By Ranjani Iyer Mohanty, June 7, 2010 The Christian Science Monitor