Learning - Quareness Series 215th "Lecture".
It's likely a truism that effective learning requires active rather than passive engagement, which in turn likely calls for being aware of what is going on inside both the body and the mind so that we can determine which approaches are optimum. However, It seems today that many (most?) of our school/college students are typically told what to do rather than shown how to do and thereby discouraged from discovering their own learning process. Could it be that our schooling is shifting more and more to encouraging subservience and conformity rather than fostering creative critical thinkers who can solve issues and innovate solutions? In spending more time memorising testable material, maybe learning becomes less efficient and less is actually learnt.
People typically recall information through connecting it to something else they already know and having a good grasp of the what and why of any subject best facilitates such connections. Indeed for most of us it's likely that the better way to memorise a topic is both to understand it as well as to know why it's being taught in the first place. Where there's so much to remember with very little time to fully understand much of the material, the hierarchal nature of our formal education structures may be actively discouraging anything besides blindly trusting the information being taught. In such an environment students may be effectively prevented from exploring any contradictions in what is being taught. Simultaneously of course they've made a big psychological investment in the value of their education which can make them quite reluctant to raise questions. It seems that being sceptical about what's being taught can also exert quite a significant psychological/stressful pressure as it requires us to simultaneously hold two contradictory/separate "world views" in our mind...mainly because every graduate is required to present the orthodox version.
Different people learn differently e.g. some are visually oriented, others are primarily auditory and still others are kinesthetic. Unfortunately, however, many tend to assert that what works for them is also best for everyone else, despite the truth that there is no "one size fits all" effective approach. Making the effort to stay consciously aware of what is occurring inside us more likely helps us to discern our own best learning method. When we learn a concept, we can either be disconnected from it or acutely aware of what aspects we are unclear on or struggle to recall. And with that awareness we can actively focus on those weak links in our understanding. The key learning here is that getting actively engaged with rather than just passively trying to absorb the information presented and continually questioning what actually works or doesn't work for us, enables our being able to retain much more when we study.
It may be pertinent in this regard that poor blood flow to and poor lymphatic drainage from the brain is known to contribute significantly to cognitive impairment such as cloudy thinking or inability to stay focused. Accordingly, being aware of when such fluid congestion is happening and doing something to address that stagnation (such as taking a break or exercising) can be very helpful for supporting learning and avoiding burnout. Adequate rest/sleep too is critically important for both brain health and long term retention of memory.
A major issue today with the practice of much of our specialisms is a tendency to see each difficulty as an isolated problem when in reality many problems are simply different manifestations of how the same underlying issue expresses itself. This is particularly evident in the medical field when we're dealing with pre-existing individual weaknesses or worsening degenerative processes. In this regard we could say that the habits that stave off cognitive decline are those that foster a clear mind being valued for both useful memorisation and learning success..as alluded to earlier...and such are increasingly relevant in today's
"time poor" culture.
It watches over our world with an unyielding hold,
But thinking about time in a positive way
May allow for this life to be lived
Rather than just running out.
Thinking too about exploring, we can imagine
Adventure and curiosity, excitement and investigation,
As well as staying unsettled and agile on a journey
Toward unearthing something of the world and of ourselves.
Some such seeking may look specifically for answers
What is important? what do I care about? who am I?
Or our searchings may be adventures with no real goal
Other than the everyday joy of discovery.
In creating the stories to narrate our future lives
About what we've seen, who we met and what was learnt,
Maybe we can find the real essence of being human
With the freedom to stretch out and discover a diverse world.
In exploring we get to push the boundaries of our existence
Out of the norm, confronting ourselves with how others behave
And shining a light upon our own assumptions and values.
Inner questioning then transforms how we see the world
Through asking, observing and listening intently
When our own narrative is confronted by that of another.
Being both an external and internal process of discovery,
Exploration has little time for sitting around and doing nothing
As we learn in the testing all about who we really are.
Life is Beautiful...La Vita e Bella,
It's our canvass, and as a wise man once said...
No straight thing ever was made from the crooked timber of humanity.
Sean.
Dean of Quareness.
December, 2024.