On Learning - Quareness Series 163rd "Lecture".
For good learning we likely need to be open to a variety of sources and to thinking in new and different ways.
Learning through experience tends to be an emotional roller-coaster and those people who are better at detecting and differentiating between different specific emotions, tend to be better at managing their emotional states and to be more resilient. Maximising learning has to involve being willing to learn from people we don't necessarily like. Those who are different from us due to background, experience, personality, preferences, values, etc., will tend to approach problems differently and thus offer opportunities for us to learn from them.
Some people naturally tend to focus more on what they can gain whilst others focus on preventing losses or mistakes. Given this obvious fact, being able to flexibly adapt one's thinking style for whatever problem is to hand (rather than sticking with one's dominant natural style) can be helpful for learning. Indeed in revisiting interactions, material, etc. at a later stage of review, one often picks up previously overlooked small nuggets and nuances in paying new attention not just to the content and "how to" information but also to the thinking styles deployed.
Good learning isn't helped with sticking to one comfortable mode...such as always taking a formal class or maybe asking a mate. Prospects are much better with a willingness to learn from lots of diverse sources e.g. technical manuals, on-line information, interacting with friends/social acquaintances/strangers, etc. This wider range of enquiry facilitates acquiring a far greater span of knowledge.
Deep learning calls for deep reflection as well as an unfocused wandering mind...learning which sparks creativity as one thinks about what is learnt in ways not tightly focused on the narrow topic. Such doesn't rely solely on focus for getting things done but allows the mind to drift in creative ways connecting seemingly diverse concepts. In addition it's usually the case that those who learn most tend to develop their own learning plans based on their specific learning objectives.
Most of us seem to enjoy hard tasks more when we see them as reflecting our strengths and values. And greater benefit is to be had in this when we have ongoing very detailed self-knowledge of our own strengths. Many too can be very creative and persistent when it comes to navigating obstacles and those who are aware of this inner strength within themselves can harness it to boost their confidence in the face of the strong emotions that new challenges tend to stir.
Being both a fast and a deep learner is a combination that can help in achieving much success. Fast learning tends to help in becoming a good technician and deep learning tends to open up worlds of creativity, innovation and profound personal growth.
It's said that being idle and letting your mind wander constitutes an optimum state for inventive thought and new perspectives. Indeed the ability to adapt, pivot and shift with the changing tides of life may be key for man's well-being and happiness. It's true of course that those linear thinking skills we are formally taught, such as memory and reasoning, do not necessarily translate into the ability to come up with groundbreaking inventions and "disruptive" technology. Instead we find that one of the most powerful and common ways to hone creativity is to set aside time throughout the day to do irrelevant and "mindless" tasks that let our minds wander. We can simply say that creativity arises when our minds are unfocused...daydreaming or idle.
These two kinds of thinking - linear and creative - align with different neural networks in the brain, one involving intense conscious focus on the present in order to achieve current goals, and the other (our default network?) involving relaxed downtime. Not wanting either of these neural systems to be overactive at the expense of the other and having the ability to switch flexibly from one to the other according to circumstances, would be ideal for us. Some research studies have shown that when people learn a challenging task, they do better if they work first on an easy task that promotes mind wandering and then go back to the challenging task...
balancing both kinds of activities (idleness and focus) and switching between the two for optimum effect.
It has to be said that much of our modern lifestyle doesn't easily lend itself to such balancing. The problem is that many of us spend so much of our time in today's technology dominated "non stop" cultural environment either in linear thought...analysing problems, organising data, etc...or intently focused on "distractions" such as our phones, social media, television, etc. We can go through the entire day never actually daydreaming or being idle. We really need a balance of both focus and rest because when our minds are constantly processing information, we never get a chance to let our thoughts roam and our imaginations drift. In truth if we don’t give our minds a break, they cannot engage in the kind of idle activity that leads to creative inspiration.
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
(William Henry Davies 1871-1940).
What might help to "cure"?
Make time for idleness and free thought...take a walk letting your thoughts wander...your body is deliberately active, but your thoughts are free to roam...create opportunities for yourself to just be without having to do something...diversify your activities...take up a new skill, travel, socialise with people who see things very differently than you do...make more time for fun and games...organise your day so you alternate focused work requiring a lot of attention with activities that are less intellectually demanding.
Research shows that diversifying our experiences broadens our thinking and helps us to come up with innovative solutions and that play, by boosting positive mood, can help us be both happier and more inventive.
Go n-éirí an bóthar libh go léir (May the road rise with y'all).
Sean.
Dean of Quareness.
April, 2022.