avatarMike Jimenez

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Learning Agility

How Education Can Stimulate Your Creativity

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

We all have been in a position where something comes naturally to us. We figure out how to easily do something; we enjoy doing something and project dexterity; we commit to doing something and gradually become better, or someone notices our prowess and compliments us.

If we do not recall this happening to us, we have certainly seen people with extraordinary skills. People like sports stars, artists, and leaders who are celebrated and admired for their achievements. We see them as role models. They inspire us to follow their example. They open us a path to somewhere we previously thought could not arrive.

When we imitate their actions, we might find that it is not as easy as they make it look. Our first reaction is to praise our role model. Something along the lines of: “he/she has talent, he/she is one of a kind, he/she is a legend.”.

But why do we separate ourselves from them? Why do we assume that being naturally gifted or in a privileged position is the only way we can aspire to repeat their accomplishments?

Human Psyche

The easy path is to look for shortcuts. Tricks that can help us obtain results faster and easier. The long way is to commit to our objectives. We will have to learn, practice, and fail for us to meet success. Our commitment involves time and energy. We will need to focus our efforts, identify goals and concentrate on them. We will need to be disciplined and consistent.

The head first series books comment on how it is difficult to pay attention to something that, at first glance, does not have any face value. Our brains are always ready to respond to threats or extraordinary situations. Psychology, the study of the mind, helps us understand why we react, think and behave in a certain way.

Paying attention means focusing on our awareness. We pay attention to our environment, important decisions, or thoughts. When we lack experience, our brain reacts by triggering default behaviors. These reactions are called instincts. Our brain is interested in dangerous and critical situations, discarding mundane, noncritical, or familiar situations.

Our brain has evolved to economize resources and focus them on meeting our basic needs. Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs, in which he identifies physiological (food, water, warmth, rest) and safety (security, safety) as the basic human needs.

When we encounter cognitive problems, our brain will try to resolve them with the least possible effort. Our first attempt does not usually have our full attention. If we fail a few times, our brain will get tired. We will pay less attention or get blocked.

Learning is a cognitive process; this is why we sometimes experience problems assimilating new information. It is a common trait to resist learning. We appreciate a sense of stability and control. Certainty is always preferred, and it makes sense. Our survival has depended on it.

Our brains try to facilitate jobs by reutilizing established connections, experiences, abilities, methods, and techniques. If we find that our familiar ways are applicable for a job, we immediately accept the challenge. There is very little uncertainty; we are in control, and our stability is not at risk.

What happens if there is a significant learning curve? What if our skills do not apply to the job? Our brain triggers its defense mechanism warning us of possible danger. We are about to enter unknown territory; we are no longer in control, there is no stability, uncertainty is high. We unconsciously repel the job, criticize it, and avoid interacting or having anything to do with it.

I remember when one of my teachers gave me a valuable life lesson. In music class, my teacher became frustrated that I kept defending my unpolished natural finger movements. You are not letting yourself get educated! Not all musicians have good technique, and the ones that do, do not share it. As a student, you have to learn the basics. Once you do, then you can develop your technique.

The impact that people have on our development is significant. People who praise or criticize us might influence which activities we enroll in, what groups we join, and how we perceive them. This influence is especially noticeable at an early age.

Studies have shown that different factors can determine how we develop as a person. Genetics, environmental influences, parenting styles, teachers, schools, and culture are some examples. Nevertheless, we are individuals. These conditions do not necessarily imply what type of person we will become. Kendra Cherry elaborates more on Experience and Development — How experience influences child development.

Culture

Culture is a clear example of radically changing our base knowledge. When we try to learn a new language, especially one that does not share a common ancestor, we immediately show resistance. There is a culture shock. We encounter a different thinking model, pronunciation, grammatical rules, etc.

Our first reaction is to translate words literally, only to find out that it does not make sense how we are trying to formulate expressions. How do we say my name is…? We genuinely lack any interest in adopting a new thinking model, phonetic, cultural mindset, manners, etc.

The funny thing is, when we do take the challenge to abandon our assumptions and embrace a new language, we will tend to show traits of our mother tongue. Our brain is very good at economizing. It will quickly find patterns, interpret them and utilize existing neuronal connections to save common knowledge.

Let us analyze how we learned our language. We started with absolutely no skills or reference point. We began with sounds. First listening and then trying to make them ourselves. Our next step was to combine them to form words. We pointed to things, actions, emotions and began calling them by name. We continued by connecting words and composing sentences. By this point, we could formulate and communicate ideas using our limited understanding of the language.

Once we got into school, we continued with written language and its rules. Our knowledge and understanding systematically increased with the addition of more complex subjects and lessons. At this point, something happened. We could fluently think, speak and write the language. We formed a base knowledge and began using it. We could learn other subjects like history, math, and science in the language.

We also got experience obtaining and processing information. We studied a subject, gained knowledge, and found value in applying it. Our success and ability likely motivated us to learn about something of our interest. Some people pick hobbies and learn about them (comics, videogames, music, sports), others join groups (sports teams, clubs, bands), and some do not engage in any activity.

As our education continued, we might have encountered different challenges. Some of our abilities developed more than others, our environment and priorities likely changed. Our brain might have told us that new information is not essential for survival, focus on more important things. Luckily, we can always learn to learn.

Learning to Learn

Studies have identified different ways in which humans learn and assimilate new information. Neil Fleming developed the VARK model in which he defines four learning styles:

  1. Visual Learners: Graphical depictions of meaningful symbols.
  2. Auditory Learner: Listening to information.
  3. Reading/Writing Learners: Information can be synthesized by reading and writing it.
  4. Kinesthetic Learners: Physical involvement through practice and exercises.

These learning profiles facilitate pedagogy or the methods of teaching. Students will perform better when taught under their learning profile. A combination of these, along with some facilitation techniques, can boost our learning agility.

When we accept that we imposed limits on our knowledge, preventing us from experimenting, innovating, and discovering new things, then suddenly, a new world opens to us. That sense of wonder we had as children, the feeling we had when everything was new. When we did not have assumptions, prejudices, or preconceived opinions comes back.

We get excited to discover and absorb information. New models catch our attention. Differences are appreciated, especially when we find them useful and applicable. Our horizon expands as ideas begin to form with our newly gained knowledge. At some point, we ask ourselves, why did I not thought of this before?

Our brain connects all those loose dots of previously inapplicable information. This net of connections becomes big enough to allow us to catch even bigger ideas. Abstract concepts are now easy to implement, and concrete ideas are translated and modified easily.

Learning becomes a skill, and we can improve our skills. We can achieve this in the same way we learned our first language, starting from the basics and progressively getting more experience and proficiency.

Like most things in life, dedication and perseverance are the safest and least transited routes to success. Learning from experience and nurturing curiosity stimulates our creative spark. Constraints such as limited knowledge foster ingenuity, which helps us find ways to remove them. Learning and becoming better learners are two great best tools to excel in our endeavors.

Education
Creativity
Learning
Ingenuity
Innovation
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