From Amanda's very early writing (1990s to early 2000s), shared as it was originally written.
“The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read or write. They are those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” Alvin Toffler , the famous futurist and author of Future Shock, wrote these words. And if you think about it, he’s right! Of course the dictionary defnition of illiterate refers to those who cannot read or write, but that form of illiteracy (despite the recent debates) in Western cultures is relatively rare.
Today’s unbelievably fast delivery of extraordinary amounts of information which bombards us daily is just a glimmer of what our children will be dealing with in the future. So their (and our) ability to learn , unlearn and relearn will be a key to their mental, emotional, physical and psychological success.
I forget who said this but it stuck in my mind, ‘we think that what we’ve learned is right, when what we’ve learned is just what we’ve learned’! Ain’t that the truth! It’s interesting how we don’t stop and contemplate that when we argue two points we are debating what two people have learned as ‘right’. Maybe we are both ‘right’! Maybe there is no right!
Think about all the things that have changed since you were at school. The facts you learned about the body, the brain, the capacity of body’s physical limits are very different now; things that seemed impossible which are now everyday occurrences. New knowledge about the brain and heart and body and physics revolutionise the way we think about things.
Quantum physics is probably one of the most fascinating areas of research that is transforming our thinking about how the world (and our bodies) works. Read some books in this area, many are easy to understand; authors like Paul Davies (our own Australian world famous quantum physicist) are appearing in the popular books sections!
Anyway, it’s common knowledge that anything we learn at University is often passe by the time we leave Uni! So , the only way we’ll stay on top of life is to develop our ability to learn, unlearn and relearn.
Another book that will help you develop expertise in this area is “The Learning Revolution” co authored by Gordon Drysdale and Jeannette Vos. It is a great book that will help every grown up , parent and child to improve their ability to learn in ways that are fun and exciting, as all learning should be for maximum benefit.
We all develop our own strategy for learning without much instruction or guidance at school or home . It’s one of those ‘how do we give love’ ideas, no one really thinks about it, we just assume we know it and it never comes us as a topic of conversation. So, how do you learn? What strategy did you develop at school? Do you cram, visually remember (see the information in your head?) , or remember by repeating things to yourself and perhaps attaching facts to a tune or repetition to a rhythm? Or do you learn by linking information to movement or bouncing about?
Who were your best teachers and why? What did they do that made you learn more easily and remember more efficiently? Which subjects were easier for you to study? Any reasons? What environment enhanced your learning, quiet? Peace? Music? Rhythm? Laughter? Excitement? Movement? Activity? Involvement?
This contemplation and understanding of how you learn will help you assimilate information more rapidly, a skill of fantastic value living in the 21<sup>st</sup> Century. Explore this concept with your children and help them find a variety of ways to learn and store information. You’ll dramatically reduce their stress levels!
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