At the (rather excellent) Brand Yorkshire event on the 6th of October, I engaged in a discussion about education and learning services that very quickly homed in on the ever noticeable flaw in current thinking about what education should be and should provide. Education it would seem should be all about outputs- the exam results; the number of students going to University, or to the new revamped polytechnics; how many then go on to be productive in the workforce and so on.
All well and good.
But what about learning per se?
Learning is not just about gaining a qualification and applying what you’ve learned in your duty to be ‘productive’ (see my blog “Productivity vs Contribution”). The learning process is an essential need in the wellbeing of we humans and should not just be seen in the context of economic returns. Let me explain.
When we learn, we do several things that are beneficial to our mental health:
· We stimulate the brain and reinforce neural pathways that without use degrade over time
· We engage our curiosity and interest which makes us alert and focused
· We feel fulfilled and positive when we complete a learning cycle which affects our emotional wellbeing, and
· We feel more confident about engaging in social discourse because we know some interesting fact or 12.
What we need to understand is that the brain is not simply an organ like the heart or liver. To be sure, it needs the right physical interaction to support its health (right kind of diet, exercise, fresh air etc), but just as important is the fact that the brain must be used consistently to maintain functionality. In many respects it is a muscle. If it isn’t used it goes flabby. And when the brain goes flabby, it will affect everything positive about you. Your concentration, your reasoning, your mood, your mental and emotional health- all will degrade as the pathways in your brain degrade.
Did you know that the brain never stops generating neurons or growing new pathways? It simply needs the right stimulation. Engaging in the learning process is critical to keeping an active lifestyle and alert mind. Degenerative diseases are slowed down by reinforcing pathways. Listen, if a man can wake up after being in a head trauma induced coma for over a decade because his brain grew new connections over his skull to bypass the damaged brain tissue, then we can stimulate the brain so it doesn’t succumb to age earlier than it needs to (or ever!).
Which is why it is a shame that the obsession with cuts is falling on so many adult learning classes because they are perceived of as being non-productive. Such short sightedness fails to understand the link between keeping active and feeling fulfilled- and keeping fit and healthy. In effect, we save money in one area only for it to be needed in dealing with health issues later and for a much longer period than should be necessary. So what if that course on basket weaving isn’t going to help Maggie into a new career at the age of 58? If it keeps Maggie happy, engaged in a social and learning context, and able to look at the baskets that she has made with her own to hands with a feeling of pride, then surely that should be a main consideration?
In the meantime, stretch those brains people. It’s the one muscle that you can’t replace!
Darren Smithson - guest blogger
The Inform Group
Email me at darren@theinformgroup.co.uk or visit us at www.theinformgroup.co.uk