‘Teaching’ the Learning Difficulty

A heresy of learning is the repetitive conditioning of our young with useless – or worse, dangerous – information.

This practice seems alive (sorry, dead actually) and well (sorry, sick actually) where there are sick structures in society. There is an inherent lack of care about it. Fortunately it doesn’t last long most times before it’s flushed out. But pity the harm caused, mainly in young lives.

Parents especially need to be patently aware of the ‘learning’ systems they place their kids into—places that pass themselves off for teaching (with supposed good effect) anything from academic knowledge or vocational skills to sporting skills or critical life-skills.

The key question is, “What are they teaching, and how are they teaching it.”

How are they teaching? And more importantly, are we monitoring the processes of that teaching so we’re confident and assured—even generally—as to the rigour (and ultimately the morality) of the process.

Do they act diligently? Do they take seriously our concerns or fob them off? Are they concerned about quality, safety, ethics and other standards our hearts can detect miles off?

If we’re not careful we can quickly teach people—particularly children—the wrong things so repetitively they’ll never unlearn them or learn them the right way; the bad habits and information will have stuck.

We hardly ever really comprehend how tenuous and precious the balance is; the learning opportunity—the acquisition of knowledge and skill in due season—comes and it passes... re-learning some things becomes harder if these opportunities are wasted early on.

Let’s be totally committed to the process of education—i.e. all spheres of education, formal and informal—calling attention to structures where learning difficulties, incorrect information and practices are propagated, or learning barriers are not challenged or overcome.

We have an account here to keep; to God—for truth and justice to flow.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.