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The Wonder of Not Knowing and How it Applies to the Acceptance of Not Understanding

06/23/2013

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I was listening to the comedian Pete Holmes the other day and he was talking about how people have lost the wonder of discovery (my words – but basically the gist).  His bit was essentially about how people no longer have to not know something for any length of time.  And because of that, when they learn something (a minute or two after they begin to wonder due to easy access to the internet and all the information of the world at our fingertips) the awe of discovery, of learning something new is lost.  Now, of course, he made it pretty funny.  However, as usual, I began to think about the non-funny aspects of WHY this is the case…

Basically, back in the day, if you were curious about something it often took considerable time to get an answer to your question.  You asked your friends (who of course did not know), you asked your parents (who quite often didn’t know), you asked teachers, other adults and time after time you would be sent away knowing no more than you did before.  Sometimes you even had to go to great lengths to find an expert on a given subject to get your answer.  For those of you that remember libraries (the kind with books, not computers connected to the internet as we have now), you could eventually get there and look into encyclopedias, dictionaries or other such books.  But what of questions that could not easily be found in such books.  Mr. Holmes’ example was of the hometown of a particular NASCAR driver.  You would ask and ask and eventually, after days or weeks of searching you might find a buddy’s second cousin-once-removed’s boyfriend’s uncle that remembered that the guy was born somewhere in Florida.  Wow!  But the length of time it took to find the answer would only increase the level of appreciation for it.  Now days it would take 30 seconds to pull out your smart phone, connect to the internet as you drive across the country at 70 mph (or sit in class ignoring the teacher, …) and Google the answer.  You’d get it.  Maybe even more exact.  All the way to the street address of the hospital should you choose.  But where is the expectation?  Where is the great satisfaction?   Most importantly, where is the great sense of accomplishment you feel in all the effort put in?  And the feeling you get in FINALLY finding the answer after all the build up and anticipation?  It no longer exists in today’s society.

What’s more, people are losing the ability to analyze the problem and determine the best way of finding the answer.

I am sitting in a local cigar bar at the counter (that is where the electrical outlet is) typing this blog.  The guy sitting a few stools away wonders to the barkeep what the percentage of all beer sales are Bud Light.  Nobody knows.  It is a simple question.  I consider logging on the internet and Googling the answer (I don’t, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind).  Bottom line: nobody in the entire establishment knows.  Life goes on.  Do kids these days get the same feeling?  Are the day-to-day “pressures” they feel as teenagers of the 21st Century tied to their own expectations of “needing”, or being expected, to know whatever it is the moment the question is asked?

Let’s take it a step further.  Since all this “power of information” exists at the click of a mouse or a couple of cell phone button pushes with your thumb, could this be the reason for the dumbing down of society?  Back in my day (not really all that long ago but it sounds good), the watchword of education was as much about learning to find the answer as it was learning information in the first place.  Kids aren’t even being taught anymore how to find information – how to come up with answers.  The why of the how?  Or is it the how of the why?

With the technology we have available to us, especially the kids, we no longer have to learn to think, to analyze a situation, to consider the possibilities and ramifications.  We just look it up on-line and everything is there for us.  Someone else has done the work (possibly even correctly).  But we are left with no understanding of how that work was done.  How was the final answer achieved?  The example of a birthplace is a relative no-brainer.  However, it is a fact.  It is not an opinion.  Much of what we need to do in our lives is forming an opinion.  Should I do this or should I do that?  What is the better investment for me?  Should I lease or buy?  These types of answers can actually be Googled.  But you will be getting the “opinion” of someone that has no clue of your particular circumstances.  Many people, not knowing the how and why of the outcome, will just take the answer at face value and proceed from there. Then we have such questions as: Should I take this job or that one?  Should I live in this town or somewhere else?  Google might not be so helpful here.  Nor would much of what are kids are being taught in school.

My contention (and not only mine) is that too much of education in the U.S. today is focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).  We are giving them algebraic formulas for algebraic equations.  The most they have to figure out is what type of equation it is and then match it to the formula.  We give them rubrics for virtually any assignment.  Follow the rubric and you get a good grade.  They even use the rubric to determine where they can cut corners and still end up with a good enough grade (notice “good enough”, not an “A” – sometimes I wonder).  However, is this really preparing them for the real world?  When they get out of school their boss isn’t going to hand them a rubric for every (or any) task they are given.  During my first assignment in the military my targeteers had checklists they would go by to build strike lines.  Heaven forbid they didn’t have their checklist next to them and actually had to know how to do their job.  Problem was, during minimum time tasking exercises they didn’t have time to look at the checklist.  They actually had to know what they were doing.  This caused MANY major problems.  So the first time I saw this I took away ALL checklists from the builders.  The checklists were used only by the quality control NCO too confirm everything was correct before it went out the door.  A few times through the exercise and it was amazing how more accurate the products were and how much more quickly they were complete.  They learned their jobs.  More importantly, they had to THINK about what they were doing and why they were doing a specific thing in order to accomplish the result that would get past the quality control step.

What am I getting at?

Not only aren’t our kids getting the sense of accomplishment when they actually come up with an answer on their own, we are essentially “teaching” kids HOW to build a bomb.  What we are not teaching them is how to decide whether or not we should use it.  Yes, there are exceptions out there (my class for one) where we ask “why”.  I expect my students to analyze given case studies and provide a considered, supported opinion.  However, that goes against most of what the “experts” in education today are trying to accomplish.  We are trying to keep up with the Jones’.  The theory is that many other countries are far ahead of us in science, engineering, technology and mathematics.  This is based on the outcome of international standardized tests.  Of course, the thought is never given to the actual real world results of our education.  What country is the world leader in the space race (a significant indication of a country’s citizens understanding of STEM)?  What country has the preponderance of new science and technology discoveries?  The preponderance of original discovery?  The answer to each of these questions is the United States.  In the past two centuries, the US growth has produced per capita incomes about six times greater than the world average.  Currently the US holds 4.5% of the world’s population and produces 22% of the world’s output.  A disproportionate number of the world’s great accomplishments in medicine, electronics, and other technology have come from America.  But somehow there is something wrong with our education system and we must change it to meet the expectations of these standardized tests.

Nor is consideration given to how our kids (with their obviously poor education) are getting into some of the top ranked schools in the world.  Eight of the top ten, and 17 of the top 20, universities in overall education worldwide are in the United States.  Seven of the top ten in science, ten of the top ten in engineering, nine of the top ten in computers, and six of the top ten in mathematics.  The majority of the students in those universities are graduates of US secondary schools.  How are the top schools being filled with US students yet our secondary schools are not up to par?  What sense does this make?  And why are so many foreign students working so hard to get into our schools?

Based on the foregoing, I contend our schools are actually doing just fine.  Not all of course.  But why change the ones that are just for the sake of change.  We obviously have schools that know what they are doing.  How about, instead of coming up with, and spending millions (billions?) of dollars to implement, the newest theory in education every few years we just look at the schools that are doing well and copy that method in schools that aren’t.  Hmmmmm…

Bottom line:  let us get back to the liberal (renaissance) education where our future citizens are taught more HOW to think rather than just to apply formulas or solve equations.  Don’t get me wrong, the basics such as mathematics, language, sciences, etc are all important in education.   It would be hard to teach analysis and application of the thought process without the basics.  But too many experts are pushing schools to limit their education to STEM.  Even to the extent of having English classes teach using technical manuals vice the classics.  This is just wrong and the trend needs to be reversed.

To circle around to the beginning – The Wonder of Not Knowing and How it Applies to the Acceptance of Not Understanding…

We need to re-instill not only the wonder of not knowing, but the desire of discovery in our children.  As it stands, not knowing is not a concern, but the acceptance of not understanding should be.  The acceptance of not knowing (at least for a time) and the wonder of discovery is achieved by slowing down and understanding the analysis that is knowledge.   The process that leads to wisdom.  Unless we do, they will never understand the decision making process and “dropping the bomb” (a metaphor for any decision if you didn’t get the drift) will be via a checklist and not a considered evaluation of the circumstances.  Let us get back to a renaissance education.  Let us teach our children what they need to know to make decisions in the real world and forget about keeping up with the Jones’.

>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…

Educate Yourself!

02/24/2013

Brian Sunday Posts , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

It is quite discouraging the number of people I run into that have decided to accept the absolute minimum amount of education with which they can get away.  Students that put in minimal effort (not paying attention in class, not doing homework (or as little as possible), not studying for exams).  I wonder how they expect their life to turn out.  When I ask, I end up with the unenviable task of informing them they are living a dream.  I grade point average of 2.5 is not going to get you into a quality engineering school.  That is not a goal.  It is a dream.  As well, would you put your life into the hands of a doctor or pilot or lawyer or whatever professional that finished in the bottom or even middle of his class?  Would you rather one that put in the effort to learn as much as he could about his craft?  I tell my students, adulthood begins the first day of high school.  What they do from that day forward counts.  Their grades and effort will matter to their future college and employment plans (whether they attend college or not).  My concern also is that few professions require (and therefore few people take advantage of) continued education.  With the help of modern medical science, many people die at an advanced age knowing little more than the minimum they got away with in high school.  Sad and discouraging.

Vernon Law once said, “Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.”  Rarely does the test come only once.  Since most of us fail the test, we had best learn the lesson – preferably the first time.   On the other hand, someone once said, “Good Judgment comes from Experience, most of that comes from Bad Judgment.” [the quote in one form or another is actually attributed to numerous people]  Unfortunately, most of you seem content with failing the test over and over again and bad judgment.  You never take the time to learn the “why’s and wherefore’s” of the lesson.  This leads me to…

Funny thing about knowledge, the more you have, the more you know.  This may seem obvious (as should many things about which I write), but many don’t seem to get it.  They claim to “know” an awful lot just due to life experience (especially teenagers – the claim being an endless source of amusement to me).  Now, while I will grant that you gain some knowledge just from living, it is a slow and painful way to attain it.  It WILL happen.  Let it.  But don’t, as so many do, let it be the only avenue.  And if you do, don’t claim to know it all just because you have lived.  It would take 1000 lifetimes just to make a dent in the knowledge of today.  And since each day our body of knowledge grows exponentially, individually we are always losing ground.  As well, it is interesting that the more you know, the more you know you don’t know.  At least you should, if you put any effort into thinking about it.  While this may seem discouraging, it doesn’t have to be.  As mentioned, man is discovering new things each day.  Many are contributing to this body of knowledge.  Recognize you don’t and never will know everything.  But certainly don’t give up or be discouraged.  Just recognize and accept there is no way to keep up with everything and concentrate on those things of interest to you.

Formal education should never stop.  I realize life gets in the way sometimes.  You have work, families, etc. to deal with at numerous points in your life.  So put it on the back burner for a short time if necessary.  While all the things listed above DO “get in the way” at times, many use them as an excuse.  There are those on the other hand that manage to move on with their education in spite of all the other things going on.  Watch less TV.  Go out with the guys/girls less often.  Play fewer video games.  Limit your internet surfing (unless it is for a necessary purpose).  Stare at the wall less often (yes, I am to understand someone I know actually does this to pass the time).  So never stop.  Formal education is not limited to universities and/or community college.  It can come in the form of on-line courses from various educational institutions or private firms, private lessons, etc.

Another point is that once you are pretty comfortable in the level of education you need for employment in your chosen field, you are free to pursue education in all those wonders of the world in which you’ve been interested since childhood.  Learn to fly, gunsmith, build knives, paint, sing, write poetry, design websites, culinary, automotive technology, sign language, carpentry/wood working, dance, martial arts, play a musical instrument, yoga.  These are just a few off the top of my head.  I suspect there is a course in virtually anything in which you may be interested.  While books (to be mentioned momentarily) are a great way to acquire knowledge, learning from “experts” is usually the best way.  Community colleges normally have teachers that have worked in the area they teach and know of what they speak.  They can provide “war stories” from first-hand experience.  Unlike books, they can answer questions and guide you in further study in the direction YOU wish to go.  Community colleges are also significantly less expensive than universities.  As well, many community centers and adult centers provide inexpensive ways to learn from people that have “been there and done that.”

Not so formal education is what should be accomplished between sessions of formal.  READ books, magazines, newspapers, etc.  Go to lectures at local museums or community events.  Watch educational television shows on occasion (my wife tends to “force” me to do this – stupid animal shows!).  There are many DVDs you can buy or rent that have lectures/lessons on various subjects.  If you can’t afford community college tuition or fees (if any) for community center events, there are a less expensive way of gaining much of the same knowledge.  Books and magazines can be free.  Try your local library.  You won’t have the expert there to answer questions, but a search of quality sites in the internet can often provide that additional information you seek.

Just get some!  Get more!  Make it a priority.

Ok, so why am I bringing this up.  Remember that blog on apathy.  If not, go back and read/reread it.  Apathy, sloth, lazy, indifference – similar ways of expressing the same issue.  And it leads to a less productive and less enjoyable society.  A culture of ignorance is a sad and hard existence.  Why would someone purposefully make their life more difficult than it need be?  Many think getting and continuing an education is difficult.  What they fail to comprehend is that NOT being educated is actually more so.  And in all reality, the more education (read – knowledge) you have, the easier life gets (unless you take into account the growing frustration with those that choose ignorance).  As well, I will be speaking in the near future of Class/Refinement/Sophistication/Style.  The individual lifestyle and a society that practices civility is by necessity educated in all classes (poor, middle-class as well as the “rich”).  I dream of the time when we again practice such in our private and public lives (or are they nightmares of never expecting to see it).  But it will never happen if a significant number of us accept the limited knowledge present society allows.

>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…