Human beings have two parts of brains. Conscious and subsconscious brain.
Conscious brain is rleated to straight forward tasks. Like ini the present moment and now. Kind of like a RAM in computer.
Subsconscious is deep down vast information.
Now to feed information in subsconscious is not a straight forward process. It is a complex process because it absorbs information through patterns. The funnel is big and small.
It does not
The biggest problem with education we see it today is we think working hard, studying MORE, will lead to more learning.
But this is NOT true. Most long term memorization and conceptual understanding and information happens in subsconscious brain.
The straight- conscios brain can do simple straight forward tasks. Like copying the written word. cleaning brooming. Something that does not require some major background knowledge of skill or set of complex information.
Language is a perfect example of this. When you speak a language you know, you make NO effort and it automatically flows through your brain.
When you learn to drive initially you have to CONSCIOUSLY think about it and later it becomes a second habit. You don’t even think that you have to change gears. The co-ordination, automated flow of information is passed on without a conscious effort.
Same is with learning anything related to subsconscious brain and
most education and parenting models are not designed to cater to subsconscious brain –
they try to treat learning that are subject of subsconscious brain and try to treat it like
the subconscious brain
- takes time to absorb things
- it takes time to make patterns and relations
- it needs tangible, picturisque experiences to form these relations and data patterns
- it needs spaced repetition
Also, subsconscious brain closes down in the state of crisis and conscious brain takes over. So when a child is SCARED from teacher. Or worrying about something serious. Then he will not learn. He will “do the homework” but that will be just a mechanical activity. He will follow instructions but almost nothing will go into his subconscious brain.
As parents and adults as people who are in power to direct children’s day to lives we need to ask following questions.
- Why are we trying to teach things in controlled way? when we know subsconscious brain works unsequentially . And when left FREE. And needs his own learning experiments, failures and apparatus.
For example: when a new born child learns a language, it takes time, he makes his own connctions , mistakes and patterns. He is not instructed to speak certain words or do his homework. He plays with words, starts with small words. He experiences those words with information. - Why are we expecting a child to follow a standardized speed when we know subsconscious brain does not work that way?
- Why are we using fear, stress as a method of “learning” when we know that the subsconscious brain closes down in crisis mode and no learning happens in that mode.