The Keynote speaker at the 2012 Digital Media & Learning conference was John Seely Brown, self procliamed “chief of confusion” and author of many books, most recently “A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change” one that I am soon to eagerly devour.
The biggest highlight for me was the discussion around continual play into adulthood. I think few of us could say that the ‘world’ is the same place as it was when we were kids, particularly in the areas of technology. The only way that we learn and unlearn and relearn (to quote my favorite Toffler quote!) is by doing, trying, failing, experimenting…the same things that I am encouraging you to do with your children.
By engaging in artfulness you are allowing them a safe environment to try, fail, retry and ultimately succeed whether with your assistance or in most cases having figured it out for themselves.
Why is that when we become grown ups we think that failure is not an option? For most people experimentation becomes taboo and we stay firmly planted within our comfort zone until the time comes that we are pushed to step tentatively forwards. I am looking forward to that time…when adults step boldly without answers and try, fail, unlearn and relearn…right next to their kids who are doing just the same thing!
Yippeeee! I give all you adults permission to learn through play. Start by taking risks with your art and creativity – try new things, push new boundaries, walk a new way…you will benefit with increased confidence, increased perception, and increased ability to accept new and strange experiences.
Here are my highlights from the interview:
- It’s through play that we’re given permission to fail again and again in our first few years of life as we try to make sense of the world. It’s our job as youngsters to build a frame of reference through which we will understand the world. I would argue that building that initial frame actually comes from constant experimenting.
- I’m going to argue that the importance of play is now of paramount importance throughout our lives. The reason for this is we’re now living in world with exponential and continuous change. We’re not just living through a transition; we have transitioned into always transitioning.
- …education tends to be focused on the world of Homo Sapiens—man as knower. We put next to that Homo Faber—man as maker. I want to add a third point, which is man as player—Homo Ludens.
- Connected learning is driven by kids finding their interests and having the social tools, the information tools and the permission to explore that interest. If you can find a way to structure a context that honors that, then this kind of learning can start to complement what happens in the classroom.
- Today, through the internet, we have access to collectives of knowledge/expertise for learning—so when you get stuck on something, there are resources. This is part of connected learning…
- …understanding that learning comes from doing. You capture a kid’s interest, let the kid explore that interest through making things—in a safe environment—and give them the freedom to fail while trying to perfect the thing they’re building.
- For interest-driven learning to work, you need mentors. I would never claim that teaching isn’t important, or, oh, just jump into a lake, and you will know how to swim. There’s peer-based mentoring, master-based mentoring. I personally feel that in order to get hooked on something—well, that’s the role of a great teacher, a great mentor. The role of the mentor is to get you to discover things you might not actually know you were interested in, to confront topics you may not be very good at understanding, but once discovered, you will.