For the love of Learning!!
Let students learn what they would like to… lets not allow a ‘syllabus to curb their innate curiosity.
“Don’t read this page, it won’t come in the exam.”
“Cancel the question, its out of syllabus.”
“Your project has no value to anyone else, change the topic.”
We often tell our students that they should only learn what they will be tested on or only do something that is considered as an evolved activity where they focus on improving the world.
Why can’t the purpose of learning something or doing something be doing it for the sake of learning itslef? Why is the lust for learning not enough? Why does it have to have a greater purpose, a message, a communal benefit attached to it, an examination to pass? Why does it have to be about what is covered in the syllabus and what is considered service to others?
I may want to learn to dance purely for the sake of learning a new skill! Not necessarily to pass a dance exam or to dance on stage. At a later time I might choose to carry out dance classes or even do a dance recital with a social message, but that doesn’t have to become the only reason I learn to dance. Learning something new can be a selfish motive as well and that is alright!
This might seem completely contrary to what most people say about purpose and meaning, but think about this from a child’s point of view. When we bog children down with the need to have an evolved purpose, with the need to do well in an exam, we kill their curiosity, because they end up narrowing down what they learn, how much they learn and why they learn.
We force them to research into fields that more easily render themselves to passing the paper or helping others, instead of dreaming big and wide and deep. They become so intent on finding the purpose that we as teachers have attached to the task and focusing on that, that they lose out on the bigger picture — learning something new.
They fail to understand that the journey towards finding purpose is as important in their life as the purpose itself. Perhaps even more so as the journey would be populated with learnable moments throughout that could, upon reflection, define who you are as a person.
What does AI have to do with this thought? Well, someday, an AI or robot may be programmed to decide whether a student’s choice of project is worthy enough or not. At that point, the bias in programming will determine how it reacts, and whether a child feels free to explore and learn, or feels backed into a corner determined by the ‘syllabus’.
For instance, a student who wanted to work on his drifting ability while driving virtual cars. He believed that this would help further his hand-eye coordination and general ability to focus. Now, imagine if the AI evaluating his goal decides that it is selfish, has no greater good in mind, will not help him pass an examination and therefore lacks value; his idea would be squashed.
The AI may not be able to understand the passion for driving that exists in him, or how driving is linked to his identity. The AI may not realise that focusing on tasks is a weakness for him, and what better way than to use something that you are passionate about to overcome an area of improvement in one’s life! Besides, who knows, perhaps he will someday train others in developing their hand-eye coordination or better still, start a driving academy of his own….
Learning for learning’s sake is just as powerful an intrinsic motivator as purpose and meaning, at least where innate curiosity and passion in children is concerned.
