Creative learning: the gradual loss of an age-long tradition

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Is there an intelligence developed through conventional study which is being lost in the digital age of creative study?

Over the years the way we read, study and understand has evolved and have impacted our lifestyles and the outcomes we have experienced from learning. With a new era and phase of life comes, newer expectations and experiences change our approach towards what we learn and how much we need study. Twenty years ago, all that study and research involved included lengthy notes and wordy research papers which we were required to learn and recite every word. Many of our parents even failed at school because they could not memorize and reproduce exactly what we were told in lesson notes, irrespective of how well we understood the subject matter. Research was not considered comprehensive and detailed enough if it was not wordy. “Word Length” was an actual scoring criterion; however in this day and age we speak of different approaches to study and learning and one can hardly keep up with these techniques. Some of these techniques complement how we learnt before while other evolves newly from human behaviour. The question of it that have we lost the value we derived from conventional learning with the adoption of the more creative approach to learning? have these new learning techniques impaired our ability to think and our tenacity to study? Are we losing a lot more than we are gaining from learning in the digital age?

With the ever-evolving changes in the digital age and the needs from education, there has been a need to transmit what is learnt beyond the four walls of the classroom to more practical and applicable use.

(….heck! classrooms don’t even have walls anymore!)

Conventional learning methods emphasize learning by instruction and by observation, which usually involves covering long hours of tedious notes on a subject matter. It’s also safe to say that conventional learning methods focus more on knowledge and less on the practical application of what was learnt. However, creative learning styles evolved to shift the focus from books and theories to experiments and experiences by involving more creative study `hacks` to the best outcomes out of our study.

While the learning styles may also differ based on individual preferences and the subject matter being studied, conventional learning methods easily are in many cases applicable where academic excellence is concerned and are effective in filling the gap in information, however, creative learning techniques are beginning to change how we engage with that information and how involved we are in the learning process. At a certain stage of one’s life as well as the quality and expectation of one’s work also changes. Education begins to tend to more deeper waters, where understanding study texts and materials to summarize them alone do not suffice anymore.

Expectations are geared towards engaging more closely with new ideas by organizing them,  reflecting on them, analyzing them, critiquing them, making connections, making inferences, drawing conclusions, or finding new ways of thinking about a subject. I, therefore, believe there is some intelligence developed through conventional learning, however not lost but improved in the digital age.

Engaging into more deeper aspects of our 5 senses, via more reflective and thoughtful styles allow for more long term information retention. The use of mind maps, illustrations and sketches enable our minds to visually process information, create connections between pieces of information and establish strong neural pathways to hold the learned information for an extended period of time. When we gain a deeper conceptual understanding, we learn facts and procedures in a much more useful and profound way, that is applicable to real-world.

Creative learning is also very helpful for people with learning disabilities. With the use of literacy assistive technology people with disabilities can also be involved in learning, albeit via unconventional means by using equipment, or product system, modified or customized to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. We are able to cater for differences in our abilities by adopting more creative means to learning

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

…Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)

The change in approach to how we study and the requirement for deeper learning, helps us to express ourselves, socialise and improve our art while gaining a deeper understanding of the course material. This is because creative study techniques could adopt the mind and the use of artistic tools to create a more involving form of learning. This could include creating bright and colourful visual representation of ideas. Illustration and sketching to notes, writing in different coloured pens. reading textbook out loud as if it were a play, or in a funny voice or accent. It allows us to involve our friends and family in quizzes and brainstorming sessions, rather than distance ourselves from them in a bid to read more.

Creative study techniques are also fun and can be great to relieve stress. Conventional study techniques, which are often tedious and time-consuming are stress inducers especially when it is becoming ineffective in memorising information and engaging with concepts. However, creative study techniques have become stress suppressants where people look forward to engaging in learning activities as a form of relaxation and relief. They are a great way to break the tension and relieve stress that can arise from long study periods and life generally.

Finally, while creative study techniques may not always be fit for the study material and also because it could potentially be a distraction if the focus is solely on socializing or avoiding learning actual course content, It could become ineffective and an eventual waste of time if not well balanced and integrated with conventional learning. Creative techniques should seek to complement conventional techniques by complementing knowledge with implementation, learning with doing, tests with experiments and lectures with interactions. Knowing the difference between both is a start but intelligently merging both will lead to greater results.