Learning
is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behavior, skills,
values, attitudes, and preferences. Learning can be of different types. It can
be physical skills (psychomotor learning). It can be learning new emotional
responses, attitudes and values or affective learning. Or, it can be acquiring
intellectual skills or cognitive learning.
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The
ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals, and thanks to artificial
intelligence, some machines. There is also evidence for some kind of learning
in certain plants. However, there are differences in how a human being learns
or engages with learning and how an animal or a bird learns.
Learning
effects relatively permanent change in human capabilities that is not a result
of growth process. These capabilities are related to specific learning
outcomes. The capacity of learn varies widely, depending on several factors,
including cognitive ability, application, perseverance, even genetic lineage.
American
author Brian Herbert says, the capacity to learn is a gift, the ability to
learn is a skill, the willingness to learn is a choice. One must choose to
learn. One who chooses to learn must willingly put in the effort required to
learn. Capacity to learn is a gift. Some
have it, others do not. Those who have it can learn quickly and with ease.
Those who do not have that gift have to put in an extra effort.
Learning
has to be joyful. One should get pleasure out of it even if it is physically
painful and mentally exhausting. French philosopher Simone Weil who influenced
Camus to a large extent said, “The joy of learning is as indispensable in study
as breathing is in running.” Remember
how we learnt cycling. We fell down, bruised ourselves. But as we pedalled and the cycle moved, a
surge of pleasure flowed through us. Despite the pain and bloodied knee we
continued, and thus learnt how to ride a bicycle.
One
good thing about learning, as Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) said, “it never exhausts the mind.” In fact the
more you learn, your mind gets more reenergized. George Courus the author of
‘Innovator’s Mindset’, writes: “Learning is creation, not consumption.
Knowledge is not something a learner absorbs, but something a learner creates.”
Learning
leads to knowledge. But learning is not knowledge.
Learning
is like plowing the field, tending the plants, watering them. Knowledge is the
fruit of all the efforts. How does learning turn into knowledge? Through
reflection. Thinking. Confucious said, “Learning without reflection is a waste.
Reflection without learning is dangerous.”
And what is the ultimate goal of
knowledge? There is a beautiful Sanskrit sloka in our ancient text: Sa vidya
ya bimuktaye. Knowledge is that which liberates. It liberates us from
ignorance and also from the arrogance of ‘I know all’.
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https://www.odisha.plus/2023/06/learning-and-knowledge/
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