English - Learning, Unlearning and Relearning
Why do kids learn faster? Apart from the fact that they are nearly totally free of 'cares,' what's most important is that - 'Their cups are not full.' :)
No sarcasm intended here friends. Just stating a fact that it is easier filling an empty cup rather than emptying a full cup and refilling it; especially when the cup has a mind of its own and sometimes actively prevents itself from getting emptied. :)
What I'm driving at is the fact that kids do not need to unlearn and re-learn (as long as they learn the right stuff in the first place of course, which theory might lead us to more controversies as to who a good teacher and a bad teacher is. Let's avoid it for the purpose of peace).
For adults, who have spent their entire lives thinking that their education has been perfect and that there is no need to change anything or to unlearn and relearn, it is going to be a regular turmoil while pursuing further studies.
Then again, it is not our place, as students, to judge teachers....... or may be it IS our right to do so. Lol! When we equalize education with business, it would certainly be the 'customers'' right to judge their service-providers (if they are qualified enough to do so i.e. ..... And, if they ARE qualified enough to judge a teacher, why do they need a teacher anyway?). Really difficult to express an absolute opinion here!
The debates can go on and on forever and finally our aim to 'learn' will be forgotten in the process.
To cut a long discussion short,allow me to simply state that it is always the fastest and best idea to be prepared to unlearn and relearn certain things. The facets of education that are being replaced through this process should of course be verified for authenticity but even experts have differing opinions about what is right and what isn't.
Feeling more and more confused? Lol! As a teacher I feel the same way too. As a student I felt the same earlier.
Here's my personal solution to that. :) Keep an open mind and provisionally accept every teacher's theory as true until you can verify the facts. Thereafter, you can choose to believe anything that suits you, as long as it is accepted by experts as 'one of the' correct things or ways to learn. If possible, learn all the 'ways' in use and your knowledge base will expand to astounding proportions. All the confusions will start to dissipate as you find out how diverse English language is, in reality.
Inference: Keep learning and keep verifying. But be 'open to corrections' above all. The ability to unlearn and relearn is what makes a person a true learner. Cheers!
November 15, 2017
