Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Moan - Why do we have to use it?

So often I hear people say "I learnt *whatever* at school and I never used it in real life" as a dismisal of whatever it is they are talking about (usually math, actually). It's driving me nuts. Surely the whole point of things is not just to learn what we will use? Where's the fun in that? Why don't we value learning? And why do people look at you as if you are talking gibberish when you suggest that there is value in learning just for the sake of learning!

Sorry, needed to get that out - I know there is no point raising it where it has most recently come up, but I thought if anyone was going to get me, you all would.

I once heard that whenever you learn something, that you get a new "wrinkle" on your brain.

So maybe for that sake alone it is worth it.

Do you think that's a social circle / location thing Geomamma? The only time I ever really hear it would be to comfort someone who is struggling a lot, but even then it would be rare.

I always point out that subjects like algebra and geometry teach how to think (for example, in a logical stepwise fashion) and how to see non-obvious relationships between things. History teaches about things people have done in the past and helps us recognize patterns in things that happen today. High school English teaches two super-critical skills: how to read long books and get ideas out of them and how to write (well, ideally).

And so on. But part of me wonders about the kinds of adults who make comments about the pointlessness of certain subjects. I can understand this attitude in kids, but not adults. So I think that my ideas are usually best aimed at kids, who probably don't have the perspective to understand why these things are important. Adults might just get offended.

Yeah, it could be. I run into that sort of thing a reasonable amount and it is a problem. I'd like to think there are places and people where I wouldn't hear it!



True. That's why I gripe here instead There is a little (badly behaved) part of me that wants to say that just because they couldn't be bothered with it doesn't mean all of us should be denied the opportunity.

Anyway, I just have a problem, philosophically, with the idea that learning should always be immediately and obviously useful. Too many wonderful things are discovered accidentally. Why shouldn't we as humans want to discover things simply for the joy of discovery?

And it is not just directed at kids! I am going to school for yet another degree at age 48 and people keep asking me WHY. I just can't help myself haha! I'm a freak

It's useful to remember that learning is hard work for many (even most) people. I think most of us here are lucky that we have the luxury of feeling this way, and having brains that absorb knowledge with joy.

DeeDee

Your argument for studying algebra and geometry hinges on the existence of "transfer", which is plausible but which has been controversial in research on education. The book "Transfer on Trial" by Detterman
http://www.amazon.com/Transfer-Trial-Intelligence-Cognition-Instruction/dp/0893918261 looks at the research.


A pleasure of having young children is that one need not weigh the practicality of their interests but can just encourage them in whatever direction interests them. My 5yo is fascinated by dinosaurs, so we borrow and buy books on dinosaurs. But given the tough job market (especially for new entrants) and the exorbitant cost of private colleges, especially for affluent families, it's not surprising that parents forking over $200K+ want to know how college courses taken will lead to a good job. I'd have real reservations about having my children major in, for example, folklore and mythology http://web.me.com/folkmyth/Folk_%26_Myth/Welcome.html .

Question: do we feel that receipt of public funds for education has any bearing on learning subjects of little perceived worth, just for the joy of learning? Should a person on a grant be able to study underwater basket weaving in Norse mythology, or would it be better for them to generally restrict themselves to more "useful" topics of study?

oooh Good question, Lucounu!

In an ideal world, I would say yes, absolutely, anyone should be able to learn anything they like. Realistically, that is not really possible. The funds are not there. It is hard to justify spending money like that when there are plenty of people struggling to read and write.

Still, there are plenty of problems with selectivity. First, who gets to choose? How do we know what is going to be useful in 10 years time, let alone 50? How do we know the program with the best PR won't win out, regardless of it's real merit? And who's to say that if I learn underwater basket weaving I won't create an at home business that maybe isn't wall street, but supports my family?

I know someone who graduated in computer science - rather than something less practical he might have enjoyed more - at the height of the dotcom bust. He spent quite a while severely un- and under-employed. It always pays to remember we really don't know what's going to happen!

And that's why it isn't my job to decide these things.