> On your posting, I have found learning to come not from creativity, but
> from allowing oneself the freedom to learn.
Dear Richard,
I hope Rick will allow this reply. It appear to be between two
individuals, but I know from experience that many others on this list
feels very much like Richard. I respect your feelings very much, even if
it is towards 'too much intelectualising'. I share the same feeling often,
and yet I am also often compelled to theorise. It is because of the
theorising that I percieve certain principles of learning to be involved
which may make this contribution worthy to the list.
The freedom to learn is encompassed by the freedom to create. If there is
no freedom to create, then there also cannot be learning.
> My prior experience as a musician for 15 years was that
> creativity came from freedom to learn and explore -- not
> from the learning itself.
I agree, creativity does not come from learning. However, I am sure that
the sort of learning which we need to create the future, does come from
creativity. I am not keen on recognising any learning with which a person
cannot create his/her future as a valid form of learning. My personal
belief is that it is an immoral deception. I have never encountered one
pupil/student in all my life who desired to learn something exactly
because such a thing had no future value.
I cannot agree when you say that "creativity came from freedom to learn
and explore". Yet, much of the words which you use, are also central to my
own understanding. Creativity certainly involves exploration (i.e.
creating new experiences) but it also involves consolidation (i.e.
recreating old experiences). Furthermore, freedom (the ability to optimise
one's free energy) is very important to creativity. If my free energy is
high, then I can create spontaneously. If it is low, then others have to
force me, which will happen when I lose my freedom.
> Learning is hard, creating is fluid. Simply Zen, yes?
I do no realy wish to use the qualification 'creative' because
it is implicit to learning. However, I will now have to do it.
** Creative learning is never hard (difficult)**
Observe small children. It is true for them. But somehow, by
growing older, most of us seem to lose this ability. Why?
> In other words, run scales every day for 4 hours (I did for
> years) and then let them go and create.
I agree. Running scales (a certain musical practice based on repeating)
for hours on end is deadly. It is as deadly as any other extended
consolidation without intermitting explorations.
> Learn, decide to be free to learn, and create. Do you agree?
I do not exactly follow the first sentence. If you do not follow me,
please bear in mind that English is not my mother tongue. If you mean that
learning and creating are very closely related, then I do agree. If you
mean that the choice to be free to learn depends on the desire to learn
and to create, in other words, that spontaneousness (motivation)
determines what I will do, then I again agree.
> (please answer simply, so I can most effectively learn).
I have tried to be as simple as possible. Maybe, with another run at it
(like in practising scales) it will even get better.
> - -- rkb
> "I am looking for more life and less theory."
I cannot agree with you more - life is so much more than theory. However,
theory is part of life. Without theory yesterday, today and tomorrow will
be meaningless for me.
Best wishes
At de Lange
Gold Fields Computer Centre for Education
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, South Africa
email: amdelange@gold.up.ac.za
--"Mnr AM de Lange" <AMDELANGE@gold.up.ac.za>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>