Continuous Learning
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
This week, after many years, I attended a training. We all know that knowledge is power and we all gain knowledge in various forms. My experience of being on the other side, taking an in-person class, being an engaged and committed student for the day, felt different than the online tutorials or self-paced courses I occasionally take. The stimulation, focus and quizzes by the teacher felt nostalgic and refreshing.
They say that learning falls in 3 categories; In maintenance learning, one keeps up with the new developments in their own domain, but doesn’t quite acquire new skills. In growth learning, you expand your skills or gain new domain knowledge. In shock learning, you learn something which is completely contradictory to what you knew before.
Furthermore, inside the brain, there are 3 different types of changes that take place while learning, attributed to the neuroplasticity of the brain. The first is the chemical changes in the brain, and these are related to short term memory. Let me give you an extremely primal example of this- night vision. On our camping trip this summer, the ranger took us all for a night hike through the woods, and asked us to patch or close 1 eye, while leave the other eye open. Lo and behold, when we opened the other eye, we could see in the dark! This was due to the chemical reactions between the eye and the brain. Intense light causes certain vision pigments to decompose, hence reducing sensitivity to dim light. Versus, darkness causes the pigments to regenerate, allowing us to see with the “patched” eye.
The second is a structural change in the brain and involves physical changes to the brain. This is how you affect long term memory, as the neurons restructure themselves to hold on to the newly acquired knowledge or skill. The age old “Practice makes perfect” contributes to structural changes. The last is a functional change in the brain where different parts of the brain fire-up and wire-up to provide different functions. An example of this is when one part of the brain (or body) is incapable of doing something, how we learn alternate ways of performing the same thing.
We keep learning throughout our life, irrespective of age. Your brain is constantly developing, restructuring, rewiring, and as sharp as you want it to be! So, if someone was to ask you “How old would you be, if you didn’t know how old you are?” I bet most would not be able to put a number, because our brains are still learning everyday, which makes us feel “not old”! Your brain is never the same, as long as you keep learning!