Coping - The Synaptic Connection

 

I wanted my blog today to be about the science behind coping, neuroscience or simply put the logic of coping. My logic is that every behaviour and action is triggered through some synaptic energy in some corner of our brain. Also what amazes me, is how two people living in the same household, experiencing the same upbringing, can manage to react so differently when it comes to dealing with emotions. I have often seen children from the same household going in different directions despite sharing the same pain and grief. 

I am convinced that this has a lot to do with how our brains are wired, in addition to the sociological factors impacting the same. So I started researching and to my surprise, I was right. Prof. Zhou Jianging and his team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)  found that in event of any behavioural challenge, prefrontal corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) is engaged. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) regulates cognitive processes critical for goal-directed behaviour. Management of this neuron can influence behavioural style under challenges. Besides, active CRF neuron helps in stress-resistant behaviours meaning better coping mechanism .https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5026742/

In this context, I also came across the term exposure therapy. Exposure therapy as the name suggests means exposing people to their fears. This is said to have both negative and positive impact, positive in the short run and negative may be in long run. Some research findings also suggest that exposure therapy can also lead to voluntary control over previously avoided traumatic memories. However, this is only to be done under the strict supervision of a medical professional or it would prove detrimental in the long run.

Having established the science behind coping, let us move on to what some of the coping styles we see around us are. Coping styles can be broadly divided between, task-oriented, emotion-oriented or avoidance oriented.

Task-oriented coping seeks to solve the problem at hand. Take for example a student fails in exams. The emotions arising out of that event can be overwhelming. However, if the student aims at doing the next task, they will be able to achieve a sense of relief and doing something.

Emotion Oriented- This focuses on looking for a support system to deal with the emotion one is facing. For example, is someone was trying to get over the loss of a loved one, support from a loved one or even  counselling support can help navigate through feeling

Avoidance Oriented- As the name suggested is dealing with denial and distraction of the situation. This means sometimes creating distance from the thought, place, situation or people that trigger unpleasantness.

We as individuals use difficult, coping styles to overcome our emotional distress, however, whatever it is, and sometimes more than one. It is helpful to know what is happening in our brain while our mind is struggling with stress.

 

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Coping- A survival mechanism

 

In the following section, I will try and establish a link of how our culture, society and environment helps to shape our coping skills. I will take it from a personal example. A few years back some of my stuff was stolen. I remember around that time, I was reading a holy book. However, what I had wanted to ignore was that I was doing so during my periods. After the burglary, I in deepest of consciousness ended up blaming myself for not adhering to the rules and by extension felt that I deserved the punishment.

Imagine the impact it would have had on my coping skills. It pretty much went for a toss and with it went my self-confidence, my self-worth, and my self-esteem. Suddenly the theft was not about the thieves, it was about Karma, my bad karma. It ended up in a cycle of shame and agony, which took years for me to come out of.

We find many such examples in day to day life. Every society has custom built practices that helped some unexplained motive which also varies from culture to culture. According to a legend in turkey, if someone chews gum at night, it changes into human flesh. In India, it is believed to be bad luck to trim nails after dark. Again, in the UK it is believed if you recite ‘rabbit-rabbit’ the first day of the month, you are blessed with good luck for the month.

These superstitions for one play a huge role in the way we see our actions affecting the outcome. It gives a false sense of our locus of control making it equally difficult to see the situation objectively. They also give rise to something called culture shock in event of cross-cultural exposure.

Now let us add political and environmental factors to it. Children in South Sudan or war-stricken areas will grow up to have severe stress disorder and anxiety issues. Trust issues, interpersonal issues, difficulty in seeking help, fears, and phobia will be common signs leading to difficulty in developing healthy coping mechanisms for children from those areas.

On reading a report on why Nordic countries, namely Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland, continuously manage to top the charts of World Happiness Survey, I came across the finding that explained why these countries were at the top. Most of the factors to my surprise were state generated. Institutional quality and trust, Welfare schemes, low-income inequality, mutual trust and most importantly autonomy.

The political intent as I often stress upon along with cultural paraphernalia, constitute to a large extent in developing healthy coping mechanism. The absence or presence of one or more of each factor can lead to our generations living with a different sense of self.

When the culture identifies and 'teaches', failures or challenges as stepping stones to a bright future, the coming generations will be strong, confident and healthy to take on anything life throws their way.

The Language of Coping

 

                                                              

I found an interesting discussion point in one of the groups that I am a part of on Facebook. It discussed what I wished I learned against what I was taught. Clearly, the author was keen on learning about mental health, self- care, mindfulness, emotional management, personal management and financial management. (picture attached)

The discussion which followed was equally interesting. Some agreed, others challenged the current education system and some others congratulated this generation’s parenting for understanding the need for developing strong mental health. But this discussion seemed god sent, especially after I decided to do a week-long issue on coping. Hence the introduction. 

But to think of it, why is there a need to bring mental health education or coping mechanisms as part of the school curriculum? The answer lies in our day to day interactions. Have you heard of some atypical sentences that we often associate with developing gender bias in children- boys will be boys, boys don’t cry, Pink for girls and blue for boys, you throw like a girl or my girl is a tomboy.

What are these? These are parent’s way of hushing or explaining emotional or physical issues in children. We now know them as stereotypes. But what does it have to do with coping? I think these stereotypes are a way to suppress our emotional issues, put them under the rug kind of approach.

A child who grows up with these stereotypes, never really knows how to deal with them. They even learn not to acknowledge them. As a result, we see generations inundated in a false sense of control. However, one trigger is enough to break this fallacy. Something like a rift at the workplace, grief of losing someone close or even a setback in a quixotic relationship can send a person to bouts of anxiety. Our society does not know how to prepare the generation. And what it doesn’t know, it can’t teach. Hence the need to introduce something which will give a sense of certainty and direction. Introducing a structured curriculum can ascertain,

• a-     Objectives and goals- It is impossible to deal with all emotions or forecast all situations a person is going to face, how one can develop skills and behaviours proactively deal with any situation.
• b-     The prescribed use of language. What to say, how to say and equally importantly what not to say. What we say leaves and impact, especially during the formative years. Children are exposed to language, parliamentary and un-parliamentary, at the tip of their hand. TV, Internet, News, everything is laced is a different variation of language, sometimes even self-harming. Positive self talk, identifying distress can not only help self but also lead to a more aware society. 
• c-      Performance Standard- Unlike standard curriculum, one has to be very careful of not typecasting the children. One just cannot afford to introduce stereotypes within the structure made to break stereotypes, especially one that doesn’t require performance indicator in the first place. The idea should be to provide a broad guideline to positively manoeuvre the course of children’s life. Informed decision making is the key to developing healthy coping strategies.

As a parent, I often face something very basic. We were brought up with a certain set of rules and regulations and the current generation warrants something completely different. Some reasons I have already touched upon like kind of exposure, fast-paced environment, changing expectations, etc. Under the circumstances, we need help and its clear that something structured will go a long way in developing the child's preparation for the future. 

Coping- Needs no introduction!

 

I want to dedicate this week’s issue to coping strategies. But before I do so, I wanted to quickly run through what it means ‘to cope’. Coping as per Wikipedia refers to making conscious effort to overcome personal and interpersonal issues so as to deal with and master self. This gives rise to the question, what requires coping? I think, almost everything does. From the time we are born to the time we leave this Earth, we only learn through coping. The difference being, while growing up we are handheld so the navigation of emotions is done with assistance. Under normal circumstances, our parents or guardians guide us through all our challenges, big or small, ensuring that we are prepared for future.

As we grow older, we are expected to cope based on what we have been taught, what we have observed and even expectation are set for behaviors, conduct and actions. However unlike standard education system, coping is not taught as part of a structured curriculum. It is much like deductive reasoning and deduced from day to day actions. Thus on achieving adulthood, it becomes more a trial and error thing.

I had not heard about coping strategies per se till I started working with mental health in some form or another. Not to say, I wasn’t coping before this, just that wasn’t familiar about the term and usage. But something did change when I came in terms with the concept. I started noticing patterns. It was clear that people are keen to cope, but some people find it easier whereas others struggle.

This pandemic was a classic example. It forced us to be more creative regards our coping strategies. You saw examples everywhere. People becoming master chefs, husbands posting cooking videos and children acquiring new found interest in house hold chores. However not everyone was managing with ease. Some were struggling. Others panicked. But I think it is absolutely acceptable. Just like any other aspect of life, coping is individual oriented and should  not be compared.

I do find some things pretty intriguing though, for eg., coping as a cultural value. In fact if you think of it, India as a culture is full of coping opportunities. Since childhood I used to wonder what drives people to celebrate so many festivals. I never quite understood the logic behind it. But now that I think about it, this was a our way to integrate celebratory culture which could be relevant to developing coping techniques. Now we not only have our own festivals but have borrowed some from west and accepted some which are commercially viable. Anything that helps a person fight the everyday drudgery and stress.

I know this note of mine has raised many question. Coping as a life skill to be taught in school, does it have a cultural enunciation, what it takes to develop better coping skills, is it even possible.  This week I explore the possibility of structuring coping as a life skill subject. What will it entail as part of the curriculum? What will the subject aim at? How vast will its reach be? Who will be qualified to teach it? The questions are endless.

My effort is to see if having some knowledge on skills leads to better managing it. On Saturday, I present an overview of the entire week connecting the dots and giving a rundown.

Let us start exploring.

Annoucement

 

Learning- the week that was!

As we come to an end of this series, I think I have only been able to touch the tip of the the iceberg of Learning. The topic is as vast as the concept itself. However my efforts were based on consolidating some information that can help us understand our ability to learn, the push behind learning, and the incentives of it.

Today I attended two sessions; one was on storytelling organized by SLN Brand Studio.  Suba, the founder of SLN Brand Studio, is also a friend so when she asked me to join in for the session I was keen as the topic told me something about you by storyteller, Sourish B Ghosh. It was an eye-opener, to say the least, but the session as a whole gave me additional insight into learning. Learning is infectious. One would laugh at the thought of it but come to think of it, as I was sitting in the four walls of my home, I could feel the energy and ideas being exchanged.  An hour later I was logging into another session, where my friend Maithili had invited me as a guest to her Toastmaster meeting. She was chairing the session and gave me another brilliant learning opportunity. One often finds themselves, getting into the mindset of learning with regular stimulus.

 

When I first started this topic, I wanted to give some background. My first blog did just that. I have always believed learning to be a natural part of human evolvement but I find the resistance stupefying. I established some premise that had been my realization in my 15 years of career as an HR professional, and 14 years as a mother. I was trying to structure and find out if my beliefs were right. I have attempted to proceed in the week with that agenda in mind.

https://nupurdwivedipandey.blogspot.com/2020/09/learning-game-changer.html

The first belief was learning means different things to different people. The value derived is personal and my second article was aimed at doing just that. I explored the various sociological and biological reasons for people to want to learn. It helped me find an answer to one of my own questions. I am often faced with the question. Why do I write? What do I get from it? Now I tell them it is because I have epistemic curiosity.  To know more, read on.

https://nupurdwivedipandey.blogspot.com/2020/09/why-learn.html

My third blog focused on an aspect of learning which will define its future. My day today was a classic example of it. I had discussed the possibility where the existing rule of educations does not apply. A structureless yet broadly defined era of education where one gets to choose what to learn at a very young age. I used Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle with  the addition of technology as an additional component making it a rhetorical quadrangle .

https://nupurdwivedipandey.blogspot.com/2020/09/learning-redefined.html

In my career, I often found people resisting learning. I was always curious about why. This became my topic for my fourth blog. I addressed it from a biological perspective first and then linked it to how that also gets has a historical perspective to it. Our traditions and belief system work on instilling a fear of the unknown and learning something means accepting the unknown. I also discussed my theory to overcome fear. Retract, detract, and Attract helps me overcome negative thought and switch to a more positive mindset.

https://nupurdwivedipandey.blogspot.com/2020/09/learning-what-stops-you.html

Another aspect of learning that I found pretty pertinent is it’s a privilege and only a handful of privileged people see it as one. Most take it for granted. As I was writing this blog I came across the story of Karthyayani Amma, who at the age of 96 passed the Kerala literacy test with 98% marks and aspires to nail her 10^th exams when she turns 100. This is the spirit that realizes how fortunate they are to be able to learn. However, not everyone is as spirited and supported. Hence my blog clearly outlines the need for conscious focus towards learning and the requirement of a mental shift.

https://nupurdwivedipandey.blogspot.com/2020/09/learning-differential.html

One learns every day, at all times. We have a special day mark to commemorate the contribution of our teachers. However, our teachers are not limited to just our schools or educational institutions. For a lifetime of learning, we have teachers in every relationship. This blog was an effort to express my gratitude to people who have given me valuable life lessons.

https://nupurdwivedipandey.blogspot.com/2020/09/learning-experiential.html

 

This series helped me answer a lot of questions and will definitely enrich my approach to my understanding of people. My next series is something that I thought most about during this pandemic. I had also discussed it as a part of Mental Health series, but I genuinely feel that it is an important topic standalone. Coping strategies as the name suggests indicate how to deal with distress, or any emotional challenge. 

Thank you for your support this week. I would request you to please comment and follow the blog. Do also let me know if you have suggestions regarding the same.

Learning- The Experiential

 

 

I have always been a fan of learning and gratitude. I always felt they go hand in hand. When I started my career, I chanced upon meeting one of the most dynamic trainers. Her name was Ms. Anjali Gopalan. She is the founder of an organization called Naz Foundation. She taught me what it takes to communicate and train effectively. She was honest and upfront and not complicated. Since I was fresh, to the field and training scenario per se, her impression stayed with me.

My first learning was, to learn, having a clean slate works. Going with preconceived notions reflects more badly on the learner than the trainer. But that was my challenge as an HR person, to make people see value in training.

I discussed the fear of rejection or fear of not knowing as a deterrent for learning. However, sometimes it’s also the notion of knowing too much or the ‘know-all’ factor. I also must have had my share of ‘know-all’ moments. I remember when I met my mentor and a very dear friend Liz Carter. Liz had been placed in our organization as a Volunteer consultant and I was put to be trained under her. Liz taught me everything, and I mean everything that I know about HR now. She helped me see value in what I was doing and made me the person I am today. But to say, it was not difficult would be an understatement. I was threatened by her presence which automatically led me to close myself a lot of time. She taught me the value of trust in creating a buy-in. My learning was not limited to just a professional set up.

My mother taught me strength and my sister taught me critical thinking (I owe all my writing to her). My mother in law made me see the value of tolerance and my colleague Sudha, made me a more accountable person.

My father taught me ownership and family values and Manish, my husband taught me objectivity and fairness. My friends also played a huge role in my learning. I learned how to be bindass from Jyotika and how to stand up for me from Ruchi.

My children Abhay, and Samya are my biggest teachers because they taught me to love myself as I am. Their unconditional love made it possible for me to become a better person.

I have so many people to thank when it comes to enriching my life. The list is endless. However, the crux is the same. Openness to learning comes with time and experience. The same experiences which can turn you bitter and closed also have the potential to make you see light and opportunity.

Choose Wisely!!

Learning - The Differential!

 

Quite recently I wrote a piece on the spirit of volunteering. A friend of mine who had chosen to go and teach English to tribal children in Karnataka had been finding it difficult to connect with the children after her first class. She is an academician herself, and a mother of two was shocked to see the learning levels of students there. She wasn't sure why students of Class IV who have been studying English for most of their lives do not understand the basics of the language.

 

When I started my career, I also volunteered to teach children, who were from relocated slum locations of Delhi. However, I did not face the problem that my friend is facing because even though the students were from  underprivileged sections, the kind of opportunities they had was different vis-à-vis tribal belt of Karnataka.

 

So what is that divide, what makes the learning different for different people? Is it just history or biology or something to do with geography or economics as well?  Geography and Economics are the more obvious determiners of learning differentials.

 

 In the wake of online classes, I did write up the digital divide and gender inequality. (link attached) The findings were, to say the least disturbing with the clear exhibition of how lack of digital outreach was creating challenges for students with limited means to avail classes. This was further exemplified by gender differences. Girls are further down the line to receive a preference for education. If there a phone in the household, it will in all likelihood go to the boy for his classes.  (https://www.momspresso.com/parenting/life-is-a-question/article/gender-digital-divide-uvr18ea3zx6f)

 

However as I mentioned in my previous blog, that learning is a choice, and sometimes we don’t take that choice but what if we do not have that choice. Often tradition, geography, and economy dictate on choices of the individual. Sometimes limiting exposure can also lead to a lack of learning opportunities.

 

For example, if someone born in India, only has exposure to the Indian education system, they will in all likelihood accept that as the all and end-all. Instead, if they were exposed to a broader system or knowledge base, they might find it easier to appreciate the current system and also critically examine it.

 

Having this said what is required to make a change in the learning curve of a nation? I believe the catchphrase here is intent- political intent, economic intent, developmental intent, and of course individual intent. Nations need to invest on learning as a priority and growth and learning should be a mindset. 

 

Learning is a mindset change, it requires to move from we know best to we have to become the best and it is a gradual process so please be patient.

Learning- What stops you?

 Let me introduce to a small almond-like feature in our brain called 'the Amygdala'. It's part of the limbic system that deals with emotions and memory. Amygdala is more commonly known to be responsible for fear. It is also known to regulate the storage of information in the brain region.

So basically it's like the administration department responsible for security and file management, except with the technological breakthrough the current security systems are constantly being challenged and hence at some point unless you have better resources, your data is at risk. It needs an overhaul. Well, this was for my understanding, I welcome people to correct me if it's flawed. For now, I will take this as my understanding.

 

So now this particular almond-shaped thing in our brain controls fear, anxiety, and memory storage. Given the present circumstances most of the students and adults alike, find it hard to concentrate, study, and learn. This can be attributed to this very reason. The anxiety and fear around us is making it difficult for us to effectively store memories.

 

But fear is not a deterrent to learning only in pandemic like situation. Amygdala comes in pretty handy for instilling fear of failure, or fear of not knowing, or fear of being left out, or fear of rejection.  Fear often prey upon attention, making it difficult for children to concentrate or learn.

 

Unfortunately, we live in a culture of fear. In one of my previous blogs, I wrote and I quote, "The thing with parenting is the premise of fear. The only way to make a child understand something is to instill fear, the fear of right, fear of a person, or fear of God. Generations after generations we have been instilling fear in our children." As a result, fear, which was supposed to act as a driving force ends up acting as an inhibitor of learning and in some cases throughout their adult lives.  

 

Sometimes this fear lets us question a new concept or doesn’t help us see value in it. At others, it might be a discomfort. A discomfort to step out of the known territory and to learn something new that can in turn influence learning.

 

Like I mentioned in my first blog on the issue, learning is a choice and one may choose not to learn. Having identified the source of resentment towards learning, let us look at possible ways to overcome it. I love theories so I came up with this -RDA theory.  I use RDA theory to help overcome fear.

·         Retract – Retract means to go back on, to withdraw. Withdraw from your existing beliefs or fears. Acknowledge them, understand them, and consciously distant yourself from your fear. I recently was told that I have a lot of courage to put my writings out there, to share it with people. I realized the person was right. It did time for me acknowledge that I cannot get better at writing just refining it on Grammarly, I will need to put it out there.  I withdrew from my fear. 

·         Detract- Detract mean to divert. Divert the thoughts and reasoning which have told you that it is not possible, it is scary, and you will not do it. This is difficult. One doesn’t get it easily. People are not just fighting a thought here; they are fighting the whole belief system, something that has been ingrained in their minds for quite some time now. They need to make conscious attempts. It is also called ‘unlearning’  or rewiring your brain to think outside the control parameters. 

·         Attract- Fear is often a factor of lack of recognition. We yearn for recognition, acceptance, and accolades. Find ways to attract them.  I see so many children today with their youtube channels and pages. They go all out to attract positivity into their lives. They are no longer dependent on their parents or friends for validation. Is there a risk to this? Of course, there is, no denying that. But not doing anything never got you anywhere.

 

Fear is our brain’s way of warning against danger. Use it like that. Realize in your potential to overcome any limitation and you'll find a way to overcome challenges with learning.

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Learning Redefined

For some time now I have been thinking about what education will look like in wake of Covid 19. I strongly believe learning is going to and should change. Online education will become a new norm, homeschooling an acceptable culture and education structure and system will go for a revamp. This won’t be limited to schooling, but higher education and also executive education. Learning from business perspective will also undergo a change.

 

I was having this discussion with my sister, who is also heading a digital learning institution. We vehemently discussed the pros and cons of doing away with existing structures of education, and why having a designated syllabus and classroom was intrinsic to children learning and how a fluid education scenario can play havoc to children’s brain, learning and growth prospect.

 

We argued for a long time before settling to a point that some structure was required even in change. However to understand the scope of change we must understand the origination of concept. To see the future we must always look at the past.

 

It was Aristotle who introduced the concept of ethos, pathos and logos or his rhetorical triangle as is commonly known as the primary element of communication channel. Ethos refers to credibility of speaker, logos refer to logic in the message and Pathos refers to emotions of the receivers.

 

The society moved from barbaric to religious to rationale to reasoning and with that our learning disposition changed. Today technology plays a huge role in our learning goals. When I entered work force, I had a colleague who was very passionate about alternate schooling, Gurukul system, etc. I used to look up to him for his radical thought process but found it ironical when he also put his children in the same structure like everyone else.

 

However he did help me think that an alternate way of teaching children was possible.  I met a friend’s son few years back, a promising young man, pursuing his high school from NIOS while perusing his passion in film making. I was not surprised. Au contraire I was impressed, not many children and parent have the courage to not follow the rat race.

 

There are so many stories, that I find fascinating and at the same time encouraging. Encouraging because of the world we look at is no longer bound by physicality. My brother in law visited us few days back and I was discussing with him the changing working scenario. He said lot of people have built infrastructure suited to their need. I immediately cut him short and said, “But Bhai, we don’t need physical spaces anymore. We are way beyond.” He agreed only to add that his perception of infrastructure was no longer capital asset but people, support structure, technology, etc.

 

This distinction hit me, why because, the paradigm is changing now. If we were to go back to rhetorical triangle, with the advent of technology, it will more be rhetorical quart angle

 

Techos obviously refers to technology.  The pandemic has forced us to embrace technology earlier. Even though the comfort levels can still be questioned but there is no denying that the future is closer than it appears. Imagine your child learning to be a creator and healer at the same time, or a mentor and artist and not be bound by number of hours or being able to offer to a child the vast world of learning opportunities and enabling them to choose one without creating the pressures we do today. It is only possible if we give child centric education to them instead of syllabus centric.  Technology can facilitate that.

It might still feel out there, but learning as we know it has already changed. I did my master in business and perused the profession. However I have developed a new found interest in sociology and technology is my savior  and not just for me but a lot of people my age who want to pursue  additional learning.

Learning and Development as a business function is also undergoing transition.

A new way of thinking will soon be defined and learning as has always been, will also change.

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Why Learn?

 

In the first year of college, in fact on the first day, I met a girl, who was enrolling for graduation, just like me. I had taken B Com (Hons) and so did she.  I had no inkling what I was going to do with my life. At that point, we were discussing Charted Accountancy, Cost accountancy and Company Secretary Courses and may be somewhere down the line MBA. These were sort of obvious choices. This girl had enrolled into all three and was going to do all. I was impressed but it figured. It made sense. She had a goal in mind and was pursuing her courses to achieve that goal.

 That very year I met another individual who was doing her masters in sociology, and planned to continue studying in variety of arts. She had done her major in music and was going to peruse more courses. Since her line of progression was not very clear to me, I inquired what she aimed to achieve and she said, nothing. She is doing it for learning. I was uncomfortable with her choice to say the least. It did not fit any of the given thought process I had developed over years.  Why would someone just learn? What is learning without objective?

This brings me to today’s topic on learning- the Need of learning. Why do we learn?

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.                                                                                                                               -Albert Einstein

Learning is as inherent in our nature. It helps us evolve and grow. But it is more than that. It is a need, a need that stems from our fight for survival, our search for answers, and our greed for more. Some have often defined learning as an outcome of perceptual curiosity which means, to feel uncomfortable with information and make an effort to find out more about it. A classic example is when confronted with someone’s beliefs system. Possibility is that one may disagree with someone else’s belief system but in order to understand them better, they learn more about the issue.

Another driver of learning is epistemic curiosity or the will to learn. This is more like a kick one gets from learning something. Many people I know with technical backgrounds have keen interest in arts. My senior in previous organization who was a successful HR professional, was a painter.  It was a hobby but she relished it and was passionate about it. It was her meditation.

Then there is anthropology. Neoteny or retention of juvenile features in adult animals. To quote molecular phylogeneticist Morris Goodman of Wayne State University, “since neoteny means an extended childhood, you have this greater chance for the brain to develop.” This in effect will increase brain’s ability to learn as it is maximum before the maturity sets in. Neoteny means younger brain.

The sociology of learning cannot be negated. How our social set up impacts our thought process, and learning, makes a lot of difference on how we view it. Refer to my discomfort with the concept of learning for sake of it. I did  not understand it. Similarly, girls getting basic education not to become a part of the workforce but to ensure that they get married off. All of it is a systemic concept of learning, that historically influences us.

Perceptual or epistemic, neoteny or sociological driven; learning remains to be our guardian angel. It is an essence of our being and will continue to be so in time to come. Found this wonderful quote to sum it all.

The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.

-Brian Herbert

We will get to the choice part in the coming blogs. The beauty of learning is derived from it being self driven. I will in my blogs over the week also explore the impact of forced learning, different techniques of learning, and impact of learning on different age group.

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Learning, the Game Changer!

 As a mother, a coach and HR professional, I have always believed that learning is an intrinsic part of our being more so because I was taught in the early stages of my careers to think in terms of learning from the situation. Focusing on learning helped me focus on growth rather than blame, unless I wanted to focus on blame. 

My experience with learning as a concept did not happen when I was in school. It happened much later. The kind of learning I was familiar with in school was mostly ‘rattafication’, i.e. rote memorization. The ‘what’ of subject was explained but not the ‘why’ and I never asked. I think the irony about our education is that it does not help us understand the source.

But times seems to have changed now. I asked my children today on what they understood by the term learning. My daughter, initially came back with an expected response. I felt an overwhelming sense of achievement at being proven right. She mentioned, learning helped us study better and get good marks. Since my work was done, I moved on to my son to ask the same question. I needed views on my write up and I was in a hurry. My son is shrewd. He gave me, in fact all of us a counter question. What do you understand by learning? And then the discussion that perused between him and my daughter was an eye opener of sorts.

Abhay-  “You said learning helps you exams. But does it only go with exams?”

Samya (rather emphatically)- “No, If we learn we find a way to succeed in life. When we do and learn something we succeed.”

Abhay- “What does learn mean? Explain without using the words learn.”

Samya – “If we study something, anything, we have to give anything. We think about that is learning.”

Abhay-  “Is it important that we have to study to learn?”

Samya- “Learn from videos, books, doing something new like the experiments that mom asked me to do. Also we can learn new language, like I teach you French.” (which she does, after learning from school. We are also due for our French classes starting October that she is going to take and is excited to take for us at home.)

I was frivolously taking notes, learning in that moment and grateful for being proven wrong. My children have a much better grasp of the concept of learning than I did when I was their age. I loved my son’s cross questioning technique and my daughter’s patient reverts. There were two additional insights about learning.  Manish Pandey, my husband, and a senior executive at Schneider Electric, believes it to be a lifelong process  and Aparna Dwivedi, my sister and Dean, TAMS Arohan Media School, thinks of it as a realization.

It was a small group with different age groups and variety of experience and all of them had another version to add for the concept based on their own interpretation. My understanding of learning has gone through a gradual transition and not a radical shift. It took me years of observation and understanding and a fair amount of experimentation to reach to certain conclusions about the concept which I wanted to share with the readers. That is why I wanted this week series to be about learning. My premise before I go into this weeks’ blogs are the following.

• -         Learning is personal, its meaning, value and role in individual’s life is based on their own interpretation.
• -         Learning is ever evolving and never ending.
• -         Learning is optional. It’s a choice one makes
• -         Learning is liberating and sets one free.

I will now explore the role of institutions, people, government and society at large in the coming week to establish the effect on learning and the role they play.

I hope you will find the series, beneficial.

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