Learning in Action (cc 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/wisemandarine/2411122894/)
The New York Times reported this week that researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have found that rats don’t learn from experience until they take a break from the experience. The break gives them time to process and create persistent memories. Furthermore, the researchers believe that their findings almost certainly apply to the way humans learn. Uh oh…
Why uh oh? Because many humans are increasingly connected to our ipads, blackberrys, smartphones, and laptops, keeping our brains engaged continually throughout the day. And while all of that ubiquitous connectivity offers us the possibility of reaching heretofore unreachable levels of efficiency and productivity it seems that it might come at a price: The Times reports that “when people keep their brains busy with digital input, they are forfeiting downtime that could allow them to better learn and remember information, or come up with new ideas. ”
Having recently started a new job, I can attest to the fact that there’s nothing like a silent drive or a brief nap to process and organize a great deal of new information. My 45 minute commute home might be the most productive part of my day, as that’s where all of the sense-making is happening. Strange as it may seem, sleeping has also been incredibly productive as I awake many mornings with a number of ideas synthesized from the previous day’s conversations, observations, and readings.
So as we come to the end of another summer and start getting geared up for the busier days of Fall let’s take a moment to remember: There might be no better way to learn than by stopping, unplugging, and doing absolutely nothing.
I suspect that a careful reading of the research will show that San Francisco-based rats are particularly prone to this sort of learning success since they, like the rest of us who live here in San Francisco, have so many dining and coffee-house options for breaks.
Thanks for drawing more attention to that wonderful article about a key element of effective learning; taking time to absorb what I learn is a critically important part of the process for me as well, and I certainly don’t want to be outdone by a bunch of rats in terms of being a more effective learner–even if they are well educated San Francisco rats who excel at learning.
This, at a personal level, has extended to how much I gain during those drive times you mentioned; listening to NPR (or just about anything else), for example, is a real pleasure and part of my overall learning day, but I also find that turning off the radio provides the sort of productive absorption time I so often crave. Information overload, anyone?
I used to joke that I got my best ideas at the beach. But it’s so true. A vacation break always gives my brain a boost – as long as I remember to actually take a break and disconnect from work for a bit. I find that so much harder to do these days. Last spring I found myself skulking around street corners in a far flung city trolling for a free wifi fix.
Disconnect!
One of the reasons I love staying at the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, OR. No phones, no television, no computers, no wireless. Instead: The sounds and smells of the pacific ocean, great food, hundreds of journals filled with the thoughts, poetry, and sketches of previous guests, a library on the third floor with an ocean view, warm wine served each night at 10. A perfect environment for relaxation and reflection.
Word.
There’s nothing worse (to me) than being bombarded with info or ideas and then being immediately asked to analyze them. My mind needs time to process! I’ve had some of my best ideas/reactions days after learning something new, usually in a completely unrelated context (out to dinner with a friend, at the grocery store, or on a quiet drive home).