Curiosity is and remains a strong characteristic of us humans. The desire to learn and discover is undoubtedly deeply rooted in us, like a joyous, unquenchable thirst. With digital platforms, the possibilities have exploded. From tutorials to online training courses, we have a wide range of areas to learn about, in a variety of formats that can be adapted to suit our personal schedules.
But is this sufficient and relevant?
My questioning stems from an advertisement I recently received offering me short, very rapid training courses in a series of areas, with the slogan, “Become the most interesting person in the room”.
Huuumm…
Without denigrating the value of general knowledge or the abundance of new ideas that can spring up when you discover other points of view, the argument of just shining in a group leaves me wondering: is this online training really learning?
So I took the plunge and signed up for a mooc: a 6-week online course on ultra endurance running, with the possibility of certification at the end.
Several findings emerge:
- Theoretical learning remains very superficial if it is not put into practice.
- Putting into practice builds on theory and generates other knowledge.
- Passing a certification generates stress: that of being sanctioned or not.
A tutorial or a video can open a door, but only direct experience, through the body, can bring meaning, and that takes time (see the article “Art and the love of gesture“).
We are torn between our hunger to discover even more, our desire to go very, very fast, our over-flying of too many subjects and our fear of punishment.
Rethinking or rethinking training
Following on from these realizations, I analyzed my own educational experience and the training courses I had attended, as well as their practical application and real impact.
If I take up the previous observation, I see that certification methods need to be rethought so that they become emulation rather than sanction, a theoretical understanding needs to be put into practice very quickly if real learning is to take place, and every subject can be dug up to see its beauty.
All this in a double movement: horizontal and vertical.
Horizontal, through the sharing of experience at different levels of learning, and the creation of human links so that we can stop reinventing the wheel on our own.
Vertical, to “calm the game” and accept that nature requires a little time: you can read a treatise on swimming and know how to make the perfect gestures, but nothing will equal a real experience by diving straight in and feeling it.
With all this in mind, it’s like a compass that helps us to look for learning that has a solid foundation, and to find our own ability to put it into practice.
Images: www.freepik.com
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