To explore the role of conversations in learning, it is naturally expedient to start with revisiting the reasons for learning.
We learn with the expectation of the following three benefits:
a. To know more (than others)
b. To recall knowledge faster (than others)
c. To learn faster and better (than others)
The significant role of conversation in learning will be soundly established if conversations help in improving the pace, quantity, and quality of learning. In other words, if conversations reduce the time and cost of learning or increase the scope and depth of learning, it would be fair to say that conversations are a critical tool for learning. Let us explore the role of conversation in each of the three benefits of learning.
The following is the analysis of the three benefits w.r.t. conversation:
- How do conversations help us know more than others?
To know more than others, one will have to know more thanwhat lies in the easily-accessible common spaces such as textbooks, teachers’ notes, popular social or knowledge portals. The two most obvious sources of ‘extra’/supplementary knowledge are exclusive reference books and the people in the know of the domain. If one could reach out to a diverse set of people with expert-level knowledge or unique experiences in the concerned domain(s), one would expect to get varied and unique perspectives in the domain(s).
It must also be obvious that securing additional knowledge through personal conversations with ‘experts’ is generally more exclusive than accessing reference books; one can buy access to reference books but it is not easy at all to ‘buy’ access to experts for conversations. - How do conversations help us recall faster than others?
Recall is a matter of something being at the top of the mind. How would we ensure things to be at the top of one’s mind? By frequently recalling them.
The more a topic is revisited, the easier the recall. There are two ways to revisit a topic – the first is personal ‘revision’, e.g. revisiting class notes, books, homework, test/exam papers and results and the second is conversations with someone on the topic. The latter is a far enriching revision opportunity as it also adds ‘newer threads’ to the content of long term memory and that facilitates a recall in more contexts.
Thus, conversations with others is a far better tool for the ability of faster recall because conversations with others can never be scripted and always throws up newer perspectives or forces recall of some things, which have not been recalled for a while. Conversations with others bring up more diverse things ‘to the top of the mind’. The ‘non-conversational’ method of revision would usually not throw up new perspectives out of repeatedly going through the same books, notes and test results. - How do (good) conversations increase the speed and quality of learning?
Among the most distinctive features of a good conversation are the ‘speed of exchange’, and the liveliness of the interaction. In turn, a good conversation demands higher level of thinking skills – a level of thinking which very quickly processes the flow of conversation and appropriately recalls and responds immediately. One cannot be engaged in a good conversation without active listening, faster recall and considered reply – the three building blocks of speed of learning. Expectedly, good conversations enhance the speed of learning. Good conversations are also more liberal and let many more facets of a subject emerge, enhancing the quality of learning.
To summarise, the simplest, effortless, and enjoyable way of practice/recall are conversations! As a consequence, (good) conversations are the best vehicle to learn something new or sharpen existing knowledge, skill or attitude.
Emoji is dragging us back to the dark ages, by Jonathan Jones, The Guardian, www.theguardian.com
“As a visual language emoji has already far eclipsed hieroglyphics, its ancient Egyptian precursor which took centuries to develop,” says Professor Vyv Evans, a linguist at Bangor University, UK.
Ancient Egypt was a remarkable civilisation, but it had some drawbacks. They invented a superb artistic style and powerful mythology – then stuck with these for millennia. Hieroglyphs enabled them to write spells but not to develop a more flexible, questioning literary culture: they left that to the Greeks.
The Greek alphabet was much more productive than all those lovely Egyptian pictures. That is why there is no ancient Egyptian Iliad or Odyssey. After millennia of painful improvement, from illiteracy to Shakespeare and beyond, humanity is rushing to throw it all away. Perhaps that is because it is easier to go downhill than uphill.
In other words, there are harsh limits on what you can say with pictures. The written word is infinitely more adaptable. There really is strong evidence that the abstract written word is essential to advance ideas, poetry and argument to their highest levels.
