I: Welcome to our show and today our guest is
Dr. Tom Baker, author of “Lifelong Learning “ a new book, which has
got a lot of people talking. Tell us a bit about the book.
T: Well, basically it is about how and when we
acquire different skills in life. I discussed the skills we develop throughout
our life and how learning is a lifelong process and not just something we do between the ages
of five and eighteen when we receive our formal education.
I: I see, what sort of skills do you mean?
T: Well, we all need a wide range of skills in
order to succeed in life. For example we
need to learn cognitive skills to be able to develop our concentration and
memory and learn how to think so how we can begin problem solving. We also need
perceptual skills, so we can interpret and presented information and social
skills in order to be able to relate well to other people. Then, There are all
sorts of skills sub skills such as creative thinking and decision making, not
to mention practical skills and work related skills.
I: So, how, when and where do we learn these
skills?
T:A lot of these skills we learn naturally from
being in different social situations and environments. We literally pick them
up without realizing. However, others we have to work hard to acquire.
I: I
see.
T: Cognitive
skills development, for example, begins naturally in infancy, that is primarily
encouraged by parents and family , but it is further developed the nursery
school by caregivers with educational toys and games. And then when we go to
school , college, university and beyond, we develop these skills further.
I: So, educational institutions are obviously very
important then.
T: Of course, everyone should receive an
education that helps them develop important skills such as independent thought
and judgement . They also need to be able to make their own decisions, solve
their problems and show their own responsibilities. Teachers, parents and
caregivers can help children to grow up with the personal resources and
intellectual tools they need to understand the world and behave as responsible
human beings. We are learning all the
time from all sorts of different influences.
I: Specifically?
T: Well, we develop social skills when interacting
with our peers, joining social groups, making friends at school, meeting and
working with colleagues in the workplace and so on.
I: Aha!
T: In truth we never stop learning and our understanding
can be developed and improved by all kinds of human experiences. Take traveling
for example, many teenagers take a gap year between they need to start work to travel and have varied and interesting
experiences. Other people retire somewhere warm and find themselves learning a new language in their later years.
I:Okay, but what about people how don’t do well
in school, don’t go to university, have a boring repetitive job and don’t have
the opportunity to go abroad. What opportunities do they have to learn?
T: Well, we all have free time. Our leisure
activities are important learning opportunities. We can learn physical skills, artistic
skills ,and practical skills at any age from the different activities we do in
our free time. Most people these days have a computer and everyone can develop
their IT skills and open themselves to the internet which is a huge source of
information for people who want to learn anything and everything.
I: That’s fair enough, but what about
absolutely sloth, who does nothing in their free time, except flop down in
front the TV?
T: Haha, they can learn from the TV and radio
programs, magazines, newspapers and so on. They can learn to filter and
organize information, so they find what is interesting to them among the visual
and audio messages they are all burdened with.
I: Okay now I happen to think that the most
important life skills of common sense and good judgment ,but these are not
taught in school ,or anyway how can
someone develop these skills?
T: Well, these are more or less innate skills
that we pick up by going through different life experiences, basically learning
by our mistakes so better still by watching others mistakes and not making the
same ones.
I: Haha, well, it’s a fascinating topic, but
I’m afraid we are out of time. “Lifelong Learning” is available now from all
reading retailers. Thank you so much for coming!
