Polymathy and Learning

• Humans are limitless in their capacity for development. Thus, people should embrace all knowledge and develop their capacities as fully as possible

• Although creative products, such as a painting, a mathematical model or a poem, can be domain-specific, at the level of the creative process, the mental tools that lead to the generation of creative ideas are the same

• Why Even Learn Things Anymore? - humans learn out of an innate curiosity, regardless of what happens to society. There is a satisfaction in seeing how everything is interconnected.

About Learning §

• There are many kinds of learning — some do not require conscious effort.

• Humans and other animals adapt well because they are predisposed to learn, and because they respond particularly strongly to certain types of events:

  • Contingencies - what goes together with what
  • Discrepancies - differences from the norm.

• Older people are better at new learning when they already have relevant stored knowledge and are therefore noticing and adjusting to discrepancies, but they are worse at learning something completely new.

• There are many kinds of learning

  • Association involves the use of conditioning
    • Classical Conditioning (Pavlov) - learning takes place when a previously neutral stimulus is associated with an unconditional stimulus (something a person naturally responds to).
    • Instrumental Conditioning (Skinner) - if an action is followed by a pleasant effect (reinforcement) it will be repeated.
      • To be effective, the reward should be given intermittently and at appropriate times.
      • Punishment is not often easy to deliver immediately, conveys little information and may be unintentionally rewarding
    • New associations can be made in one-shot
  • Complex Learning uses other cognitive processes as well as those involve in associative learning.
    • Observational Learning - learning from what is seen in the world.
    • Latent Learning - learning from using prior knowledge to a novel experience
    • Insight Learning - the ability to draw on what is already represented in the mind.

Bernstein’s Typology of Creative Life Stages §

• The specialist has depth of knowledge but lacks breadth of knowledge
• The dilettante demonstrates breadth but acquires skills for their own sake without regard to understanding their broad applications
• The polymath is a person with a level of expertise that is able to put a significant amount of time and effort into their avocations and find ways to use their multiple interests to inform their vocations

Type	Description
1	Prodigies who develop one or more major talent and successfully exploiting that talent exclusively
2	Explores a range of different creative activities and then settles on exploiting one of these for the rest of their lives
3	Polymathic from the outset and can juggle multiple careers simultaneously so that their creativity pattern is constantly varied
4	Recognized for one major talent but go on to explore additional creative outlets, diversifying their productivity with age
5	Devote themselves serially to one creative field after another
6	Develop diversified creative skills early and then explores them serially ,one at a time

Principles of Learning §

• Learning is self-active. The learner learns through their own activities. It is a personal process.

• Learning is purposive. Learning is moving towards a goal or end results. Learning experiences are meaningful if they relate to personal interests.

• Learning is creative. Learning is not just a summing up of previous knowledge but a synthesis of knowledge.

• Learning is transferable - whatever is learnt in one context will apply to another context or situation

• Readiness - the basic needs of the student must be satisfied before they are ready or capable of learning. This includes, physical, mental, and emotional needs.

• Exercise - learning continues during practice. Practice creates habits and is directed towards a goal. The things that are most often repeated are the ones that are best remembered.

• Effect - every learning experience should contain elements that leave the student with some good feelings. Learners will strive to learn as long as it provides a positive effect.

• Primacy - the instructor must present subject matter in a logical order, step by step. The things learnt first often leave a strong impression that is difficult to un-learn. Thus learn it right the first time.

• Recency - things most recently learned are best remembered

• Intensity - the more intense the material taught, the more likely it will be retained. Students learn more from the real thing than a substitute.

• Freedom - students must have the freedom — of choice, of action, to bear the results of action. A lack of freedom leads to a disinterest in learning. Compulsion and forcing are not favorable for personal growth.

• Requirements - we must have something to obtain or do something.

Links §

• Polymathy

• Principles of Learning

• Principles of Learning

• Psychology

• Integral Theory - a theory of various ways to see things.

• Psychology — A Very Short Introduction by Butler and McManus - Ch. 3