New Year’s Resolution a la 1900:

Contributed by Werner Kappus, Apia, Samoa

This image was created in the year 1900 in France, showing how the author thought education would look like in the year 2000. It is part of a series of future technologies imagined, published in the form of cartoons which adorned cigaret and cigar boxes. Later, the images were available also as postcards. A full coverage of these are published here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/france-in-the-year-2000-1899-1910/   Enjoy! And let your imagination roam as to what kind of technologies will be doing 100 years from now …

Why put so much effort into learning?

That’s the problem:  There are individuals who don’t want to learn at all, or spend the time, or the effort to learn.  And if they absolutely have to, they’d like to do it the easy way, or the easiest way possible.  I guess that’s human nature, or at least some humans’ nature.  Yet the parents and the community are usually very anxious for their offspring getting a decent education.  In the case of grownups, also that they continue learning throughout their life, enhancing their capabilities to more fully benefit from their increased knowledge.  And deep down, even the most reluctant is then likely to undertake some effort of learning.

Therefore, IMHO, the very first task for parents, educators, and the community at large (through its representatives) is to convince everybody to get going and learn, and then keep on learning.  It’s the motivation of wanting to learn that needs to be instilled in its citizens, ALL its citizens.  That’s where many countries fall short, or are even opposed to bringing motivation to some reluctant masses.  Maybe, some day they may wake up to find that this is a duty they should be pursuing wholeheartedly.

OK.  Now when you have the subjects in the mood to put effort into learning, then, of course, that learning should be made as easy as possible, even as play rather than work.  And there are, of course, many ways which have been pursued throughout history.

Now, here is a method which was recently developed under the name “active learning” (also called “active instruction”) which, so far, consistently has produced best results. It involves chaperoning students in working  through problems and reasoning things out as an inherent part of the learning process.  That is in contrast to merely attending lectures.  Here you can learn more:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/09/college-students-think-they-learn-less-with-an-effective-teaching-method/

Which would be nothing new for Benjamin Franklin at his time, who said: “Tell me, and I forget.  Teach me, and I remember.  Involve me, and I learn”

Yet we are here 250+ years later, with technology on our hands which can greatly facilitate whatever learning process we are following.  For example, we can learn online instead of in classrooms, from anywhere, any time, at our convenience.  In other words, more of those learning-impeding habits and circumstances can be overcome easily, and learning can be more fun instead.  The way of getting there is what makes the difference: ONLINE.

LEARN What, And How?

The dictionary definition of “learning” is to “gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught.”

OK.  To become a healthy, happy, useful person, there is a lot to be learned, which we normally do, one way or another, where some ways are easier than others.  

For example, if you were going to learn another language because you want to travel to that country, read its literature, talk with the people, being fluent in that language will be very useful.  It could become imperative if you wanted to take a job there or plan to live there for any length of time.

So, how do you go about acquiring that language?

Well, for most people that means going to school somewhere where they teach that language.  And then, like a toddler learning her mother’s language, slowly that language will be pounded into you in many which ways.  Depending on the proficiency of the school, over time, you’ll pick up the language, or at least a rudimentary version which will enable you to read and write, and communicate about simple things, hopefully increasing complexity and fluidity with time.

My first job in the USA was to serve as an interpreter under the U.S. State Department.  Most of my colleagues there were highly proficient and fluent in at least three languages.  And most of them were in the process of still adding another new language to their repertoire, studying in their spare time all the time.  One of the jokes making the rounds among us was that the best way to acquire another language was to get a “dictionary with ears” in that language.  In other words, get a girl- or boyfriend in that language, and then it will be easy to go on from there.

I don’t know how many took that advice (I can’t recall a single one) but rather slogged it out the conventional way.  Yet the logic is sound.  Anyone learns best on a one-to-one basis, one teacher one learner, no distraction or side-influences.  And foremost, the teacher must be an authentic and good one, like a dictionary for a language.  These are the two criteria, in my humble opinion, which the intended learner needs to get hold of first before learning can begin:

1. A competent, well qualified, authentic knowledge source, possibly in the form of a teacher, although the source could very well be just data and historic evidence properly compiled and presented.
2. A one-to-one teaching/learning relationship to that knowledge source.  No intermediaries in between, no diluters, distorters, politicizers.

Of course, this principle does not only apply to the learning of languages, but to ALL types of learning, be it in the fields of chemistry, astro-physics, behavioral science, what have you.

That’s all.  That, of course, is quite different from how the educational world around us is working today.   Nevertheless, there is always room for a better way.  So this is one better way:

 Authentic true knowledge source, and direct connection to it.  The will to learn, and off you are to acquiring whatever the knowledge or skill.

Now, as it so happens, ONLINE is an ideal format for this knowledge transfer to work, for it easily can come from a qualified source, and be direct in the transfer.

Yes, it is true.  All this will work only if there is a will to learn by the learner, not for someone being taught against his will.    But that’s a different subject we’ll deal with in another posting.

In the meantime, here are a couple of web sites for learning which work on this premise:

https://www.goodelearning.com

https://www.dummies.com

Learning can be fun!

Online Dancing, Why Not?

Yes, you can learn all your dance steps online, at home, in school, with your friends, anywhere.  YouTube makes it possible.  Here are just three examples of what you can get yourself into, if you are curious to learn …

(Please return to this page at 

https://straube.blogspot.com

after you are finished on YouTube, to see more dance samples and for the rest of the story.  Thank you.)

20-Minute Hip-Hop Dance Class | LEARN A DANCE WITH ME!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd-Va1m4s1E

THAT exercise will keep you in shape, too.  You even won’t need a partner for doing it, although, of course, having others doing it with you will be a lot more fun.  But, maybe, Hip Hop is not what you had in mind for dancing.  So, here is an example at the opposite end of the dance spectrum, classical ballroom dancing,

Solo Waltz from the the 2018 Russian Championship:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2L5JMZtufE

Maybe, if rather conventional ballroom dancing is for you, so that you’ll be able to step on the dance floor at the next wedding party of your friend, or your own, why not start with

Slow Foxtrot, a Basic Lesson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4dpzKOcVaw

OK.  Now you got the picture.  Yet really this is only the very beginning.  The web is full with dance instruction videos for all types of dances.  Plus, of course, there is a wealth of DVDs out there giving you the same thing, like, for example, from Arthur Murray Dance Studios

https://arthurmurray.com

where, if everything fails, you can go to and have an in person dance lesson for singles or couples.  However, ONLINE is a lot cheaper, or even cost free, and available way beyond Arthur Murray’s 270 studios worldwide.

Enjoy!

Tango Your Way to Brain Health

from “Energize Your Brain” by BrainHQ Posit Science San Francisco:

Studies show that dancing reduces stress and improves mood—but also that it can improve cognitive function and reduce risk of dementia. One study compared dancing to biking, swimming, reading, doing crosswords, and playing golf, and found that of those activities, dancing was by far the best for the brain. Here are some ways you might incorporate dancing into your life:

1: Read this article from Stanford about how to make dancing as “intelligent” as possible. It will help you understand what types of dancing are best, and what you need to do to get the most brain benefits from dancing.

2: Sign up for a dance class, ideally one that’s partner-based. It can be a more advanced class for a type of dancing you already know, or a beginners’ class of a dance that’s new to you. Go to class and try your hardest while you’re there to learn the moves and respond to your partner’s moves.

3: Going to or hosting any parties? See if you can get the room dancing!

4: Dance at home! Get on YouTube or another video website and follow along with dancing tutorials, like this one for basic tango, this one for waltz, or this one for moonwalking. Keep practicing until you master a video, then move on to a new one.

Why is dancing good for the brain? 

Here’s a brief description of why dancing is especially good for the brain from Dr. Michael Merzenich: “Complex dances require you use multiple senses at the same time—sight, sound, and motion—coordinating your movements in time with the music and your partner’s steps, all while remembering a routine. That kind of multimodal activity gives your brain a great workout, in addition to the aerobic benefits of exercise.”

Reach BrainHQ at http://www.brainhq.com

Good Parenting 101

What should a “Good Parenting” course look like?

Obviously, it would need to be geared to the particular audience to be reached, which means that under no circumstances can it be ONE course.  It rather needs to be an educational program going through different levels, the last of which to be an ongoing advisory with feedbag and consultancy available, consultancy ad-hoc by real people, online and on the phone.  Services like this already exist, for instance like the telephone number 911 for a general emergency, or 1-800-273-8255 to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.  Except that as of now no national (or international) “Good Parenting” hotline exists.

However that’s what ought to be established:  A “Good Parenting” educational program which should be running day and night for all ages, essentially being available to everyone throughout his/her entire life.  Maybe its name could be different, say instead “Family and Friends” or “Human Societal Membership” or something else.  The name won’t matter, but what is being taught will:  how to grow up as a human as part of a family, a community, a world, and becoming a better human exemplar till the day of death.  All of this is truly what good parenting is all about.

So, naturally, this educational program to the very young will look quite different than already the next level up to, say, 6 and 7 year olds.  And on and on. The word “parent” will probably not even appear in the early levels of the curriculum, but rather the ability to understand what is good and bad, desirable and not desirable, will be developed.  Relationships will be made clear, and how certain interactions produce predictable results.  The different forms of “love” will be realized, such as the love of parents and child, sibling to sibling, the family, the neighbors, the town and country, other country’s citizens, and the ultimate, a romantic love partner.

I guess, at age 10 or thereabouts the word “parent” and the concept of “parents” can be introduced, starting with the love parents bring along for their offspring from the day of their conception to forever, the sacrifices they make, and what else their job is as parent to do or supply.  Plus that a lot of responsibility comes along with that task, such as protecting their kids from harm, keeping them fed and clothed, making sure they go to school and learn, and so on.

When in their teens, the “Good Parenting” studies become a lot more important, and are more likely better understood because the youngsters’ minds are fully there, sharp and bright, by then.  Actually they’ll be hungry for learning anything at that stage, and certainly all about “Good Parenting,” a world not too far ahead of them.

Yet, the educational program ought not to end when they turn 20, because “Good Parenting” is really an ongoing activity which they are going to be involved with for the rest of their lives, either as someone being parented or not, or as a parent, eventually grand parent, great grand parent …

Society as a whole, and each member thereof individually, would greatly benefit if “Good Parenting” became a national program like learning the ABC.  It wouldn’t need to cost a fortune because most of it, particularly for the higher levels, could be done ONLINE.

Parents Are the Problem

Yes, parents are key to your success in life.  Even your health, your mental well being, and whether you are going to have the right or wrong kind of friends.  And, yes, of course, there are exceptions to this by individuals who grow up and become healthy, happy contributors to society IN SPITE of their parents.  But they surely are few and far between the great majority who ARE the products of their parents, for better or worse.

We all know that we learn the most, particularly about the basics of human life and relations, in our youngest years.  We learn how to walk, to talk, to think while we are growing up, what is truth, respect, how to associate, to learn, and to love.  Or we don’t, because there are no parents, or the parents are absent, or just not parenting.  That’s, of course, a problem, which is a widespread condition in USA today.

That’s why the USA has the highest amount of juvenile offenders behind bars, many teenagers failing their high school curriculum, becoming almost unemployable ignoramuses, open to addiction to destructive ideas as well as to drugs and other forms of harmful pursuits.

I am of the opinion that the parents of those juvenile failures are as much responsible for their underachievement and the misdeeds they are performing as the affected adolescents themselves.  Actually more so, because the parents are grownups, they know the real world, they know what is right and wrong, and what needs to be done to be healthy and happy in this world, and how to succeed.  The kids don’t.  They need to learn this by the example the parents are living.

Well, therefore, according to how I see it, society as a whole, and our government in particular, has the duty and should educate its population for becoming good parents.  In my humble opinion, that should be a top educational program, an ongoing teaching course, along with learning to read and write.  At the same time it should be made available to all parents who happen not to have a clue as to what they were in for when taking on the job of being a parent.

All of which, of course, can be done ONLINE.  Thus no excuse for not being able to study and learn good parenting, for one can study on one’s phone, tablet, what-have-you.

If you want to try it out and get started, search the web for “Good Parenting” on your computer, phone, tablet, and take it from there.