STEPS OF (UN)-LEARNING

Published in JIIA September issue 2023, (Pg.No. 23)

Illustration by Sandesh Jadhav, 5A

Over the years, humankind has increasingly prioritized education. 50% of a child’s day goes into his education, seemingly an act of building the future. Although non-viable, if a caveman finds this, he will think it’s imprudent. For him who lives fetching his needs for the day and after, the future in his perspective is distant, blurry or non-existent amongst the hunting prey around he lives with. In a day and age where the present is being donated for securing the future, can education be more mindful of the present, acknowledging the problems of now, and applicable in the now and that now is today? School becomes a center of our formative learning, focused more on gulping down factual knowledge in a designated time. But doesn’t true learning happen beyond those dedicated hours?

"It’s good to learn from your mistakes. It’s better to learn from others’ mistakes." =Warren Buffet

When one enters the architectural world of design thinking, the individual ways of learning are still nascent in terms of what to learn and how to learn. As for any tutee, the earlier ways of learning included. Concise ideologies which were furnished in an edited version, called a ‘book,’ which no longer exists to be the only way. A bold evolution from the method of apprenticeship, this inadvertently is overwhelming but leads to questions and inquiry within peers and mentors rightfully setting up a ‘learning laboratory’. Throughout the years, for a tutee, it is a slow or even sudden realization that learning starts from unlearning formative ways of getting knowledge and that the learning laboratory is an open field of learning from mistakes; discernibly from ours but more importantly from others.

Illustration by Sandesh Jadhav, 5A

Has this been done before? A common thought for design thinkers is more often answered by chances taken by others and their successful integration into design. Probably here is where a creative thought enters questioning the failure of a remarkable idea and then advancing to resolve the issues. Albeit if still a failure, it interestingly makes us ask WHY. And as is said:

"A major stimulant to creative thinking is focused questions." - Brian Tracy

Referencing others’ mistakes opens one’s eyes to true examples around. A walk back home thus becomes a hitchhiker’s way for a creative mind to observe and churn out mistakes. Different tutees have varied experiences, meaning epiphanies of the beauty of studio, but learning happens seldom. The stakeholders involved thus become important mediators for bridging such gaps. If a class is a medium of rendezvous between the experienced and the interested, the interchange could be filled with insights of the former’s journey, of their perspectives and mistakes. This journey shapes a person’s character and influences their way of living. Sensitizing toward one’s surroundings as well as the lives of others, an analytical mind is formed, one that is tooled to think of the challenges of the now. Can such observant minds be given chances of testing solutions or suggestions, in the real world, as a part of education?

The part of education often disliked is the multiplicity of foci it needs one to have. Even when one deciphers the ways of unlearning, one might get baffled by the multiple expertise they need to excel in. But is education about excelling or more about dealing with situations at the best, with only the desire to gain knowledge? Often trying to negotiate between the two, the journey becomes like a lost sailor on a log of wood, dancing on the waves in search of tranquility. Reiteration of the core principles realigns with the true goals of education when moments of failure are reassuring that excelling was not the goal. And if so, excelling shall be redefined, expanding its definition beyond mere numbers. Albeit the realignment, the part where education meets the real world is where such goals are taken over by blurry principles of success. Whatever might it be, the architectural journey pushes us to redefine ourselves. The vertical interaction and the need for this for both seniors and juniors expands the horizon of learning from books to learning to communicate and build relations, creating experiences of rediscovering ourselves. From chiseling the mind to finding our heart and interests the journey shall be holistic. And as Aristotle puts it:

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all"

Written by: Khushi Pednekar

Illustrations by: Sandesh Jadhav (Published in Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects, JIIA September issue 2023, pg.no. 23)