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Bauhaus design for lifelong learning

I get this feeling each time I land back in Europe, sooner or later. I walk down the street and see a house, a skyscraper, maybe even a shop window. I smile – if I walk with a friend who gets it, they smile as well.

100 years ago, one of the most influential schools of architecture and design was founded – the Bauhaus. As we celebrate its centenary (hey – it even got a Google Doodle), it could be interesting to see how Bauhaus design principles can be used elsewhere. Specifically – can Bauhaus design influence lifelong learning? 

What were Bauhaus design rules?

This is one of those fortunate occasions where a movement – or a set of ideas – quickly becomes organised into a formal structure. Bauhaus art found its platform in the school founded in Germany, and later – after the school closed in the 1930s – in the designs, buildings, and influences all over the world.

As a result, many artists and architects are influenced by Bauhaus design or philosophy today, and the ideas are clearly described in lots of sources. I can definitely recommend this brilliant summary of Bauhaus provided by Tate – and of course, the Wikipedia page.

What about Bauhaus design in education and learning?

Although the movement had its own school and teachers, a lot of the thinking about Bauhaus immediately focuses on its applications in art and architecture. I think there is a lot to learn from the way its teachers, artists, designers and students approached the process of thinking and learning. Bauhaus design works for ideas and memory just as much as for houses, sculptures or typewriters. Here are three ideas you could use to start inspiring your own adult learning.

Design flows from function

I thought about this today as I logged into Memrise and noticed their new interface. This language learning app has long been a favourite of mine, but the way it looked was always overwhelming – there were spaceships and gardens, and lots of colours, and it all got in the way of learning and dragged my attention towards all those mini-projects and gamification experiments that were going on.

Not any more. The app helps me learn my Portuguese and shows me how well I’m doing. The extraneous bits got removed.

For many, this will be a signal that Memrise is no longer attractive to use. For me, this means that Memrise folks thought long and hard about what they were doing, went back to start with “Why?” and, in true Bauhaus style, decided to help its design reflect its function.

You can do this too – at any stage of your learning project. Take a look at what you need, what you have, what you want it to look like. Start with “Why?” – why are you learning this? What is the function of what you are about to learn? Then go on to design your learning experience with your function in mind.

Meaning flows from you

Walter Gropius, Bauhaus’ founder, apparently said: “Only work which is the product of inner compulsion can have spiritual meaning.” I like this quote, because it applies to learning and intellect as much as to spirituality.

The lesson above, the one about function and design, links with the one about your personal meaning. As a learner, you are responsible for your work. It is your job to find what drives you, to seek for that inner compulsion. And then, stay connected to it in your learning and creativity.

This can still be seen in many Bauhaus designs – it’s hard to describe, but equally hard to deny that they meant something to their creators, just as they mean something to those who look.

Art depends on society

This idea was not new for Bauhaus. William Morris was the most likely inspiration for it. The result of this concept – that the needs of society should be the main ispiration for art – are far-reaching.

For learners, but also for educators, this thought is worth bearing in mind. Why do you want to learn a foreign language? Who will you speak to – what do the people want to talk about? Or, if you’re teaching someone – who do you want your language learners to speak to? How do you want them to interact with the people you have in mind?

It’s not just about languages, either. Beginning a learning project of any kind can be a chance for you to influence the outside world. What programming languages can make a difference in your community? What kind of cooking would most delight your neighbours? Where can you use your new DIY skills?

You very rarely learn in isolation. And you almost never teach that way. Remember that, just as Bauhaus creations, the products of your teaching and learning may end up out there, for the whole world to use. Give them something they’ll appreciate!

(Photo by Anders Jacobsen on Unsplash)

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The Five Minute Project – Ensure Everyday Creativity

Everyday creativity can be a struggle…

A strange thought sometimes catches up with me on Friday afternoons.

The wording will differ, but the idea is usually the same. On my way back from work – on my bicycle, or on the train – I would suddenly remember a great project I was hoping to work on that week. And then, with a bit of a bitter aftertaste, comes that thought: “Man, I didn’t work on that thing – not at all.”

I bet I’m not the only one. This kind of slightly-sad, sometimes-nostalgic thinking happens to a lifelong learner, a wannabe polyglot, an artist, or anyone who wishes to do more creative projects.

I’ll try to come up with a few ideas below that will hopefully help all of us get rid of that thought, at least some of the time. Everyday creativity is not always easy to reach. But it’s possible to approach it with a few small steps.

Do I need a lot to grow my everyday creativity habits?

Your mileage will vary, as usual. But for the steps I’m about to describe below, I tried to make sure that the requirements are low. Everyone deserves to have a go at everyday creativity, and so everyone should find this easy to start.

Daily creative practice: benefits of everyday creativity

You probably know this, but it’s worth saying again and again: almost every project benefits from everyday creativity habits.

It’s true about playing the piano – my personal project for this year. Watch how everyday practice improves this guy’s play.

It’s true about mindfulness – something I’ve found and experienced for myself. Read more about benefits from everyday practice in mindfulness.

And as you may know, it’s also true for creativity in language learning.

This is true for training your muscles, your brain, or your character. Everyday creativity needs to happen every day.

How much everyday creativity is enough?

There is no scientifically proven answer to this – but my guess is that you are a smart person, and you already knew that!

I’m about to suggest this to you: starting today, make sure you find five minutes each day to grow your creative habit.

Five minutes. That’s about as long as it takes for your tea to steep. Or your lunch to warm up. Or for your children to get ready for the school run.

It’s a tiny portion of time that you will find in your day, and will fill with something that is truly creative and truly yours. Here’s how we’re going to do it.

Five minutes of creativity: your habit-building recipe

 

  • Pick the same time each day. Ideally, you will be able to find the same time for you creativity habit, regardless of what day of the week it is. The rest of your day, your body clock, your state of mind – they will all slowly adapt to this creative time.
  • Pick a “stimulus” or a reminder. This could be anything – your alarm going off, the town clock chime, the end of the evening news, your second coffee…again, choose something that’s always there – so it will be easier for you to link this event with your habit.
  • Adjust your distractions. People will sometimes urge you to “remove all distractions” – but perhaps you can’t work in complete silence! Whatever it is, make sure that when your five-minute creative moment starts, your environment is just as you like it.
  • Get what you need, instantly. It’s no good setting aside five minutes for your guitar practice if you spend three of those minutes looking for your plectrum/notes/tuner etc. When your time starts, you get to work – not to admin.
  • Set up a dopamine reward. Cross something off your list once you’re done. Or make a cross on your calendar to mark your creative chain. High-five the buddies/partners you’ve been practicing with. Email or text your dear ones to share how good your time felt. Dopamine rush is niiiiice – and addictive – so you will come back for more tomorrow!

I hope your creativity habit will develop with these five easy steps. Let me know if they work for you – or if you would add anything else!

(Photo by Agence Olloweb on Unsplash)

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Sleep learning: Is learning while sleeping possible?

The dream ideal: learning while sleeping

When I was growing up, every issue of our “TV Guide” came with big, glossy ads for a fancy contraption that would make learning while sleeping possible. There were dozens of tapes with courses to choose from – you just plugged the weird machine in (it looked like a dangerous Walkman+RayBans+Breathalyzer hybrid) and went into a state of deep relaxation. The theory was that while in such trance, the information would just flow into your head as if in a state of hypnosis.

I thought of this weird concept recently as I started looking into sleep a bit more. I’ll probably come back to writing about sleeping soon (it’s one of my favourite things!), but for now, the main question: is sleep learning possible? And what else is sleep good for, when we learn?

The rude awakening: sleep learning debunked

Research has not been very kind to the proposition that you can get more knowledge without being awake for it. Since the 1950s, most researchers looking into such techniques reach a similar conclusion: learning while sleeping doesn’t work. It may be possible to use conditioning at some level – to make you like or dislike certain smells, for example – while you sleep. But the new information can’t be learned while you get your good night’s sleep. (You can read more about the research into sleep learning on this Wikipedia page.)

Sleep learning – just another myth (probably)

The people who were trying to sell us the devices for learning while we sleep probably didn’t want you to know this. There are no shortcuts to putting in the effort while learning something. (You may begin to see the pattern here – remember the article about Matrix-style instant learning?)

So why the “probably”? Well, although it’s the 21st century, we are still not sure what sleep is for. We don’t know how it works exactly, and why humans sleep so much. Learning while sleeping may just be a level we haven’t reached yet. But, you know, don’t expect overnight miracles here.

Sleep for power learners: what is it good for?

So you won’t be able to learn a new language while you sleep, for a while at least. But that doesn’t mean you should change your plans to pulling all-nighters and just forget about sleep altogether. Here’s a quick reminder of what sleep does for you:

  • It helps your body consolidate muscle memory – useful for learning new skills to do with the body.
  • It helps your brain “clean up” – useful for making sure your neurons are in good shape again.
  • It helps you regain focus and alertness – useful for staying “with it” during any learning project.
  • It helps your body clock get back to normal – useful if you’ve been travelling and are trying to help your body come back to normal.

So there you have it – no good news for sleep learning, but plenty of good reasons to take care of sleep anyway! What role does sleep play in your learning adventures?

(Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash)

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BRAVE Blog

Bullet Journal Spreads for Lifelong Power Learning

Is bullet journalling useful for learners? And which bullet journal spreads will work best for you?

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BRAVE Blog

50 Years of wholesome learning: what anyone can learn from Sesame Street

Sesame Street turns 50 this year. Is it still relevant to you if you’re all grown up? What can you learn from Sesame Street if you’re an adult learner? Quite a lot, if you ask me.

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Learning by cutting, cutting by learning – lifetime education vs the will to simplify

What started as a routine technical task became, for me, a source of inspiration. How can doing less – or actually cutting down on what we do – actually help us learn or discover more?