Do we learn more from work that follows or breaks with accepted conventions - Essay Example

Guide's Do We Learn More From Work That Follows Or Breaks With Accepted Conventions: An account of views from art and science There has been plenty of research, since the inception of human understanding of nature, on the methods of learning that are easy to follow as well as easy to teach. With the advancement in science and technology, there has been a lot of progress in every subject. As it follows from study, there are certain laws which govern every field of work. We assume certain conditions which can only be true if the mentioned laws of governance are satisfied, these are the rules, methods or practices established by usage i.e. a custom. Similarly, a convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted social norms, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom. The simple meaning of the title of this essay in simple terms is whether we learn more from having a advanced understanding of the subject made possible by following the results of an accepted convention (work that follows with accepted conventions) or we learn more from the failure of that convention which causes us to consider the results from a different perspective (work that breaks with accepted conventions). However, before deciding on one of the choices, we should acknowledge the fact that no matter if the work follows or breaks with accepted conventions, our level of understanding or thinking is elevated to a higher level. In my opinion, we can learn more from the work if it breaks with the accepted conventions. There are many reasons for choosing this case. First of all, if the work breaks with the accepted Author 2 conventions then our mind becomes more attentive towards the reasons that led to the failure of the results thus causing us to think laterally about the various aspects of the work that we are doing. Secondly, following a work which breaks with the accepted conventions causes us to study it more attentively and with increased concentration as well as inquisitiveness. For example, if we consider a simple science experiment that we all do in labs. Out guide teaches us the main conventions that we need to follow in order to successfully get the desired results. However, if we do not get the results as determined by previous study and observations, we are forced to think of the peripheral (other minor variables included in the instructions) reasons that may lead to discrepancy of results. And as a result of this, we in simple words learn one way of not doing that experiment. And we can affirm this argument with a famous quote from a famous inventor, Sir Thomas A. Edison: I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.[2] Now taking an example from arts, we can affirm the belief that we learn more from the works that break following accepted conventions. The example (more like a story) goes like this: Sigmund Freud was a medical man. After completing his M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) from Vienna University, he started working with a doctor, as an associate director, who was handling cases of hysteria at that time. At that time young man and woman were suffering from hysteria in large numbers. The main reason of the hysteria was sex problem. The doctor, with whom Sigmund Freud was working as an associate doctor, used to rely on medicines (which were not very successful). Sigmund Freud thought it was necessary to go into depth. He suggested this to this senior doctor who disagreed. Thereafter, Sigmund Freud dissociated with him and opened his own clinic for hysteria patients. He started questioning and counseling the patients and recorder their interviews. And finally Sigmund Freud succeeded in finding out the reasons of Author 3 hysteria. The reason was the emotional disturbance of the patients of both sexes. Freud then followed up the study with two books on that subject: Dora and Wolf.[1] This example also points our attention toward a point which was not touched in above pages. That is the importance of personal characteristics that lead to the ability of learning from the work that follows or breaks with accepted conventions. This quality largely depends upon the qualities (i.e. values, attitude, independent thinking & communication skills) inculcated from parents as well as schooling constitute the majority of learning ability of an individual. Traditional theories of learning focus on changes in behaviors, knowledge or ability to perform some task (including intellectual tasks). Knowledge was seen as an entity passed from teacher to student consisting primarily of actual information. During the 1970s and 80s these theories gave way to cognitive theories that focused on mental processes and the understanding of complex material. In 90s, these cognitive theories were challenged by the theory emphasizing social interaction and the socio cultural context. Many psychologists and educators no longer consider learning to be a process that occurs strictly within an individual. Rather they see learning as something distributed among several individuals or existing within a community of learners. Our learning through problem solving (which is presented because of breaking of accepted conventions) is greater that the usual follow up from accepted conventions. As of now we have talked in favor of learning through breaking accepted conventions, however, many people argue in favor of both the work following as well as breaking from accepted conventions, since in either way effort is being put into the work in order to achieve some higher state of understanding. Researchers and scientists have to consider both cases and in order to account for their efforts, they follow it up with research papers. On studying their work, Author 4 we can see that the main objective behind them writing the paper is to show that what advancement happened in their work. However if there was a failure to produce desired result then they also study the factors that led to end result, also including all the why's and how's involved in the work. If we see it from another perspective, we can learn a lot from the work that follows from accepted conventions. For instance when our work is the advancement from the previously tried and tested (accepted) conventions we are going through a path of greater understanding of the peripheral conditions and are aware of even the minute details involved in the work. Everyone learns best when they are engaged and interested and they can see a purpose. Interest is generated from the knowledge that we have in an area of working. Hence it becomes more important to have a prior knowledge of the subject in order to interpret the result into useful conclusion about the way in which the work is continuing. Science demands rigorous standards of procedure and discussion that set reason over irrational beliefs. The on going friction between art and science is still unsettling but we can agree of the belief that both are intermingling with each other. One has some (at least minor) contribution in others working. Arts gives aesthetics to science and science imparts rationality in arts. Arts has been part of human psyche from time immemorial, right from the time man started to look at things and inventing and creating newer to support his survival. From as important as weapons going on to follow agriculture and house building always looking at things from various perspectives in order to put them to most appropriate use. Creating newer things is nothing but art. Some philosophers like Aristotle and Mathew Arnold took art as a constructive device. But many think different from them, and assert that art activity is a spontaneous emergence of emotional feelings which always inspires us to carry out an art activity and give it a form which Author 5 is also not already set.[1] However, there are not many occasions when we encounter work break with accepted conventions. Mostly the work follows from the accepted laws and theories (without any rare chance of discovering the results going against the assumed ones) and we learned a great deal from the work that followed conventions. Because the accepted conventions hold good we have more ideological theories to work upon which are based on previous ones. Thus it contributes towards progress of that subject as a whole and of the overall thinking of people. And then again the further theory is tested against new believes and ideas resulting in progress of work with either following or breaking conventions. And the wheel of advancement follows step by step. To new heights. The whole generation advances as a result of such endeavors. And this testifies that we can learn much more in either way i.e. whether the conventions follow or break in our work. But breaking of conventions frequently is not indicative of a good law of governance. sooner or later, the learning has to go with the acceptance of the conventions that have been followed lately. The human understanding has its reaches and at the same time has some limits too. Thus in order to learn from our work, we have to utilize our intellect and the common sense (which is the product of thought pattern deeply rooted into human psyche) inherited from our ancestors. However, finally coming to a conclusion with objectivity will not be totally acceptable in favor of the ultimate purpose. So we will have to follow the conventions that have been tested with time. And through those conventions our whole progress will follow in every sphere of life. It is the mind behind those efforts which really makes the difference in the results. We previously favored the breaking convention learning but in the end it really makes sense in both cases because we as individuals can contribute something in both cases whether following or Author 6 breaking convention is the case. Rather than responding to success or failure, we tend to evolve and transition to other levels of cognition and behavior in response to changes that we perceive and accept as the current trend and the new conventional wisdom. The above argument more so concludes the basic essence of the essay. Works cited: [1]Prasad Janardan, Art Education: concepts, epistemacy and role, page21, 2005 [2] Thomas A. Edison Quote, < www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_a_edison.html> Read More