Born To Learn

• Abbot is concerned that we are failing to educate children for the world they will inherit. The idea that a good life is filled with acquiring more and more stuff is one that is at odds with Earth’s ability to sustain us. Also, advances in our understanding of how the brain works have not been reflected in the factory model of schooling. Humans are born to learn and driven by curiosity and the need to make sense of experiences. This gives us a personal, intrinsic incentive to learn.
• Young people are rarely given the opportunity to work things out for themselves. Formal learning is more likely to impose someone else’s meaning upon students rather then encouraging them to construct meaning themselves. Meanwhile, the world beyond school requires the ability to work with others, multi-disciplinary problem solving, and decision making. It also features constant distractions.

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