Building a Learning Environment

    The single factor that enabled the progress and evolution of civilizations throughout history is the capacity of their people to learn and create. The great pyramids stand as monuments to the learning of Ancient Egypt. Modern mathematics owes its roots to the creativity of classical philosophers like Euclid and Pythagoras. Even our medical practices and our knowledge of the human body stem from advances made by Islamic scholars like Avicenna. However diverse these origins may seem, the process by which they were achieved is remarkably similar. This process forms my definition of learning as a cycle of continuous destruction and construction of concepts and ideas.

    Before a new philosophy can be adopted, there must first be a level of critical analysis that separates existing facts and ideas into their component parts for scrutiny. This step refers equally to an individual’s preconceived viewpoints and the new information he or she encounters. By reducing each of these to their most fundamental aspects and evaluating them, one is able to find pieces that resonate with one another and one’s own personal beliefs. Then one can begin synthesis. Like a puzzle, each individual piece must be studied before it can be joined to the other pieces; unlike family-friendly puzzle sets, however, the process of learning has no model and often only includes a few select pieces. It is up to the individual to decide which ideas belong together and what final picture they create.

    This closely parallels Bloom’s taxonomy of learning which also emphasizes analysis and evaluation as necessary for creativity. However, it then turns the classical pyramid on its head. Each creation forms merely another step in the cycle, another idea to be dissected and compared to new information.

    Unfortunately, this process is one that is extremely personal and cannot be simply taught to an individual, much less an entire population. Instead, I have chosen to focus my series of artifacts on creating an environment conducive to creativity while also demonstrating the ideas of construction and destruction that form the foundation of my definition of learning. I begin by providing for fundamental needs of the citizens, progressing to emphasize literacy and the spread of ideas, and finally providing spiritual and secular models that can both inspire and contribute to greater learning. Ultimately, this model should lead individuals to develop skills of critical analysis, rather than persuade them to a specific philosophy, thus reducing the risk of oversimplifying societal perceptions of learning and leading to stagnation.

1. The Heavy Plow

The first item I would introduce would be the heavy wheeled plow. First used in Slavic lands around the 5th century AD, it then spread through out the rest of Northern Europe. It was extremely important to cultivation of rich, heavy soils because it provided a much less fragile frame than previous plows, coupled by wheels which allowed for greater weight, and a metal plowshare blade. The design included, “A sharp point of iron to cut the soil. A plowshare blade mounted behind the sharp metal point that widened the cut, and a moldboard behind the share to lift and turn the soil” (Strong and Davis 416). This particular construction allowed for much higher production of crops, which in turn lead to greater economic stability and innovation in the region. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the first step toward civilization and greater creativity is providing for basic physiological needs. Thus, a strong agricultural foundation would provide a springboard for more specialized learning. Furthermore, the plow symbolically demonstrates the destructive then constructive nature of learning. Before a seed can be planted, the earth must first be harrowed and aerated to allow it optimum growth. Similarly, in order to learn, our previous conceptions must be broken apart before something new can grow in their place. The plow provides not only a greater agricultural foundation for a civilization, but also begins a way of thinking that is more conducive to learning.

2. Roman Aqueduct: The Pont du Gard

Again following Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, I would then present the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct constructed between 15 and 14 BC of dressed stones fit together without mortar. While this aqueduct performs a very necessary function of supplying water to a community, the architecture and precision used in its construction provide a lesson perhaps even more valuable. The Pont du Gard itself is merely a part of a much larger construction nearly 30 miles long that carried water from the mountains to Nimes. The water source was only 60 feet higher than the city, so the engineers had to build numerous tunnels and bridges while maintaining a slope of only a few degrees, making it one of the most impressive examples of Roman engineering. Furthermore, each individual stone in the three tiers of arches in the Pont du Gard had to be shaped with extreme precision to keep the structure sturdy without the help of mortar. This illustrates an extraordinary feat of learning. Before a single arch could be built, individual rocks had to be cut and shaped, just as before true learning can take place, individual ideas and facts must be separated and molded to fit together. Then they must be assembled. The arch was a common piece of Roman architecture, but the truly creative aspect of this construction was the way in which numerous arches were pieced together end to end to form a sturdy, yet relatively light structure. It is only after ideas are properly examined and broken down that they can be recombined to form a new, lasting impact.

3. The Greek Alphabet

According to the concept of FLOW discussed in Strong and Davis’s History of Creativity, another aspect essential to the creative progress of a civilization is the birth of a writing system. The Greek alphabet was first introduced around 700 BC as an extension of the Phoenician alphabet, but it had one distinctive and influential feature: it included vowel sounds, making it, “The first truly phonetic alphabet which is able to accurately and unambiguously transcribe the spoken word of any language using only twenty to thirty signs or letters” (McLuhan and Logan). This innovation proved extremely conducive to stimulating learning. Most obviously, it greatly increased literacy since it only used a few characters, as opposed to other systems that created symbols for ideas, resulting in extensive training required for full literacy. More importantly, however, the Greek alphabet provided a new perspective on learning. The use of an entirely phonetic alphabet divided words into linguistically meaningless sounds and represented the sounds with other meaningless symbols. However, when these symbols were arranged together, they formed words and ideas. This development directly correlated with the Greeks’ development of classification and philosophy, both aspects of learning that involved forming correlations between initially meaningless ideas or characteristics to form a more generalized concept.

4. Gutenberg's Printing Press

Once a writing system is established, a means of easily and cheaply producing copies of information for the populace needs to be established. The printing press was developed by Johannes Gutenberg in 1455 in the city of Mainz, Germany. The press itself was composed of metal type-pieces set into a modified wine press. While printing using moveable type was already possible in countries such as China, Gutenberg’s press was the first to create a method of mass producing long-lasting metal type pieces, as well as creating ink and paper formulas that held the print without wicking. This type of press remained the standard for nearly 500 years and initiated an intellectual revolution in Europe. In order to develop this press, Gutenberg gathered pre-existing ideas (including paper, ink, type, etc.) and completely reinvented them. This epitomizes learning as it takes basic components from existing ideas, analyzes them and evaluates which aspects to keep and which to discard, and then improves them. Then each of these separate ideas is brought together like type pieces in a frame to create a functioning whole, an idea that can change the course of history.

5. Aristotle's Physics

Once literacy is widespread and ideas are flowing, literature gains importance as a mechanism for spreading philosophies. This is evident by the numerous writings from Greek philosophers which survived to influence creative thinking for centuries. One text which particularly demonstrates the creative environment of the time is Aristotle’s Physics, composed in the fourth century BC. This particular work explains the basis of natural philosophy, which eventually developed into the scientific method. Although our knowledge has progressed past the understanding of the Ancient Greeks, the elements of causation which form the basis of exploratory science are essential to learning. It also goes a step beyond the normal scientific method by exploring the ultimate purpose in an object's existence, leading to greater progress and discovery. This demonstrates the secular side of learning involving deconstruction. Aristotle’s premise states that by looking beyond the object as a whole, to its purpose and components, we learn more about the object. Therefore, as we break an idea into its components and discover their purpose, we are able to gain greater knowledge.

6. Aesop's Fables

Just as Aristotle’s Physics forms the basis of secular learning, Aesop’s Fables inspire the beginnings of ethical thinking. Aesop lived as a slave in the Greek city of Samos during the 6th Century BC. It is likely that he devoted his life to the study of ethics and composed these tales as a means of communicating his ideas. Each short story contains a moral which, once discovered, can be evaluated and applied to one’s own ethical persuasion. We've all heard the story of the tortoise and the hare, and remember the admonition that, "Slow and steady wins the race" (Strong and Davis 124). Such ethics can be hard to quantify or explain, but through the use of simple, relatable metaphors, Aesop inspires introspection as well as exploring our relationship to other people, both of which are necessary to learning and creative cooperation. The use of stories as opposed to simply stating his ideas forces the reader to dissect the fable and recognize the ethical implications of the animals’ interactions, beginning the deconstruction side of ethical learning.

7. The Vulgate

Continuing the ethical side of learning, the Vulgate Bible provides greater depth of thinking and more pronounced ethical guidelines. The Vulgate is the first Latin Bible, produced in the 4th century AD primarily by St. Jerome. As spiritual learning is, in many ways, even more important than secular learning, this early compilation of many books of scripture rendered in Latin provides a spiritual foundation for a relationship with God. It contains both the Old and New Testaments, as well as some books from the Apocrypha. Furthermore, as these are all fairly early transcriptions, they likely do not contain many of the errors or distortions of the text that exist in our modern Bible. The Vulgate primarily provides a description of the life and purpose of Christ, arguably the most important ethical figure in history. While it does contain teachings and commandments that are direct and easily applied to one’s own life, the greatest depth of learning from the Vulgate, or any Bible, comes from the study and personal application of the stories it contains. Though more complex than Aesop’s fables, the parables it contains provide valuable insight into morality and religious hope that can be found through close analysis.

8. Archimedes System of Levers and Pulleys

Born in 287 BC in Syracuse, Sicily, Archimedes grew to become one of the founding fathers of modern physics. One of his particular areas of interest was in mechanics, especially involving levers and pulleys. While rudimentary levers and pulleys had been used as tools for centuries, Archimedes was the first to attempt to quantify and define them. Famously quoted as saying, “Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I can move the Earth,” Archimedes research culminated in many basic relationships that are still used in physics classes (Strong and Davis 220). These small mechanisms allowed for enormous loads to be transported with relative ease; more importantly, however, they also form an excellent model of synthesis. In the instance of the lever, the actual lever itself can do very little on its own, but requires a fulcrum to be able to function at full capacity. Nor can a single pulley provide a great difference in mechanics, but a system of pulleys can allow a single individual to move an enormous load. Similarly, a single idea, no matter how interesting it may be, can do very little on its own. It is only when placed in conjunction with other, complementary ideas that a truly functional system can be created.

9. The Sainte-Chapelle

Built toward the second half of the 13th century by Louis IX, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture. Originally part of the royal palace itself, it served as a personal church as well as housing some very valuable relics of the Catholic faith. Now, it continues to be a tourist destination because of its awe inspiring stained glass windows. The development of the pointed arch allowed this incredible wall of light to stand without risk of structural instability, while tiny colored pieces of glass form the picture mosaics within the windows themselves. This is yet another example of multiple distinct elements combining to form something both beautiful and functional: a perfect combination of both engineering precision and artistic grace. Showing that even dissimilar fields can be combined to form a unified whole, each aspect emphasizes and enhances the others, despite widely divergent backgrounds and seemingly opposite categories of thinking. Once a strong framework of ideas is laid, much like the pointed arches in the cathedral’s architecture, many other details come together like fragments of a stained glass window to magnify the light of learning.

10. The Parthenon

After all the focus spent on analysis and and deconstruction, the one remaining element of true learning is creative synthesis. Nothing represents this idea better than the Parthenon. Completed in 432 BC, the giant marble structure was built by the greatest Greek artists and architects of the Athenian empire. Built under the direction of Pericles, the construction towered over Athens, representing the empire's power, supreme devotion to the gods, and the evolution of Greek learning during the Golden Age. It truly displayed a synthesis of Greek ideas from the overall appearance, to the very blocks themselves. The building was constructed according to a mathematical equation of beauty possibly developed by Pythagoras, the Golden Ratio, creating a sense of visual balance. It included many forms of sculpture, from the giant statue of Athena it housed, to the friezes and pediment sculptures that adorned it. Interestingly, it was also designed so that, when viewed from a distance, it would appear perfectly straight and symmetrical, a feat that forced the engineers to create a series of optical illusions: “The peristyle columns are over ten meters tall, and incline slightly towards the center of the building at the top (about 7 cm), while the platform upon which they rest bows on a gentle arc which brings the corners about 12 cm closer to the ground that the middle” (“The Parthenon”). Similarly, the columns themselves are slightly wider toward the edges of the building, to compensate for the background light that would have caused them to appear narrower. This forced each marble block to be shaped and carved individually. The amount of engineering, care, and artistry that accompanied the production of a single stone was a monumental feat in and of itself. Then each piece was then carefully molded and joined to its neighbors without the use of mortar, creating a seamless structure, beautifully complete and timelessly whole. In the same manner, our learning must cease to be compartmentalized, each aspect joining together to create a single system of understanding that defines us as an apprentice of creativity. It is not enough to carefully craft a single idea or a single philosophy. It is only by learning to apply that piece to the entirety of our being, interweaving science, artistry, logic, craftsmanship, religion, and conviction, that we are truly able to learn and create.

Conclusion

As a professional student, learning is literally part of my job description. This gives me an incredible opportunity to focus almost entirely on the process of learning. Through the dissection of philosophies to their basic concepts and the synthesis of these components into personal understanding, I am able to not only gain knowledge, but progress individually towards my own intellectual identity. More importantly, this process allows me to relate every learning experience to a single growing perspective on life. Unfortunately, with the overwhelming information available to us at all times, the skills of analysis and in-depth exploration of this information are dwindling in favor of instant gratification and acceptance. Knowledge is being reduced to facts and comprehension to mere memorization. If more people would return to the true process of learning, less polarity and conflict would result. Facts and opinions would again be seen as beneficial and creative rather than threatening and destructive. Learning would be the goal, not merely a means to an end.

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