I have this idea that motivation matters. That the ‘desire’ to learn is part of it, and that to ‘love your learning’ is even better – whatever drives that love.
As Vladimir Nabakov said, “It’s a matter of love; the more you love a memory the stronger that memory becomes.”
Do you ‘love’ what you are studying? Even a little bit? Sometimes? Very rarely indeed I have sat an exam and loved it.
‘Mindbursts’ has been the name I’ve blogged under since 2002. I recently got the .com website and and wondering what to do with it.
The above, to certain educators, probably in higher education, and possibly only academics, puts a doodle of Activity Theory between the heart and two minds meeting. My thinking is that two minds and collaboration is good – though talking to yourself probably counts given how the conscious and unconscious brain works. My thinking is that love of a subject – lust for it, desire for it, motivation to conquer all, to achieve goals, to overcome adversity is in the mix. And like any love affair you can fall in and out of love! Or have impetuous flings. Or have a long lasting deep affection for a subject. While Activity Theory, becoming a little old school, studies the interconnectedness of nodes of interest and action in groups or communities of people – used to problem solve businesses and organisations, yet for me representative of what goes on in a brain – the multiple connections between parts of the brain that interact with another’s brain to generate new stuff. Maybe I’ve got my mental knickers in twist and should be thinking of networking theory instead? Ooops.
