Juliana and I had a lively discussion on how humans learn better when they take an interest in a topic rather than being forced to learn based on what the ‘experts’ tell them to learn. Not to say ‘experts’ don’t help people in the learning process. But if they don’t take a personal interest- then the ‘predetermined experiences’ which are set up by the ‘experts’ will fall flat and lifeless in the learner’s mind and will soon be forgotten. As soon as a student takes an active interest in information and ideas, the learning becomes concrete. We talked about how difficult the Freire article to read and write about. Because we had to work hard to understand it, and the information wasn’t straightforward, we had to engage with his writing in thought-provoking ways. We had to wrestle with ideas and ask questions. In the end, Freire found a permeant place in our minds. Yes, we had to read and write about the article because our professor ‘predetermined’ us to engage with it. But it was up to us to take an interest.
