And the apple goes to…
From A User’s Guide to the Brain: While a new task is being learned by specific circuits in the frontal cortex, many neighboring neurons drop whatever they are doing to assist in the process. Once the task has been mastered and executed a number of times, the firing patterns become established and the behavior automatic. It no longer requires conscious attention.
Perhaps this explains the plateau people experience in exercise. When you are first learning to coordinate your body, your brain has to work much harder. Once the brain has established a good connection to the muscles and the pattern used for the task, you no longer have the extra work of organizing neurological current, preparing the muscle for water and glycogen storage, and growing capillaries. All of these tasks use kcals as energy – so when the jobs decrease, so does the caloric expenditure.
Once this process happens, you have to go longer, or faster, increasing the intensity to match the same calories burned as before. So it feels like your movement program isn’t working. To prevent this phenomenon, consistently change up the activity you are performing. And never, NEVER, stop learning! That is why, next month, I am taking classes on Italian, French, Yoga, and Knitting. For one month, I relinquish my role as teacher and dive head first into the much more challenging role of student.
And speaking of learning, I would like to abuse my blog-power and extend a brief motion of appreciation to every teacher that took some time to directly impact my path. If you are out there, I am forever obliged…
Donna Hubbard (2nd grade), Ms. Jackson (3rd grade), Mrs. Franich (4th grade), Mr. Jim Clemmer (5th grade), Mrs. Pat Bendix (6th and 8th grade English), Steve Wong (10th, 12th English/Drama), Dr. Tim Anderson (Biomechanics), Dr. Jacobo Morales (Ex. Phys) (B.S), Dr. William Whiting (Biomechanics) (M.S.).
**Please do not hold any of the English teachers accountable for my writing skills. They did the best they could 
If you would like to thank a teacher (or two or seven), please use this space as an appreciation sanctuary. Go for it!
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I agree wholeheartedly and have actually had very similar conversations with my children. My most valuable teacher was my 11th grade English professor, Mr. Wondra. He was feared among all students at Reseda High because he required and expected a high standard of performance as well as a large amount of productivity. Because of the skills imparted by Mr. Wondra, I was able to write well enough to publish books. In administrative positions, my editing skills were often sought out by people who I did not work for, but just wanted a favor. The most important teachers in my life in the year 2009 have been Katy Santaigo and Michael Curran. Thanks guys. Even though it is hard to take advice and criticism from people younger than me, with pride swallowed and admitting that you may actually know more than I do, I have been given the impetus to make enough small changes that the overall effect is a dramatic transformation in all areas of my life. The best part about this is that the knowledge and experience you are imparting to me is clear enough for me to pass on to others. A beautiful ripple effect is taking place. God is good, it is a matter of us allowing His goodness to be seen.
I thank with much love the following teachers, possibly all now in the Spirit World: Mr. Fuson (6th grade), Miss Curry (high school biology), Mr. Kniss (high school English), Mr. Fulcher (high school French), and especially Benton Minor (my high school band director).
As a teacher, I appreciate your comments. I too would like to thank those teachers that influenced my life and love of learning. Sr. Lynn, Miss Burns, Sr. Catherine Rose (a favorite); Miss Verzanni, Sr. Miriam Charles, Mrs. Griffith, Mr. Kirstein, Miss Anne Austin (Mastin) and Kris Majich. Some are probably gone now, but I remember them. THANK YOU!
My apple goes to Mr. Bill Reed for opening my eyes to the ocean environment and its amazing creatures…the ones that don’t have spines, and Mrs. McGlachlan for introducing me to the humor and tragedy of Shakespear and the brilliant and twisted works of Edgar Allen Poe.
I’d like to give a head’s up to Mr Kenny. My first experience with poetry, Edna St. Vincent Millay to be exact. I was not ‘fond’ of memorizing poems, but I still recall: The railroad track is miles away, and better friends I won’t be knowing, yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take, no matter where it’s going. I was 12, now 60. Thank you.
That’s fascinating.
Do you think that “learning ability” is, in and of itself, something to be learned (or unlearned)?
An interesting question. I looked up the definition of learning and got “acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding…”
Because we have this amazing sensory input system, I would put “sensing”, whether it be sound, smell, or texture, in the learning category. So then, yes, it seems by definition, there is an innate level of learning ability we have come pre-programmed with.
Can we become better, or more practiced learners? Well, it seems that once we stop exposing our sensory system to new and different things would mean that, yes, we stop learning. The term “small” or “narrow minded” is popping into my head. As we get older (or maybe the people whom we are learning from do this and therefore we learn to do it as well) we tend to limit the type of people, topics of conversation, ingredients in food, selection of music, and subjects of writings to what we “like”. So we, by default, fail to “learn”.
I would say to continue to learn is to cultivate randomness and constantly challenge your “tastes” to keep your brain actively inputting and therefore healthy.
To answer your question in a shorter format, Stuart, I think learning ability is innate. And the learning process, in the purest biological form, is hindered by our need to subjectively evaluate the objective input. The concept to be “unlearned”, if you will, would be the notion “I’ve learned enough”, or “My point of view is completely formed”.
In thoughts as in movement, be the dynamic creature you are.
In reference to your comment “And the learning process, in the purest biological form, is hindered by our need to subjectively evaluate the objective input.”
You are referring to purely biological like reflexive survival behavior, which is already learned and executed unconsciously beginning at an early age?