After I finished the first part of my qualifying examinations for my doctoral degree my family and I found our way to a local apple tree farm. We took a nice drive, dressed a little more warmly than usual, and took our time looking high and low in the various trees for fresh apples free of pesticides and wormholes. We had such a wonderful time when we went the first time that we planned to do it again. With Halloween just around the corner we went to pick up a pumpkin.
I realized, once we got home, how interesting new things are to children. My son, who brings books to me several times a day to read over and over again in succession, is constantly learning new things. He’s so curious about everything. While he understand (to an extent) the purpose of computers and keyboards because he’s around his parents all the time (who are around technology all the time) he had little knowledge of the outdoors, the trees, the apples, and the pumpkins.
Part of the learning experience for him is a tactile one. He needed to pluck the apple from the tree and stick it directly into his mouth to make the connection of a tree producing food (something we read about sometimes). This tactile experience cemented the idea in his mind. Oftentimes, in college, we are separated from the tactile experience that help us to learn things more quickly and more surely.
After we had purchased the pumpkin it was my job to carve it. I did some research online about “how to” carve a pumpkin and then my wife and I looked at various patterns before deciding on a relatively standard one (eyes, nose, mouth). I’m glad that we did. While my brain could certainly comprehend the more complex designs I found it very difficult to make a proper curve in a tight space with a kitchen knife. At the same time our son was grossed out by the pumpkin’s insides. More tactile experiences. All this is to say, simply, that actual experience is helpful in addition to the book smarts you pick up in most classes. Make sure to go experience things too.