Bringing down the walls: Learning from within

Brad Stokes · June 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

I’ve recently started a unit through Open Universities Australia from Murdoch Uni, SSK12 How to Study and University. The information and learning have been fantastic. And whilst the title may sound like an easy way to gain 8 credit points, the information is interesting, informative and designed help an individual begin to grasp how the University environment requires them to think. The unit requires reflection on your personal learning as you progress through weeks. Part of the challenge to participants, and this includes me, is not just the new information and skills we need to grapple with, but the idea that we need to examine our own thoughts as we travel through. I think about thinking regularly, but I still find this a challenge. If I am to reflect on my own thoughts, I need to be honest enough with myself to look behind the shallow walls that I have erected through my life. We all build walls and facades in our thinking and filter information through the experiences and prejudices that we carry with us on this journey. The classic line in communication of “People don’t hear what you say, they hear what they think you said” bears out the reality of the previous statement. The question I find myself forced to ask is, “Is it only what I hear said to me or is it my own thoughts that I filter through these same beliefs, prejudices and world views?” I’m sure Freud and Jung would both say, “Yes!” There underlying beliefs... Read more