The little feet are a blur of motion as the six year old boy runs down the treacherous, steep, gravel path. “No running down the hill!” calls a camp counselor in vain. The little boy makes it safely to the bottom of the hill, a defiant and exhilarated look on his face. No injuries this time but 1 in 5 kids eat dust when they try running down that same hill. Looking around at the high incidence of scrapes, cuts, bruises, bee stings, and poison oak suggests that kids are either accident prone or have a propensity to take risks. Now, look around at a group of adults: how many of them have cuts, scrapes, bruises and road rash on their knees or hands?
I would argue that the propensity for risk-taking and boundary testing that we see in children is actually a learning strategy. This strategy seems to be highly effective and can be observed in the young of other animals, especially the more intelligent ones such as canines, corvids, and primates. The next step in this logical progression would be to devise ways in which adults can selectively employ risk-taking to accelerate our own learning process, cognitive flexibility, and to break through mental obstacles.
What is the benefit of risk-taking to learning?
What are the dangers of risk-taking?
When was the last time, as an adult, that you pushed yourself beyond your comfort zone and were rewarded by the experience? When was the last time that you regretted not taking a risk?
Taking risks and testing boundaries is an essential learning strategy. Without it we would become fossilized in our ways and unable to learn. As adults we have the chance to practice our metacognitive awareness and try to push ourselves to take risks in a strategic way. It might not come as naturally to us now as it did when we were kids but we can still use this powerful and often exhilarating strategy to boost our learning.
Have fun!
One Response
Love it!! Taking risks makes for a richer life experience and perhaps we learn along the way.