Learning? Say what?
The second car I ever owned was a 1964 Vauxhall Viva HA. It was that short box-like model with the 1050cc motor. It was a creamy yellow colour, with brown and grey vinyl seats and a clutch operated with a cable rather than by hydraulic pressure. The clutch cable would break on occasion. The first time it happened my father showed me how to replace it. Sliding on my back beneath the car became a semi-regular event over the course of my ownership. I learned how to replace the clutch cable because I had to.
We learn for lots of reasons. We learn out of necessity. We learn out of curiosity. We learn because we are inspired. Wherever there are humans there is learning. Babies are learning the meaning of a smile. Toddlers are learning not to touch the red bar in the heater. Teens are learning that they can get a reaction out of a grumpy teacher, and that sin 90 =1, although the first may be more useful than the latter. Doctoral students are learning something new from their research. They are probably also learning the necessity for personal organisation and time management. Meanwhile plumbing apprentices are learning why they need to turn the water off at the mains before removing the broken tap.
Whether it’s an involuntary response to a stimulus, or the deliberate and intentional result of structured inquiry, or anything in between, learning is happening around us all the time. Learning is ubiquitous. We learn from parents and grandparents, we learn in formal educational settings, and we learn informally throughout our lives as we acquire skills that might be employment related, or life related. The latter is hardly a liminal space. It is probably larger than anything we offer in the formal sector
“What if we had the learning equivalent of the guerilla gardeners...”
It seems to me though that all too often our learning is inadvertent, serendipitous. But what if we were all more aware not only of the importance of that learning, but of the many opportunities that are around us? What if we knew that there is indeed somewhere that we can go to learn Te Reo, how to fix the broken bedside lamp, or to start the journey in whatever our latest interest might be? And what if the providers of all of these opportunities were to work more closely together, supporting and promoting each other city-wide? What if someone joined the dots, created a citywide map (literal or figurative) that guided you to your need or interest? If even 1% of that latent interest and good intention were to be realised how much of a difference could we make to our world, to our lives, and to the lives of others?
What if we had the learning equivalent of the guerilla gardeners who secretly converted barren civic spaces into coloured garden plots in the days and months following our devastating earthquakes in 2011, scattering seeds of interest and enthusiasm around us? Joining us at Learning City Futures Workshop 2026: From Vision to Visible might just be the thing that enables your own vision and passion.
R Sutton
Trustee
Ako Ōtautahi - Learning City Christchurch