Art_Jewelry_-_March_2016_USA_

24 Art Jewelry ■ March 2016

We all start by learning

Here’s what I know about learning: It is a

neverending activity that will (or should)

continue for your entire life, no matter

how long your life may be.

Learning is a natural part of our exist-

ence as living creatures. Every day we learn

something new, no matter how small or

seemingly insignificant. Often, we don’t

even pay attention to what we’ve learned,

unless it’s one of those “Ah ha!” moments

or it has immediate relevance.

Humans are not born with pre-existing

knowledge. Every single thing we do, from

childhood to maturity, is something we

are able to do because we have learned

to do it. All of our technical skills are prac-

ticed behavior. Talent is an acquisition,

not a birthright. Learning to do some-

thing and practicing it diligently leads

to a person being talented at that parti-

cular activity. Talent is the development

of refined knowledge; it is the result of an

intentional investment of time and effort.

Knowledge is content

Sometimes we speak about a “body” of

knowledge. This is a fitting analogy, be-

cause knowledge is like an ocean — a

nearly endless body of water. The further

we venture away from the shore, the

more clearly we recognize the vastness

of the expanse of water. Being aware of

that limitlessness is important to gaining

perspective on learning. Personally, the

more I realize how much I’ve learned about

anything, the more I realize how much

more there is to learn about everything.

How we learn

Most learning happens through discovery.

That discovery can be either intentional

or inadvertent; often, the learning process

is some of each. Remember that learning

is basically the activity of investigation and

discovery. Rather than “trial and error,”

I prefer “trial and realization.” And yes, at

times, the realization is that what you’ve

tried isn’t the best way to do something.

What it takes to learn

An old adage advises that in order to learn

something new, you must let go of what

you already know, or what you think you

already know. I’ve experienced the truth

of this from both sides of the bench — in

my own pursuit of education and in my

work transmitting knowledge to others.

My wife, Praparat, is also a teacher, in

the field of culinary arts. She has a large

white board on one wall of her classroom,

and she begins each class by saying, “Make

yourselves like this white board — erase

what you already know so you’ll be open-

ed up to learn what I have to teach you.”

In order to learn, a person must be able

and willing to do several things:

• Pay attention


• Focus


• Practice


• Review


• Correct


• Continue to practice


• Analyze


• Make adjustments


• Practice more

You may have noticed a theme —

I hope you did! Regular, sustained practice

is essential to learning anything and retain-

ing that knowledge over the long term. If

you’ve ever “crammed” for an exam, you’ll

know how little of the information you

retained after the exam was done. Learn-

ing a physical skill or craft works the same

way. If you try to learn it quickly, you won’t

retain it over the long term.

Styles of learning

We receive information through our whole

range of sensory perceptions: sight, touch,

sound, smell, etc. This makes us receptive

to different methods of processing, adapt-

ing, and incorporating information into

useful applications.

Auditory perception

Yes, we receive information by hearing it

spoken. But the importance of auditory

perception to learning applied techniques

goes beyond the instructor’s spoken direc-

tions. Pay attention to the sounds of your

tools and the sounds your material makes

as you manipulate it: These can provide

valuable information.

Observational perception

We also receive information by watching

others. Whether in person or through

broadcast media, we visually perceive the

process, seeing the movements of tools

and their effect on the material. There’s a

reason that demonstrations are a key part

of any classroom session, and that video

demos are so popular on the Internet —

they work.

Ta c t i l e p e r ce p t i o n

Actually getting your hands on the tools

and feeling the manipulation of the ma-

terial is a vital part of learning. In applied

arts, this is generally the most important

sensory relationship in perception and

practice; the eyes guide and oversee the

The Dynamic of Transmission

and Reception

by Michael David Sturlin

T

ransmission and reception sounds technical, but don’t let that

be off-putting. This pair of words is perfect to illustrate a simple

point: The transmission and reception of knowledge is like a radio

or television broadcast; it takes both a means of projecting the

content and a device for receiving the signal in order for the transmission

to be complete.

METALSMITHING 101^ | STUDIO ESSENTIALS

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