CogTools - Learning Is Just Different When You're Learning How To Stay Alive

Learning when your life or others may depend on it:

While I wish I had the time, research, or inclination to study and write a longer post on the subject; I nonetheless want to write a couple quick notes on what or how I feel this kind of learning is beneficial and different to other types of learning.

First, while I realize we as humans learn a great many things that are crucial to our safety or to our preservation of life; this post is not about those obvious or trivial learning's throughout our lives.  Instead, the following are observations about learning and training for the specific purpose of the preservation of one’s safety and life with a focus on military training.

In regards to training, the military is often a great example of mindfulness to 1) acknowledgement of the time constraints to teach required material, 2) adequate knowledge level of instructors conducting training, 3) pertinence of training given or offered, 4) using student experiences and examples to enhance the training experience, and 5) application and use of training material to further trainee success.

One is usually very motivated to learn skills that will help keep them and others alive.   

This is a gateway into the seriousness with which those in the military undergo their training.  For those who undergo military training; whether it be first-aid, nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) warfare training, combat skills, or survival training, or any others… it is a whole different brand of learning.  For most; studying literature, business, mathematics, philosophy, art, history, psychology, or drama, will never have the impact or depth of ability for one to recall pertinent facts as one training to properly identify an agent and know if one needs to take pyridostigmine bromide tablets or not.  The whole point of training in the military is successful application of skills (learned and/or otherwise adapted upon,) to succeed at the objective and (hopefully,) preserve the safety of those in your team to achieve further successes.

As I go through and study about different learning methods, theories, and techniques I am reminded in my perspective that I believe that there are two different repositories of where humans store what they have learned; 1) Intelligence-level matters of history, philosophy, math, art, and similar matters, and 2) Learned observations and training that are more connected to our human innate survival and preservation of health/safety matters.  It is doubtful I will ever pursue post-graduate work someday, but this is where I would/will focus.