Learn, unlearn, and relearn

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Painting by Gari Hatch

used by permission.

The future has arrived and those who are illiterate in the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ~Alvin Toffler

You see, reading and writing won't cut it any more. They are not enough. Nowadays you have to know how to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Knowing how to unlearn and relearn is more important than what you think you know. 

Jack Uldrich in his book Higher Unlearning, offers this definition: 

unlearn: v. [the act of unlearning; verbal n, to unlearn]      

1. the act of releasing old knowledge      

2. to see the world not as one would like to see it, but as it really is      

3. to be un-uninformed      

4. to acquire wisdom either by replacing old information that has been supplanted by new knowledge, or alternatively, by relinquishing known falsehoods

Uldrich, Jack (2011-07-28). Higher Unlearning: 39 Post-Requisite Lessons for Achieving a Successful Future (Kindle Locations 205-212). Beaver's Pond press. Kindle Edition. 

For example, you need to know how to use Google to do research. This video is one little nugget on the way to learning how to learn online. 

For more about "unlearning education," see this excellent blog post and to find out more about unlearning, and why it’s so important, visit schoolofunlearning.com.


Your learning, unlearning and relearning friend,

Jon B.