General News
24 July, 2026
THE ACQUISITION OF LEARNING: AI — friend or foe?
The question of why some people are more intelligent than others has been a topic of debate forever.
Some people put it down to the “luck of the draw”.
No doubt a wise choice of parents can prove to be an asset.
The argument between environment and heredity has long been a contentious one.
In more than half a century of teaching and in my days as a student growing up, I have become aware of a multitude of contributing factors.
Some people are fortunate to be born with an intellectual capacity above the average. These prodigies are an exclusive group.
People such as Einstein, Curie, Shaw and Russell are an elite group.
No doubt if you are born into an affluent and educated environment you are more likely to have a “head start”.
Parental expectations are a positive factor as long as they are not unrealistic.
In my time, individuals who are self motivated are more likely to be successful.
Not to downgrade the significance of external motivators. We are all aware of motivators that have maximised the performance of sporting teams, work colleagues and individuals. Empowering young children sets them up for life.
Inspirational personalities such as Fred Hollows (who should be declared a saint), Sir John Monash, Dame Elizabeth Murdoch and Dame Nellie Melba are some that have led the way.
All of these individuals were dedicated to their pursuits and inspired and motivated others.
Hollows, despite personal health issues, worked tirelessly under harsh conditions to provide health care to the less fortunate.
Determination and persistence are driving forces and negative thinking isn’t tolerated.
Across the population we have many people who have a basic IQ.
It is those who have self-discipline and a determination to achieve their ambitions who succeed. Their self belief is a strong motivation.
No doubt a wise selection of your peers is a major contributing factor.
If your associates have low expectations and values, you are likely to have the same.
The current massive problems, especially with adolescents, mirror this.
The lower your expectations, the more likely you are to achieve them.
It is the responsibility of educators to create a setting that provides clarity and clear guidelines.
The demise of teachers’ colleges is a disaster. They were essentially a place where the skills of instruction were the main priority.
Prospective teachers were partnered with quality teachers and were given positive advice and demonstrations of quality programs. The relationship between students and mentors is “lifelong”.
There are many learning theories expounded by educators. Adherence to one strict discipline isn’t necessarily the best way to go. I believe that a multi-faceted approach makes most sense.
Marie Clay, the New Zealand educator, believed that best learning achievements come from “doing”.
She emphasised that we learn to read by reading. Exposure to simple and predictable texts is a key to reading.
Children and adults can build up an extensive sight vocabulary well before they are introduced to phonics.
When I was involved in Adult Literacy, people who said they couldn’t read had a definitive list of sight words that were an everyday part of their lives.
Some of a huge list include shopping items, street names, signs and an enormous range of common words.
One adult student who had mastered the printed word left me with an unforgettable thrill when he said, “it all makes sense now!”.
Trial and error is a part of risk taking.
Some of the greatest inventors of the 20th century worked tirelessly in their pursuit of success.
Charles Goodyear lost a fortune of his and his family’s money before he accidently discovered the process of making rubber that didn’t melt in the heat, and shatter in the cold. This was a “serendipitous” discovery of the vulcanisation process.
This discovery led to inflatable tyres which was a major impetus in the move from horse drawn carts to the automobile.
Because of vulcanisation the world is inundated with rubber products.
The plastic industry followed a similar path although environmentally it is a major pollutant due to its durability.
Small particles are invasive and are found in the blood supply and food chains of oceans and rivers.
Two scientists, Julius Sumner Miller and Dr Karl have been major contributors to the demystification of science.
The world is being bombarded with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Frightening footage of robotic soldiers marching in a military parade brought a shiver down my spine.
The future is to be dominated by AI. It’s ability to simplify complex processes is a boon, unfortunately it also eliminates “person power!”.
An issue is that AI may become self instigated.
This may not lead to a beneficial outcome. The demands on our energy supply and water resources and its pollution are issues.
Unbelievably some people are adopting AI robots as life partners.
Elon Musk and his fellow “billionaires”, along with Russia and China hold the fate of humanity in their hands. Let’s hope they use their power wisely.
Apart from its massive impost on our meagre water resources and its insatiable appetite for power, its greatest cost will be the reduction in the use of manpower.
Many areas of technical expertise is making human input obsolete.
They have been replaced by artificial intelligence.
I hope I am wrong, but I fear that the dark side of this revolution may predominate. The emergence of “drones” is evident in the current conflicts.
As in Orwell’s 1984 — we are constantly under surveillance.