Bradley Onstott

English 111.

Education, and life in general, is dependent upon how we view the world, which in turn is

dependent upon what we grow accustomed to, and what we are stimulated by. This remains an

important notion today with our ever changing society. As we progress, the way we view

learning evolves with us. Textbooks have now turned digital, and todays generation now

employs shortened variations of words, known as text talk, when speaking. The communication

gap has proved a problem for the new generation. Communication skills vary throughout

generations: with Traditionalists valuing formality; Baby Boomers - who value respect;

Generation X - who value work/life balance; and Millennials, who value technology. With the

world being an unpredictable and ever changing place that is now becoming populated by more

and more Millennials, it is now more important than ever that we communicate what were

trying to teach and say coherently and effectively. The usage of words changes, and meanings are

now entirely different from what they were a decade ago. Miscommunication is an important

matter to avoid in education.

Matthew B. Crawford, who wrote Attention as a Cultural Problem, places blame upon

technology for affecting education. Crawfords viewpoint makes it blatant that he would agree

with my saying todays society is too rapidly changing to focus on one thing or another. We

have developed methods for tuning out commercial messages, for example by inserting earbuds

or burying our faces in our devices. (Crawford, 38) Whos to say we dont tune out what we

learn as well? That question has obviously been answered, as anyone who has taught anything

can attest to. Crawfords deep analysis of our avoidance to constant barrages of stimuli only

helps solidify the fact that the education system needs to learn to better communicate, so that

their vital information doesnt come off as mandatory work given for academia.
 Bradley Onstott

English 111.

Jack Mezirow offers a more traditional analysis on the evolution of education, in the form

of Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice. Some of Crawfords ideologies even overlap

with Mezirow's, and both combine to better strengthen the idea that miscommunication is a

problem that needs to be addressed. Attention is the thing that most ones own: in the normal

course of things, we choose what to pay attention to, and in very real sense this determines what

is real for us; what is actually present to our consciousness. Appropriation of our attention are

then an especially intimate matter. (Crawford, 43) This coincides with Mezirows idea that we

base everything of frames of reference. For example, if youve experienced something

traumatizing, youre more likely to pay more attention to it, or associate it with something

negative. Communication isnt only verbal. Education is greatly affected not only by what is

said, but what is done. Expressing a lack of interest in a subject could be misinterpreted as not

caring at all.

Crawford and Mezirow once again play off of each other to my advantage. Crawford

elaborates upon a study in which a person communicating via telephone while driving will pay

less attention than if the person they were speaking to was actually in the car. (44) While this

may seem like common sense, I happen to think it ties in to Mezirow's examination of the

different styles of learning. Communicate learning, obviously being the explanation as to why

this occurs. Crawford goes on to explain that actually being present in the vehicle will allow the

person to better adapt to the situation, for example, if the weather is bad, he tends to be quiet.

(Crawford, 44) This shows that we adapt to our surroundings through the types of learning

Mezirow expands upon, and communication could even mean life or death in some instances.
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English 111.

Where Crawford and I diverge, however, is that whereas he thinks were conforming and

assimilating, I think the ever changing world is making us different than ever before. He gives an

example of abandoning reading Aristotle in favor of watching a television show. (Ironically,

admitting to students who are undoubtedly reading your work is only driving the point home that

Aristotle is tediously boring.) Crawford thinks were all becoming alike. Mezirow, on the other

hand, would probably favor my position. He states multiple examples of different marketing

ploys and advertising tricks, and while its true not everybody falls for them, there will always be

that archetype of the senile lady who orders what she sees online. Those people will never fade

away. As an anonymous person once said, Theres a sucker born every minute.

And just as people will never fade away and change, our language and society will never

change. If anything, it will only flourish in time until what we view as normal today becomes

antique another. Communication is as important as ever, especially in education, and if we fail to

engage ourselves well only become autonomous thinkers.

 Bradley Onstott

English 111.

Works Cited

Crawford, Matthew B. Attention as a Cultural Problem From The World Beyond Your Head:

On Becoming an individual in an Age of Distraction. New York: Farrar, Straus and

Giroux, 2015.

Mezirow, Jack Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice. Published in New Directions

for Adult and Continuing Education, 1997.