Repairing a poor education?

[superkartracer]

Hello

Thoughts on this -

If one suffered a poor childhood and subsequently ended up with a poor education would it be possible to rectify in later life*, has anyone done this?

OR

Does a poor education become *hardwired* into the brain, thus becoming impossible too change.

Thanks

S

• 30+

[Einion Yrth]

Read, many, books.


HTH

[JagLover]

superkartracer said:

Hello

Thoughts on this -

If one suffered a poor childhood and subsequently ended up with a poor education would it be possible to rectify in later life*, has anyone done this?

OR

Does a poor education become *hardwired* into the brain, thus becoming impossible too change.

Thanks

S

• 30+

It is possible to train the brain until quite late in life from what I hear. Though of course learning is easier when your young. .

[rhinochopig]

superkartracer said:

Hello

Thoughts on this -

If one suffered a poor childhood and subsequently ended up with a poor education would it be possible to rectify in later life*, has anyone done this?

OR

Does a poor education become *hardwired* into the brain, thus becoming impossible too change.

Thanks

S

• 30+

It depends how poor you mean. If said child was left with no stimulation during the brain development years - and I'm talking Eastern-European-orphanage-rocking backawards-and-forwards style neglect, the child is permanently damaged. The best you can do is mitigate.

Crap secondary school education can be "repaired" but they will find it harder later in life.

HTH

[Mekon]

My parents weren't interested in education. I went to a crap school (about 45% got 5 A-C GCSEs), and as was the case for all my mates, I didn't get any A-Levels. In my early 20s I found an academic subject I was interested in, and read for fun. I subsequently did an access course, and one thing lead to another. I now find myself doing post-doctoral research at Cambridge.

What worked for me was finding something I was interested in, and sticking with that until I'd learnt to think critically. I've subsequently tried to use the skills I've learnt to broaden my interests. I like to think that I'll be able to get through a decent selection of the Oxford PPE reading list before I die.

[chunkymonkey71]

www.langside.ac.uk

I'll help! (And I'm not on commission...!)

[chris watton]

It most certainly can be ‘repaired’, if you have the right attitude to learning and knowing what you want in life.

[rhinochopig]

chunkymonkey71 said:

www.langside.ac.uk

I'll help! (And I'm not on commission...!)

Is it a flower arranging college? Odd website.

[Saddle bum]

Einion Yrth said:

Read, many, books.


HTH

My late father was only bitter about one thing in life - the lack of a good education. He spent all his adult life buried in books and managed to get on. He was fanatical about me getting the chance to be well educated, something I will always be grateful for.

[jesta1865]

Mekon said:

My parents weren't interested in education. I went to a crap school (about 45% got 5 A-C GCSEs), and as was the case for all my mates, I didn't get any A-Levels. In my early 20s I found an academic subject I was interested in, and read for fun. I subsequently did an access course, and one thing lead to another. I now find myself doing post-doctoral research at Cambridge.

What worked for me was finding something I was interested in, and sticking with that until I'd learnt to think critically. I've subsequently tried to use the skills I've learnt to broaden my interests. I like to think that I'll be able to get through a decent selection of the Oxford PPE reading list before I die.

my brother has done just this, my parents were interested, but he wasn't and came out of secondary school with just 2 gcse's, now he is 38 and through ou, evening classes and day release, he gained a doctorate in chemistry a few years back.

he just decided at 19 that he should do something about his life.

[10 Pence Short]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

This post is also available as a spoken word audio book.

Can I have it in Braille?

Is there anybody willing to teach me Braille?

[jshell]

chris watton said:

It most certainly can be ‘repaired’, if you have the right attitude to learning and knowing what you want in life.

Agreed. I left school with practically no qualifications, managed to blag onto an apprenticeship and eventually went back to do a part-time degree in Mech Eng and then an MSc, completing it at age 28. For the technical stuff it's more about handling the quantity of work, rather than the complexity - IMHO!

It changed my outlook & work prospects no end.

[superkartracer]

Was under the impression that certain areas of the brain die away during childhood and thus become hardwired.

Brain development is more vulnerable to environmental influence than was previously known .

The influence of early environment on brain development is long-lasting, but early influences are not totally deterministic but rather pre-dispositional, with the strength of their effects on later behaviour moderated by a variety of factors.

The environment affects not only the number of brain cells and number of connections among them, but also the way these connections are 'wired'.

'There is new scientific evidence for the negative impact of early stress on brain function' (Mustard, 1999. Adapted from Starting Points, Carnegie Corporation of New York, 1994).

[Simpo Two]

superkartracer said:

Does a poor education become *hardwired* into the brain, thus becoming impossible too change.

I'd say it's entirely up to the individual. Whatever you do, don't become one of those trapped people with chips on shoulders, who despise everybody with any education. That really will hold you back (unless you're Alan Sugar of course).

So, pick the subject you feel most shaky on and start learning it

[rhinochopig]

superkartracer said:

Was under the impression that certain areas of the brain die away during childhood and thus become hardwired.

Brain development is more vulnerable to environmental influence than was previously known .

The influence of early environment on brain development is long-lasting, but early influences are not totally deterministic but rather pre-dispositional, with the strength of their effects on later behaviour moderated by a variety of factors.

The environment affects not only the number of brain cells and number of connections among them, but also the way these connections are 'wired'.

'There is new scientific evidence for the negative impact of early stress on brain function' (Mustard, 1999. Adapted from Starting Points, Carnegie Corporation of New York, 1994).

As I said in my post, this is true but only during developmental years, i.e. when the neural networks are being laid down. In later life, this is not the case. In fact, if you look at certain stroke victims, where parts of the brain have been damaged during the stroke, there is evidence to suggest that new neural pathways are laid down, compensating for the stroke damage.

I wouldn't worry about it too much TBH, whether you were an Estonian orphan, or just went to a crap school, there is the capacity to improve your brainbox through further training and education.

[superkartracer]

Simpo Two said:

superkartracer said:

Does a poor education become *hardwired* into the brain, thus becoming impossible too change.

I'd say it's entirely up to the individual. Whatever you do, don't become one of those trapped people with chips on shoulders, who despise everybody with any education. That really will hold you back (unless you're Alan Sugar of course).

So, pick the subject you feel most shaky on and start learning it

You see, i'm already successful* BUT it's something that has always been at the back of my mind, was offered a place on an MA some years back and may take this up soon.

It's a personal thing really rather than something i need too expand my career as i'm already at the top of my game, as it were.

BUT even after an MA, will i still feel short-changed?

• successful.....

Edited by superkartracer on Thursday 22 January 11:55

[Heskey]

I can't remember any statistics but there is evidence to suggest that after the 'critical' age of 7 it becomes considerably harder to learn new stuff, if not nearly impossible to retrain quantities of new information.

[Piglet]

My mum died the first year I was at secondary school and I sat around a lot for the next five years before leaving with 4 "O" levels and a RSA in typing (I am a girl!).

Did some office work for a few years before deciding in mid 20's to try part time studying to see if I was up to it. Did an HND in Business Studies and discovered that I could do OK.

Took voluntary redundancy from a large international IT co and went back to uni full time to study law at 29, work part time through my degree and post grad study. Qualified as a solicitor at 35.

It can be done, it is hard work and it will leave you broke but you can achieve what you want if you're prepared to work at it.

[rhinochopig]

Heskey said:

I can't remember any statistics but there is evidence to suggest that after the 'critical' age of 7 it becomes considerably harder to learn new stuff, if not nearly impossible to retrain quantities of new information.

What utter rubbish. Why bother doing a degree then? Are you seriously suggesting that we reach our academic pinnacle at 7?

[Cactussed]

Question has been posed before.

"I 'ate you 'enry 'iggins!"