Win learning skills by combining Japanese martial arts and traditional Jewish thinking

by Ilan Gattegno

Artificial Intelligence creates new challenges when Machine Learning threatens to make many human activities obsolete. We are just starting to see the effects of integration in ChatGPT and all the plug-ins that keep emerging and changing our lives. But machines do not learn. They memorize. They can retrieve memories very fast. Still, we must program them to choose at the right time. They have an enormous but also final capacity. In human learning, the sky is the limit if we use the strong powers of the brain rather than our weak memory. Our current education system is memory-based and demands that students memorize everything without teaching them how to secure retention and without providing them with efficient learning methods. If we keep the current system in our schools, we cannot evolve.

Learning is an activity we do all our lives, starting before birth. We first learn basic things like breathing, swallowing, digesting food, rolling over, crawling, walking, talking, and then explore more complex activities, like painting, writing, dancing, fighting, operating computers and telephones, searching the internet, and manufacturing robots.

What is the secret to success in learning? How can gifted students naturally and swiftly achieve what others would take years to learn?

The secret is using natural human learning. We did it when we learned our mother tongue. Learning to speak a language is a difficult and complex task. When later in life, we try to acquire another language, it is difficult, if not impossible, for us to reach in the acquired language level of mastery we have in our mother tongue. Why not use that same learning process to learn other things? 

Natural human learning requires that we develop criteria for what is right and what is wrong. We learn better if challenged with a question that needs an answer. The secret to novel thinking is asking the right questions.

I developed “The Learning HACK,” a concept of natural learning and teaching, and published it in a book with the same name available at Amazon worldwide. I draw many examples from my experience in Martial Arts teaching and learning since this was the teaching experience I had been engaged in for the longest time. Still, this method was applied successfully in core fields of learning like mathematics (“Numbers in Colors”) and languages (“The Silent Way”) and in other learning environments, like music. I chose Martial Arts for the demo since Traditional Martial Arts include survival, strategy, psychology, espionage, chemistry, physics, biology, physiology, and meteorology.

Our natural learning process, which we use instinctively as toddlers, can and should be revived in more areas. The Learning HACK method promotes a unique approach to learning and teaching. It is now high time to introduce the common sense of natural learning to all those who still learn and teach the traditional way. The next generation will face challenges that require a better approach to learning.

We are a curious species. We learn all our lives, attempting to avoid saying: I don’t know. We hate not knowing and find it hard to admit we do not know. We want to learn and use the knowledge to our advantage. But to let learning occur, we must first acknowledge that we don’t know something and have the will to know it.

My “Learning HACK” method is a combined approach that uses human qualities while understanding the limits of our physiology. Suppose we are taught and encouraged to learn correctly. In that case, this basic knowledge and natural ability will be part of our “learning toolbox” that will be available to us in any situation that requires learning.

Teaching and learning wisdom has been passed down for centuries in many cultures worldwide. There are unique perspectives and approaches to education in two distinct cultures: Japan and Judaism.

Japan is known for its highly structured and disciplined approach to education, emphasizing hard work, respect, and the importance of individual effort. On the other hand, Judaism values tradition, community, and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. For many religious Jews, life-long learning of the bible is the preferred way of life.

Traditional martial arts schools in the Far East have a long teaching and learning history. Knowledge is passed through generations, and the learning processes can inspire teachers and students in other fields that involve movement, but not just that. Martial arts training can also be a great way to develop important life skills, such as self-control, problem-solving, and communication. Once you start, it becomes a way of life for the rest of your life.

Teachers in other fields can benefit from the experience and the tradition of martial arts teaching. Martial Arts teachers had to choose a good learning method because it meant survival. It meant the difference between life and death. It meant that the students need experience. Today we use this method to learn how to drive. The driving teacher does not sit in the driver’s seat and tells the student to learn by watching. It is the student at the wheel and the teacher is there to point out mistakes and in case of imminent danger – stop the car or avoid an accident by moving away from danger.

Jewish tradition also centers around life-long learning. Judaism recognizes that teaching and learning are different. We don’t learn when someone is ready to teach us, but when we are ready and willing to learn. This fundamental insight leads to two lessons on learning which are incorporated naturally into Jewish tradition.

The first is the importance of personalizing learning. The second concept is the importance of active learning. Research shows that passive learning doesn’t work. In a meta-analysis of 225 studies [1] of how well students learn from lectures versus active-learning seminars, the authors found that active learning would raise average grades by half a letter and that failure rates under lecturing increase by 55% over the rates observed under active learning. The experience engages their comprehension, reasoning, memory, retention, and pattern perception skills.

Jewish tradition values study and action and allows the connection between both. Studying traditional texts gives a framework for understanding human obligations in the world. We need to not only accept the responsibility to act but also expose ourselves to the circumstances in which action is necessary. Studying the Jewish way makes those obligations urgent and immediate. Albert Einstein said, “The pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, an almost fanatical love of justice and the desire for personal independence — these are the features of the Jewish tradition which make me thank my stars that I belong to it.”

Jews have a long tradition of study and discussion to deepen understanding and promote growth. The Talmud, for example, is a compendium of Jewish law, ethics, and commentary that is studied and debated by Jews around the world.

Jews are encouraged to ask questions and seek out knowledge to grow and improve. Teachers often use questioning techniques to encourage students to think critically and explore their ideas. In Judaism, learning is often seen as a communal activity, and students are encouraged to work together and share their knowledge and insights. Group work and other collaborative learning techniques can help to facilitate deeper understanding and promote growth.

Proverb 22,6 gives instructions on how to teach: Train up a child in his way; when he is old, he will not depart from it. It means that the ideal education is a customized education adapted to the way and the unique character of the learner. The teacher must observe and recognize the natural way of the student and adapt his teaching to this way. This idea emphasizes the importance of parental guidance in the spiritual maturation of children. It suggests that by giving children instruction and guidance tailored to their specific needs and abilities, they will be more likely to stay on the right path and not stray from it later in life.

The purpose of education is not to change the nature of the learner (and indeed of the educator) even when his character seems negative. The role of education is to channel a person’s character that is in a positive direction, no matter what his natural inclination.

Not only does the teacher have to adapt his teaching to the learner, but also to ignore the social conventions on the subject and the comments of the country where he lives, since he acts as an agent for his apprentice and not for society or the state.

The learning experience of famous sages in the Talmud and Midrash is characterized by fellowship studies. They were engaged in learning by asking questions, and challenging perceptions, and beliefs. The Talmud, a collection of Rabbinic commentary on the Torah, is an important source of Jewish knowledge and understanding. The Talmud is often studied in yeshivas (Jewish schools) as a means of developing critical thinking and analytical skills.

The fellowship confronts the learner with the teacher’s challenge, as part of the process of personal theoretical clarification, to present his understanding to his friends in the fellowship, to convince them, and sharpen him also. The hevruta at its core is the self-study of a pair of learners or a small group. The lessons are individual, and they include studying the core of the text followed by deepening and expanding, considering questions presented by the fellowship participants. In the fellowship, there are no classes and there is no clear division of roles between the learner and the teacher, and even the traditional teachers made it a point to study a part of their time with the fellowship.

The learning process at the base of the fellowship is guided by an understanding and agreement that every opinion must be respected, and learning takes place in an interpersonal space of mutual respect and tolerance for others. 

Overall, the techniques and strategies used to facilitate learning and promote growth in Judaism are designed to encourage students to engage deeply with the material, to think critically and independently, and to apply their knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on the world.

There are a few learning strategies that are common to both Japanese martial arts and Judaism.  Both Japanese martial arts and Judaism place a strong emphasis on discipline and hard work as key components of learning and growth. In martial arts, students are expected to train consistently and put in the time and effort necessary to master techniques and skills. Similarly, in Judaism, students are encouraged to work hard and persevere in their studies.

Both martial arts and Judaism place a strong emphasis on the importance of mentorship and guidance in learning. In martial arts, students are typically taught by a master or sensei who provides guidance and direction. Similarly, in Judaism, students often study with a rabbi or other spiritual leader who helps them to understand and apply the teachings of the tradition.

Both martial arts and Judaism encourage students to reflect on their learning and to think critically about the material they are studying. Japanese martial arts and Judaism use learning strategies emphasizing discipline, hard work, practice, mentorship, and reflective learning as key components of growth and development.

By embracing the diversity and richness of these two traditions, students can gain a deeper understanding and develop a more holistic and well-rounded approach to learning. By comparing and contrasting these two cultures, we can delve into the different ways that education is viewed and practiced and how these approaches can inform and enrich our understanding of teaching and learning.

The book is available on Amazon