In keeping with the ethos of our faith, we must continue in our quest for knowledge, to discover Allah’s creation and use it to better the quality of life for our families, Jamats and those among whom we live. Hence, we must keep up with continuous professional development, improving our skills, learning something totally new like learning a new language, for example English for elderly in our Jamat, as this is something Mawla emphasizes on. In this cycle of learning we will grow, have increased capacities, sharpen our intellect and in turn consciously and even unconsciously influence the lives of those around us. It is important to recognise that this process should not be limited to ourselves, and we must all become teachers, and instil the ethic and habit of continuous learning in our families, from young to old. As we spend a little more time at home during this period, we have more time with elderly members of our family, and this is a great opportunity for us to impart knowledge and skills of todays time with elderly members in our family.
Next let’s consider ideas, tips and resources of how we can achieve learning in these circumstances!
Encouraging the use of smart phones for elderly
Communication can greatly impact an individual’s quality of life, more so for the elderly members of our Jamat. Being able to communicate with family members and friends in different parts of the world, or even in a different household, can bring much joy and fulfilment to their lives. Hence make a fun project with your grandma, or granddad, or aunty or even mum and dad, to teach them how to use a smart phone and all its apps in a way to ease their life, and increase their quality of communication to the outside world. One challenge here is some of our Jamati members are not proficient in English. To get around this, most Samsung phones have inbuilt languages, including Gujarati, Urdu and Hindi, and you can change the whole phones language and writing system (including most apps) to your preference. (Ensure to note how you can change the language back to English when you need to help them with something).
Do a short course
‘87% of people learning for professional development report career benefits like getting a promotion, a raise, or starting a new career’ - Coursera Learner Outcomes Survey (2019). We all want a pay raise at work, a promotion, but have we upped our skills or ability to do so and really earned it? With rapid changes in the way we work, technology, we must keep up to remain relevant in the work space and also grow our capabilities. This isn’t only applicable to those working, but also to those who need a challenge, a way of exercising their intellect and increasing general knowledge. Did you know that ‘Coursera’ is a website that offers free courses for a diverse set of subjects? There are a few other websites that also offer some free online courses, such as ‘Future Learn’, ‘Harvard University’ and ‘LinkedIn’.
Unconventional learning
We are so accustomed to the modern ways of learning that we have forgotten and even discount traditional ways of learning such as storytelling, and the importance of learning our traditions and customs. While we should move with the time and adapt accordingly, some skills and knowledge never grow old. It is often we hear our mums and dads say ‘my hair didn’t just grow grey; it came with wisdom and experience’. There is so much we can learn from our elders by actively and consciously seeking out these pieces of wisdom. Our parents and grandparents have seen much more of life than we have and we can learn plenty from just simple stories about incidents and phases of their life. Back in the day, with no tv, no iPad, no WIFI and no electricity, weekend nights were for grandma’s story telling sessions, and its time we revive this tradition to our benefit, perhaps over a family barbeque, so we can understand the meaning of things we do today and why we should continue them.
Family Projects
When someone is there to encourage you or doing something with you, you are more likely to learn better or quicker, and stay committed to the path. Therefore, choosing an area for the whole family to learn is likely to be more fun than individual learning and an enlightening experience for all! You can learn from your children too! The whole household should get together and choose a topic that is suitable for all. Also throwing in competition and a reward will definitely make things more interesting. You could also ask your family members on areas they think you need improvement or skills and work on these, but for your individual learning, with help if you need any from them or others!