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Switching On Your Mind 71

✔ Range of folders
✔ Range of clear plastic wallets
✔ Any equipment specific to what you are learning

What else do you like to have with you?

These suggestions may seem obvious, but I am surprised at how
often people I work with simply have not thought about some of
the most basic equipment for their learning. I am sure you will want
to add many other items to this list.

THE PRESSURES OF LIFE

There have been some interesting changes in patterns of social life
over the last few decades. It used to be common for one parent only
to work; now more than half of families have both parents in
employment. And, of course, the working week has grown insidi-
ously from a reasonable 40 hours to an elastic 50 or 60.
Televisions, computers, computer games, and mobile phones
have come to dominate many homes. Watching television is the
core ritual for many families, where having breakfast and supper
together and playing family games were dominant rituals in the
past. While most people once knew and trusted their neighbors,
today we are likely not to know them and to be worried about the
noise they make. This is not a lament for the past, but a reminder
of the social context in which learning sits.
A key issue for you when you try to set aside time for learn-
ing at home, at work, or anywhere else is your ability to create an
environment where you can be free from real-world intrusions. This
is as important for the adult learner as it is for a teenager struggling
to complete their homework.

How do you manage this in your family social life?