Learning - The Ability That Sets Humans Apart from AI

The work "Learning" by Professor André Giordan was translated by Dr. Nguyen Khanh Trung.

"Learning" by Professor André Giordan was published by Vietnamese Women's Publishing House in August 2025. The author affirmed: "Learning is a condition for survival, like eating and breathing. Humans are different from robots in that we not only absorb information, but also learn from mistakes, from life experiences, from love and social cooperation.

A child can naturally learn to eat, to talk, to walk, to perceive the world in subtle ways that no mechanical system can fully simulate.

According to him, it is this natural ability to learn that is lost when people enter school, the place that should nurture and develop it. Instead of arousing curiosity, schools often focus on "one-way communication" which makes learners passive. From there, author Giordan promotes a "culture of questioning", considering questioning, doubting, and criticizing... as the key to expanding knowledge and adapting to the changing world.

The work is divided into three parts. The first part points out the shortcomings of current education when it focuses on stuffing knowledge. He analyzes three major pedagogical models (experimental, training, constructivist), emphasizing that the human brain is inherently "plastic" and needs a learning environment rich in interaction and meaning.

The book has a modern design, suitable for the digital age.

The second part discusses motivation and the learning process. According to Professor Giordan, learning is always an interaction between external information and the learner's pre-existing concepts, sometimes causing cognitive conflicts, but from there people grow up. He also provides practical tools such as diagrams, models, and images to help students actively organize and remember knowledge.

The third part looks to the future of schools and the teaching profession. Teachers must not only impart knowledge but also become inspirers, arousing wonder, leading students to find the path of self-learning and self-transformation.

The final two chapters of the book offer a vision of the “teacher of the future”: a flexible educator who listens, encourages, and asks new questions with his or her students.

In the AI era, when knowledge can be easily found through ChatGPT or digital tools, the role of teachers becomes more important not in "how much knowledge they have in their heads" but in their ability to connect, guide and nurture the souls of their students.

Professor André Giordan (1946–2023) was a leading European educational scientist, Professor at the University of Geneva (Switzerland), founder of the Center for Research on Pedagogy and Scientific Epistemology (LDES). He left behind more than 30 books and 300 research works, especially notable for his heterogeneous learning model (Allostérique), emphasizing cognitive conflict and the transformation of old knowledge into new knowledge.

The work "Learning" was translated by Dr. Nguyen Khanh Trung, lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City Open University, with much enthusiasm in bringing modern educational knowledge closer to Vietnamese readers.

The work is evaluated by experts as suitable for research activities, useful for teachers, parents and everyone interested in education. The work suggests a path towards a learning society that directs people towards lifelong learning, continuously breaking through old standards to evolve and mature.

THUY PHUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hoc-tap-nang-luc-khien-con-nguoi-khac-biet-voi-ai-post904801.html