Can we learn in a world without electricity?

"I grew up in a private residence ... Deprived of water, electricity and telephone" 

Dego Maradona 

Energy a volatile commodity

In a world of scarcity, what would we be without? What would be the new possibilities for learning?

Electricity is part of our lives, going without it seems an unhappy dystopia. The consequences for basic needs would be immense. Pumps would no longer be activated to transport drinking water with all the effects on daily food, hygiene or even agriculture. For the homo portabilus that we have become, the means of communication would no longer be assured, with the difficulty of coordinating, contacting and exchanging over long distances. The consequences to adapt will be difficult. Unless we regain the contacts of proximity ...  

The travel also would become difficult. For example, not only would gas stations no longer be able to supply the gas pumps, but the lack of fuel would also mean the cessation of aviation and rail transportation. As for the cold times of the year, they would lead us to move closer together to keep warm. Our lives would be completely turned upside down, forcing us to rely even more on our learning abilities. Those who wish to picture the situation can consult the France 1978 archive where the country was without electricity for 4 hours, or the great New York City blackout of 1965.  In both cases it seems that chaos is quick to set in.

What solutions to keep living?

While some demographers, with a touch of amusement, note rising birth rates after massive power outage events, suggesting opportunistic body counts, other experts try to observe countries that are more frugal and therefore more resilient in the way they cope with these shortages. Observing countries that regularly suffer from blackouts, countries in typhoon zones or poor countries, or countries used to dealing with difficult climatic situations like Canada, provides indications to adapt.

• For companies, one of the avenues lies in the development of business continuity plans. This often involves stocking  generators, backup pumps, or inverters to protect electrical equipment, including making backups to protect data, even paper backups.
  
  The answer differs if you need to have a two-hour, four-hour, six-hour or longer continuity vision. It is also possible to have a few emergency beds for people prevented from moving or telecommuting protocols, technical unemployment, rules known to all.
  
  
• For individuals, it is a matter of preparing his survival kit with headlamps, oil lamps, battery radio, water reserve, recharge battery for the main electrical equipment. And as long as we are preparing the solidarity reflex, why not prepare them as a team? Imagine a stock exchange of surplus survival equipment at each other's homes?

Pedagogical adaptations

In ancient Greek "crisis" means "moment of truth" "decision" "sacrifice to discern the future" because there is life or death and it also means looking for a scapegoat. The fourth meaning of the word crisis describes a phase of acceleration of an illness towards recovery or the end. 

If electricity runs out, we will experience a crisis, we will have to do without our phones, digital screens and remote means of communication, but there are a plethora of practices for coping and learning in other ways, as we are still capable of doing. Here are a dozen:

1. Use books, manuals, and guides to study and learn; the library still has them.
2. Write notes and summaries by hand to memorize and organize information learned.
3. Use mind maps or diagrams to visualize concepts and ideas.
4. Practice crafts, such as sewing, sculpting, or drawing, to learn new skills and techniques.
5. Playing board games or puzzles to stimulate thinking and learning.
6. Meeting outdoors, walking.
7. Learning songs, poems, or nursery rhymes to improve memory and comprehension.
8. Practicing physical activities, such as yoga or dance, to learn to focus and manage stress.
9. Learn by imitating others by observing how they do things and trying to reproduce them yourself.
10. Learn from and through nature, by observing it carefully and making transpositions in one's activities.

New educational situations allow for the emergence of new leaders, perhaps learning about solidarity, new behaviors, and the possibility of revealing talents for dealing with novel situations. 

Sources 

How would a world be without electrical power  https://www.sirenergies.com/article/comment-serait-le-monde-sans-energie-electrique/  

Business Continuity Club  https://www.clubpca.eu 

France TV info. Power outage. We tell you about the great blackout of 1978 that paralyzed France 

https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/energie/coupure-d-electricite-on-vous-raconte-la-grande-panne-de-1978-qui-a-paralyse-la-france_5515533.html   

Energy crisis power outages. The day France experienced a major electrical blackout https://www.tf1info.fr/societe/crise-energetique-coupures-electricite-le-jour-ou-la-france-a-connu-un-grand-blackout-electrique-19-decembre-1978-2240972.html 

TF150 years ago all round New York was plunged into darkness https://www.tf1info.fr/international/il-y-a-50-ans-tout-rond-new-york-etait-plongee-dans-le-noir-1535653.html