Sunday, May 8, 2011

Do Learners Like to Learn?

No one enjoys attending a lecture where you sit, listen, fall asleep, then scramble to take a few notes. However, no one really enjoys elaborate and detailed learning activities that take so much time and lead to learner frustrations.

So, what's the solution?

I learned of this equation in church and it seems to be relevant in this situation.

R – R = R (Rules – Relationship = Rebellion)

Learners are programmed toward a focus on their job tasks or at least toward their job. They begin work, read e-mail, attend conference calls, build a few PowerPoint slides, complete projects, and the cycle continues each day. In other words, they are bent toward a rebellion when it comes to formal learning. They are busy and don't want to break away from what they believe is productive work, their daily work routine. They don't want "rules" (i.e. they don't want formal learning; to have to attend at a certain time or be involved in a learning strategy that is boring).

The solution is that the learning organization must first build a relationship with the learner. And, the learner must trust the learning organization and own the responsibility of being present and active as a learner. I'm saying that it's not just on the shoulders of the learning organization to build the relationship. Relationships are a two way street. We must have learners that chose to learn.

The result is a new equation.

R + R = R (Relationship + Rules = Rest)

If the learners and the learning organization have a strong relationship (both dedicated toward one another), then the rules (i.e. courses, reference materials, other learning opportunities) lead to rest (i.e. learning organization feels confident it made a difference; learners improve performance and make true business impact).

Example of This in Action
I listened to my minister present these equations and one week later I had forgotten them. I knew the only way to solidify this in my long term memory was to critically reflect and write a blog that tied the idea back to my profession. I was dedicating to learning and internalizing this message. I determined my own learning approach.

My Point

In order to have true business impact, both the learning organization and the learner must really care and both must work hard. Building learning and learning itself is hard work. If you are a learner, make the choice to learn. If you are the learning organization, dedicate your resources to building learning for those who want to learn. That is how the right relationship is built.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Reflective Practice: A Model for Deeper Learning

I believe in reflective practice. Reflective Practice is "the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning."

Reflective practice is how we move past standard learning objectives. It's a model where people critically reflect on experiences, their own and experiences of others. There are two types of reflection.

Reflection In: Reflecting and "thinking out loud" while performing a task
Reflection On: Reflecting after an experience

So What?
People learn through performing, building, socializing, and reflecting. It's not enough to just read or listen to lectures and it's not enough to engage in learning activities within a course. You will only realize advanced levels of skill through action and reflection on that action. More importantly, your peers and experts must provide feedback and you must take action on that feedback.

The result is:
Deeper knowledge
Improved skill, and
Strong social connections

Now What?

Take these next steps to become a practicioner of reflective practice.

1. Watch this Youtube video.
2. Publish a reflective journal (i.e. blog).
3. Ask for feedback on your reflections/experiences.
4. Be aware of what's happening during experiences AND SHARE THEM via social media.
5. Encourage others to reflect and interact with those who are.

Use Cisco Quad as an enterprise platform. Discuss, share, "think out load," and become the talent you know you want to be.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Learning Objectives are Dangerous

I have a master's degree from the great Florida State University; an M.S. in Instructional Systems. I learned to write learning objectives from the best of the best. Having said that, I believe that Learning Objectives are Dangerous.

Think of it this way. Designing learning programs where the learning leads learners only toward the accomplishment of a set of specific objectives, is a very restrictive strategy. You get the actions you expect. If you expect learners to only meet the objectives, that's exactly what they'll do.

The good news is that great people learn despite these restrictive learning objectives. Further, thank goodness learning organizations have continued to survive even though the learning they build is so narrowly focused. I'm thankful to have built a career in corporate learning. But, innovative companies don't restrict themselves like typical learning programs do.

I have a recommendation for corporate learning groups.

My Recommendation
Write learning objectives, but design learning programs that foster

1. Collaborative work efforts leading to innovation and learner-to-learner relationships
2. Critical thinking leading to resolution of complex problems
3. Reduction of fear so that true action can occur
4. Increases in confidence leading to long term competence
5. Empowerment so that learners take ownership

Essentially, go further than just meeting the objectives. Show up and innovate.

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Monday, March 22, 2010

Multi-task: Yes or No?

Research on multitasking shows it’s impossible to process more than one string of info at a time.

Stanford University Research:

With regard to a job task
, I totally agree. Focus on one task at a time. Often I tell a co-worker that “I’m putting my head down” and she knows that if she see something via e-mail or IM to ping me because I’m totally focused on some task. I completely focus.

With regard to processing information, nothing I read or watch will stay in my memory long term. I can filter what’s coming in and I organize it, primarily by using Delicious (social bookmarking) for external information and other tools for internal information. I don’t even try to consume it. Then, I share it via Twitter or Facebook and maybe someone has a clear job task at that moment for which it helps or they can organize information for themselves like I do.

Whether I read one thing at a time or 100, I cannot and never have been able to remember it so my meta-cognitive skills developed into being focused as an information aggregator. I have a Research folder on my C:\ drive and when I find a good template or example, I save it there. Then, one day I’ll need that Needs Analysis template and I’ll use it. Overtime there has been a general theme to the categories and I do seem to be able to recall my typical folder structure for things I’ve saved.

So, even if I focused on reading or watching one thing, the same end result happens; I remember absolutely nothing the next day. I’m not and never have been embarrassed by that. Even if we had a heated debate…I would go to sleep that night and forget it ever happened. It’s just me and who I am.

That’s why I take in as much as possible, drink gallons of coffee each morning, and I have strategies for organizing content so that it’s simple to access at a later time when it’s needed for an important task.

21st Century Skill
I believe we need to stop thinking our children can or should memorize and start helping them organize and share information. Help them build their own content organization structure and help them build a network of experts to reach out to. Then, they can be successful and learn-by doing and reference the necessary information.

Example: Tonight I taught my daughter to type in a keyword into Google, then type the word “game” at the end of her search. She learned about red-eyed tree frogs using an online game. Her report was factual as requested, but a few of the facts came from her experience within that game. In the future, she’ll do research and be conditioned to search for a game to learn about things, rather than just read and watch.

Teach kids to select their own instructional strategy.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

What Strategic Value Does the Central Learning Function Provide?

In Tony O'Driscol and Karl Kapp's Learning in 3D book, they state the following.
"Most of what a person needs to know to do his or her job is actually learned on the job....many organizations report 85 to 95 percent of a person's job knowledge is learned on the job."

I agree with this completely and would also say that this is true for any learner. High school students shouldn't be lectured to, they should be engaged in well designed projects and given all the information, tools, and resources that budgets allow. They should learn through reflective practice.

Well then, what is the value of a centralized learning organization?

I could write on this forever, but it's Saturday and I need to focus on other things. Here are a few thoughts off the top of my head.

Role of the Central Learning Organization

1. Build an innovation team that focuses on piloting emerging learning technologies. Require that team to research, test, and write guidelines for mobile learning, 2D/3D synchronous online learning, using games for learning, and so forth. Ask this team to consult with all teams in the enterprise on how to use these technologies, not just consult with those building learning within the enterprise. It's a learning technology Center of Excellence.

2. Design, organize, and distribute templates for information design, processes for learning development/deployment, and simply focus on work products that help decentralized teams be more efficient and effective.

3. Provide consulting services for the enterprise leading to recommendations for performance improvement. I didn't say leading to "training" in any form...whatever that "t" word means to you. I said consult to provide performance improvement. Example: add industrial engineers to provide input on software user interface design. Be willing to hire engineers and performance improvement consultants. Don't just hire hundreds of instructional designers.

Why is this difficult?
When companies centralize their learning organization, they bring in all head count from the decentralized learning teams. Usually, the team members that make up the central group do not have the skills and talent needed to do the three things I described above. It's a tough transition so it would be much easier to build this central learning group I describe from scratch rather than start with an "inherited" group of employees.

A well designed central learning group can do amazing things. We just have to consider what the definition of the word "learning" is.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Role of Corporate Learning

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"The biggest loss in opportunity for the learning function lies in the fact that it has rejected informal learning." p. 36 of Learning in 3D: Adding a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration

The corporate learning organization is responsible for the development of the organization's employees so that positive business impact is realized. Sadly, much of what is built is not designed to make an impact. Did you catch that? I said, much of what is "built."

Informal learning means many things to many people. To me, it means determining "non-learning" initiatives which lead to performance improvement. What if there were a group of say five people who interviewed functional teams and documented lessons learned for various projects. Then, that team built a wiki documenting the lessons learned. Finally, they communicated the wiki to employees and drove the improvement and helped foster wisdom of the crowds (i.e. the wiki just gets stronger overtime). So, it's a team of learning professionals who document and promote lessons learned and ensure those lessons lead to more successful projects in the future.

Wow, a learning solution that didn't involve the building of subject matter (product documents, and so forth), nor did it involve lecture. It's just a creative idea to improve performance. That's the role of corporate learning. Implement creative ideas that improve performance.

There once was a learner who went to a course, he listened and listened, but the trainer grew hoarse. The learner fell asleep after counting some sheep, and the the corporate learning group built a budget for more...

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Learning in Virtual Environments: People Learn Through Activity

I've always been a believer in situated cognition. Situated

Situated Cognition: knowing is inseparable from doing.

Virtual environments such as 3D worlds, 2D collaboration tools
(i.e. Cisco Webex), and of course Twitter provide an opportunity
for learning to be active. In 3D worlds learners can be
immersed in a simulated environment and co-create (i.e. build),
discover, reflect, etc. and all contextually situated. In 2D
environments, learners can share an application, chat,
collaborate on a whiteboard, etc. and again it's very active and
contextual. Then, Twitter. Ah, our well loved Twitter. Could
this virtual environment (i.e. microblogging) be what proves
situated cognition theorists completely accurate? I bet it does
because situated cognition says that learning requires thinking
on the fly instead of storage and retrieval of knowledge. How
better to think on the fly than to organize a network of
colleagues and ask them what they think any time, anyplace, and
on any device. Actively learn from your peers at all times and
rely on them to make you whole. Do it with Cisco Webex and microblogging.
If you need to co-create or practice in an authentic visual and functional environment similar to live face-to-face, use a 3D virtual world.

Learning is inseparable from people. It is active. And,
virtual learning environments afford what face-to-face
environments could have, but we never took advantage of. They
provide an opportunity to be active and connect with peers. People learn through activity with others and through situations rather than accumulation of knowledge. People do not learn through lecture. Remember, Benjamin Franklin read quite a bit, but he learned through experiments and situations such as "paying too much for the whistle.". He changed the world through experiments. He also learned because his father ensured there would be intellectual conversation at every dinner table. He learned through experiments and discussions with experts. He would have loved Twitter.

I am fond of learning in virtual environments because they help learners become more active.