LTGR Ep. #46 – “What We’re Learning”
In this episode, Susan and Dan converse and share a relaxed view of what they're thinking about learning. The show offers an opportunity for all of us to pause and reflect on how our current personal and professional activities influence our understanding of the learning process.
Show Notes:
Susan and Dan offer their reflections and observations about learning. This episode is a relaxed view of what we’re thinking about learning.
Susan has been thinking about the importance of offering “interval training” in terms of offering more intense activities and some easier activities within a learning unit.
Dan went to a workshop about performance conversations. He took away a nugget of giving feedback focused on a common theme – meaningful to the employee and related to where the organization wants to go. Susan sees the connection to giving learners feedback. “The conversation is the relationship” made Dan think about the quality of his relationships at work.
Susan thinks about patterns and connections. She has been observing learners recognizing themes and the importance of that to their learning. Helping learners see the relevancy of your class content to their lives strengthens and reinforces learning. She’s now thinking about how we can help younger learners with this.
Dan attended a different workshop how the brain works in transfer of learning. What he learned was that what tests tell us might be the quality of short term memory. It doesn’t tell how the person will perform. Situation based learning was highlighted. All that reminds Susan of The Outcomes Primer.
“Learning takes time” is Susan’s last thought. She’s concerned about how we have condensed online courses.
We’d like to know what our listeners are thinking about. What themes are rising to the top? What has captured your fascination and what has triggered you to thinking about learning?
You can respond using the “Comments” link below or talk to us in LearningTimes. Or call us at 1-800-609-9006 x8055 (US and Canada) or 678-255-2174 x8055 (outside US and Canada). Join us!
June 26th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
An audio reply from Alan Selig:
My initial reflection as I was listening to this episode is that we really are continuing to move into a new understanding of learning that challenges old methodologies and patterns. Susan’s comment about “learning takes time” is an example. In the old metaphor learning was made up of discreet blocks (courses) that supported one another but were largely independent of one another. In that model shortening the time to create a block is akin to ignoring the “curing time” a brick needs to achieve sufficient hardness.
But newer metaphors see learning in a different way. A course is not discreet (as evidenced by both your comments about the need to understand learning that is measured 2-3 years after a particular class or training session is over. In this newer understanding perhaps a course can be viewed as a branch being grafted onto a tree. There is a need to determine a suitable site for the graft, to prepare that site and aftercare to ensure that the graft succeeds (or at least increase the likelihood of success). The actual grafting is a relatively brief time event.
So an 8-week online course can be successful if it isn’t intended to be an old building block case in a new medium. Instead, if the learning contract is understood to be life-long, if there is an ongoing relationship or series of activities, within which the course is one subset, then any length of time may be appropriate (one-hour training session, one-week workshop, four or eight or sixteen week course). It will depend on how the course is conceived within the larger learning goals.
Alan Selig
June 30th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Wonderful thoughts, Alan! You always extend our conversations so well
The cycling metaphor has some very practical considerations, too. I recently introduced a simple course map into one of the courses – a graphic about how the various modules fit together and what would be the ultimate project at the end of the course. A preview of the next turn and the ascent uphill! I have noticed a decrease in confusion about where we’re headed. Students seem to have a better understanding of how their weekly assignments are going to fit together.
As for old/new models of learning, this will be interesting to watch over time. As more students complete degrees and certificates online, what level of brand loyalty will they have? Will they return to the same institutions for continued education?
Susan
July 6th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I have just condensed a 15-week deviancy course into six weeks. It has been “hellish” as many of the students have had difficulty accessing the Sakai program and have sent assignments to me through other email addresses, including my general university address. I have spent many hours trying to assemble all assignments in to the course online.
Also, since the accreditation process for the “live” classes is the same for the online courses, how do we evaluate (excepting through quizzes and exams) whether the students have learned as much in online as those sitting in a 15-week class?