Learner's Basic Requirements for Effective Learning
Written by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Copyright 1997-2008.
Learning is Ultimately the Learner's Responsibility
Regardless of the situation, learning is ultimately the individual's responsibility. Learning will not succeed unless the individual feels a strong sense of ownership and responsibility in the process itself. The best forms of learning involve the complete individual, including his or her approach to personal organization and wellness.
Must Be Willing to Grow, to Experience
Learning often involves new skills, developing new behaviors. After many years of classroom education, it's easy for us to take a course where all we must do is attend each meeting, take notes and pass tests -- and call this learning. One can complete a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), but unless they're willing to actually apply new information, they'll most likely end up with an office full of unreferenced textbooks and a head full of data, but little knowledge and wisdom. For the learning process to succeed, the individual must be willing to take risks.
Growth Involves the Entire Learner
If learning is to be more than collecting new information then we must involve ourselves completely in our learning experiences. Unfortunately, too many development programs still operate from the assumption that the learner can somehow separate personal development from professional development. So we end up getting a great deal of information about finance and sales, but little help with stress and time management. Then, after schooling, when we enter the hectic world of management, we struggle to keep perspective and we're plagued with self doubts. True learning involves looking at every aspect of our lives, not just what's in our heads.
Growth Requires Ongoing Feedback
Many of us don't know what we need to learn -- we don't know what we don't know. Therefore, feedback from others is critical to understanding ourselves and our jobs. However, we're often reluctant to seek advice and impressions from others, particularly fellow workers. The courage to overcome our reluctance and fears is often the first step toward achieving true meaning in our lives and our jobs.
Growth Involves Realistic Expectations
There is a vast amount of management literature today, much of it asserting the need for substantial and continued change. We're expected to achieve total quality and total integrity. We're encouraged to transform ourselves and our organizations. Courses and workshops promise a wide range of outcomes and useful skills. It's easy in today's hectic and frustrating world to want a course or workshop to take care of all of our problems. True development is a process, more than an outcome. Many of us want to measure our growth along the way by setting objectives to accomplish. We must ensure these objectives are realistic -- or we're faced with despair and cynicism about our work and learning.
For the Category of Personal Development:
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General Information
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Also See
Career Development -- Recommended Books
Interpersonal Skills -- Recommended Books
Personal Productivity -- Recommended Books
Personal Wellness -- Recommended Books
