Learning

  • I have no idea

    What do we do when we cannot achieve certainty? We increasingly accept that we need to make decisions without the comfort of certainty. It is okay to not know. It is healthy to accept the unknown as we no longer seek certainty. It is when we are no longer certain that we learn. In some…

    Crossing Golden Gate (Noël/flickr.com)
  • Teaching and learning in The Walking Dead (S05E14)

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    In this episode, the young Noah has asked to meet with Reg, an elderly architect or engineer who had the know-how to build the wall that protects the community of Alexandria, which some believe has survived zombies and other predators mostly by sheer luck. Noah recognizes that it’s more than luck – and wants to Reg to…

    Noah and Reg discuss teaching and learning theories
  • Patterns and trends

    How do we navigate these rules while achieving intended purpose? When we need new knowledge, where do we go? How do we go about it? How do we limit our exploration to ensure that we can still deliver on our tasks? What if we need to upset or question assumptions about how we work in…

    Islamic mosaic pattern (Jörg Reuter/flickr.com)
  • Dialogue and inquiry

    We learn from each other through dialogue and inquiry. We are excited that we can participate in a rich, diverse world of different perspectives and opinions. Conversation, as George Siemens says, is the “ultimate personalization experience. We ask questions and offer views based on our own conceptions. We personalize our knowledge when we socialize” (Siemens…

    Conversations.1 Stills from a music video for The Hole Punch Generation (Gwen Vanhee/flickr.com)
  • E-mail is formal learning

    Technology has enabled new conversations across time and space. Yet e-mail, for example, has become a formal medium, subjected to some of the same rules of consensus that prevail in other formal spaces for dialogue. It can be argued that reading and responding to e-mail requires stopping our (other) work. We also have to figure out…

    Express (Darien Law/flickr.com)
  • Eureka

    If informal learning constitutes an important way in which we learn, adapt and grow, it is important to be able to describe when, where, and how such learning occurs. Only then can we determine how the organization might provide or improve an enabling environment. We can begin such a process by recalling “aha” moments of…

    S.S. Eureka, paddle steamer "Eureka" seen at the San Francisco Maritime Museum (Dave Wilson/flickr.com)
  • Accidents happen

    Question: Why were you looking at their data? Answer: Just out of interest to see. We recognize that some of our most significant learning may occur by accident, as a byproduct of some other activity such as task accomplishment, interpersonal interactions, or trial-and-error experimentation. Where informal learning may be sometimes intentional and more possibly planned, incidental…

    Salvador Dali, Chess Set, 1971 (Andrew Russeth/flickr.com)
  • Learning habits

    What are the learning habits that we perform on a regular basis to stay current? As professionals, we organize our personal learning habits in different ways that reflect our interests, personalities, and career paths. We rely on a variety of information sources, engage in reading, attend seminars and conferences, or take MOOCs or other online courses. And,…

    10 habits (Audrey Low/flickr.com)
  • How do we solve problems in work?

    What do we do when we are confronted with a problem?  Problem solving begins when we encounter a new experience. We do this out of necessity, but also because we enjoy it. We also need to be able to solve problems fast. We develop our ability and willingness (including on a political level) to identify, analyze, and…

    Casse-tête (Frédérique Voisin-Demery/flickr.com)
  • The value of learning embedded in work

    Learning that is embedded into work resolves the dilemmas of (formal) learning that requires stopping work. What we learn as we work, we learn in order to apply, and such a learning process does not usually require dedicated resources. For those of us who see ourselves as “doers” and oppose our way of doing to…

    VIA VB7009 Embedded Board - Rear I/O (VIA Gallery/flickr.com)