I read a really interesting BBC article describing how there is strong evidence that universally praising children can de detrimental to their growth, and encourages a ‘fixed mindset’ rather than believing they have the capacity to grow and learn (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13128701 ) . Of course the ELLI research ( see http://rsvpdesign.co.uk/trainer-training/ ) supports this article (both for children and adults) and we are heartened by the almost universal interest in ELLI from any organisation we speak to. There is also good research from other areas that children who value the idea of ‘I am someone who can learn’, and that ‘I can learn from mistakes’, are motivated to ‘grow and learn’ and ‘resilient’ when it comes to challenging learning situations. These type of children grow into valuable employees. I know some educational colleagues who wish they had praised their own children more for effort when they were younger, and now choose to celebrate ‘failure’ as a learning opportunity, even as their children have grown up.

It has prompted me to continue to think about how organisations can generate the same motivation to learn as the people who have all the successful and well researched characteristics of effective learners. I’m convinced that this motivation has to come from an organisational culture that respects individuals as capable of learning and change, and that their leaders should behave in a way that is consistent with that. This would mean abolishing ‘lists of approved training courses’, educating managers and individuals about the science behind effective learning, paying more attention to informal learning than formal learning, re-writing the charter for L&D & OD (or even seeking to phase them out, and give their responsibilites to line managers), and using ‘learning language’ in business contexts so it is seen as being fundamentally critical to achieving any organisational mission or goal. In fact research seems to suggest that’s what organisations who ‘thrive’ actually do – now we just need some good tools to help organisations achieve this …

RSVP Design has created a new joint venture – Mobile Learning Design – and we hope to create some tools that take advantage of the personal nature of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets etc.) to provide formal and informal learning support when people need it, rather than when it is offered. Please get in touch with us if this subject is of interest!

change management, cultural adjustment, effective lifelong learning, leadership, learner engagement, Learning Design, Learning Mindset, learning styles, learning tools, motivation, teaching, trainer training, Training Tools, whole brain learning Hide

It isn’t often that a TV programme inspires me to write a blog but I found myself watching ‘Gareth Malone’s Extraordinary School for Boys’ on BBC with an increasing mix of frustration and envy. If you haven’t seen this programme, it shows Gareth Malone, an engaging young musician and choirmaster who has had great success in inspiring young people to achieve success in the performing arts, attempting to improve the literacy of primary school boys by offering them a different type of school curriculum. He is clearly onto something: he recognises that many boys strugggle with traditional classroom based lessons and wants to offer them outdoor, energetic, competitive, high risk activity to enhance their motivation and engagement. He works with a class of boys, with the somewhat reluctant support of the headteacher, over a term and has permission to create his own learning environment and activity design.

That’s where my envy came from – what an amazing opportunity in this age of highly regulated education! I’m with him so far – then my frustration kicks in because as far as I’m concerned there is a blindingly obvious missing link in what he’s doing. And it’s a gap I recognise because I’ve seen it so often in learning and development in adult learning too. It is the gap between activity and learning purpose.

Let me give you some examples. The boys run competitive races and charge around in the local woods. They chop trees and have fights. They then take part in a formal debate, supposedly to improve their confidence at speaking aloud. Where is the connection between the outdoor activity and the debate? It’s not there. In another example, the boys are given swords, shields and freedom to act out a Roman battle. They have a wild and chaotic time. They are then taken into the classroom and asked to read and complete worksheets about Roman battles – presumably because their interest has been fired by their re-enacted battle. Do they read? Not really. Well, of course not. There is no connection between the need to read and the activity they’ve just taken part in.

So how could it be different? Let’s suppose we want to inspire the boys to speak and read and also allow them to be outdoors and re-enact a battle. So, let’s design it differently. Let’s make them need to read and speak, in order to achieve the the fun and thrill of the search and the battle. Here are some possibilities. They divide into two teams. Each team needs to read out written clues that will lead them round a pre-defined trail in the woods. They need to pass the instructions between sub-groups (in secret, so the enemy doesn’t hear them) so they need to set up a communication system. To do that they need to read the map to find the components and instructions to build and operate a field telephone. They need to crack a code to transmit secret messages. The written clues lead to their stash of weapons and the ‘battle plan’. To win the battle they have to follow the general’s orders – which arrive in writing, of course…..

I hope by now you see where I’m going. Good learning design, whether in a school for boys or a corporate environment, has to have a clear and strong connection between learning purpose, desired outcomes, learning process and learning activity.

At RSVP Design we are experts in how to link learning purpose and learning design. We create powerful learning environments in which the connections are clear and obvious. We may not be working with school children but we could certainly point Gareth Malone in the right direction!

If you are interested in creating rich, powerful , purposeful learning environments for your adult learners, let us know and we’ll send you an invitation to our Creating REALS workshop, specifically designed for L+D professionals who want to improve their learning design skills. We look forward to inspiring you!

effective lifelong learning, Experiential Learning, learner engagement, learning challenges, motivation, teaching Hide

Here is a fascinating presentation on an alternative way to teach! It certainly support the move from teaching to facilitating!

Click here

effective lifelong learning, learner engagement, Learning Design, Learning Mindset, learning styles, learning tools, motivation, teaching Hide