Self-directed learners need learning ecosystems, not courses
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Training & Development magazine August 2017 Vol 44 No 4, published by the Australian Institute of Training and Development.
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Self-directed learners need learning ecosystems, not courses
- 1. 12 | AUGUST 2017 | TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT WWW.AITD.COM.AU T he world of work and learning is changing. The term digital disruption is becoming one of the most overused words in business. We are entering a new era that could be called a digital renaissance, where the way we work and live is fundamentally shifting. GE, the 125-year-old multinational whose core business is industrial machines, is planning to become a software company by the year 2020. This transformation is a perfect example of the shifts that are happening. In GE’s case this means two things: a recruitment drive for software engineers and a massive internal training program to upskill technical staff in the application of artificial intelligence to their industrial machines. For modern workplaces to survive and thrive into the future employees need to be constantly learning, constantly improving, and developing the capabilities that enable the near future of the organisation. The separation between work and learning is disappearing. Employees need to be learning while they work, which means they need to become self-directed learners. The idea of the self-directed learner is not new, but it is more commonly talked about in education than in workplace learning. In some ways our modern education system is preparing people to be self-directed learners, but our highly-structured (often compliance- driven) approaches to learning in our workplaces actually inhibit the curiosity that self-guided learners have developed. A strong, mature self-directed learner is able to: • self assess and identify learning needs; • find resources and people to assist them; • practise and trial new behaviours and skills and gain feedback on performance; • articulate and reflect on what they have learned; • evaluate and measure their own learning. A self-directed learner doesn’t need a traditional linear course in which to learn. They need a learning ecosystem. I often introduce the idea of learning ecosystems and the 70:20:10 learning model to people by asking them to think about the last time they learned a new skill, and then consider how they learned that skill. The answer is often from YouTube or from a peer, or simply by trial and error. The natural way to learn isn’t through structure, it’s through experience, often with others, and we use a wide range of resources that have not necessarily been designed for learning. SELF-DIRECTED LEARNERS NEEDLEARNING ECOSYSTEMS, NOTCOURSES BYROBINPETTERD Attributes of a self- guided learner Learning strategies and features of the learning ecosystem the support these behaviours Able to self assess and identify learning needs Providing employees with tools and systems to self assess themselves in key areas that relate to their jobs is a great way to foster self awareness and self-directed learning. These types of tools can also be used by employees to organise their learning around areas they are weak in. Able to find resources and people to assist them Performance supports and job aids are the foundation of a learning ecosystem. Collections of answers and questions and examples of good practice are useful resources. Mentoring, coaching and peer support groups are useful methods to help support self-guided learners. Able to practise and trial new behaviours and skills and gain feedback on performance If formal learning experiences are organised around activities, not knowledge transfer, then they can present opportunities to practise new skills. Project-based learning is another strategy that is common in education but not often used in workplaces that enables employees to practise new skills in a supported way. Able to articulate and reflect on what they have learned Two powerful strategies for helping employees to reflect on and articulate what they have learned are: • learning conversations with their managers • learning logs and journals, where the employee records what they have learned recently. Able to evaluate and measure their own learning The same types of tools and systems used for self assessment might also be used for evaluation and measurement. Also, learning logs can be a useful tool for measuring learning. XXXXX
- 2. TRAINING DEVELOPMENT | AUGUST 2017 | 13WWW.AITD.COM.AU Learning ecosystem for self- guided learners The table below outlines some of the of learning strategies and resources that help support self-guided learners. A staged maturity model for learning ecosystems The reality is that most organisations and employees are not ready for learner-driven ecosystems, so a staged approach may be used to help them on the journey. Stage 1: Courses as blended ecosystems In this approach a course might begin and end with self assessments that help to define pathways. The learning design is focused on practising new skills, and includes peer support, and the learning design requires a learner to reflect on what they have learned. Stage 2: Employees are given choices about how they learn The learning ecosystem allows employees to make choices about how they learn. What they need to learn is still structured. The learning ecosystem still includes all the features of Stage 1 but the learner is given more autonomy. They might be given suggested pathways that help them to organise their learning. Stage 3: Self-directed learning ecosystems In a fully mature approach to learning ecosystems a learner defines what they need to learn to improve their job performance and how they are going to develop the new skills and knowledge. Then the organisation puts in place all the elements of the learning ecosystem to help them gain, practise and share these new skills and knowledge. Often the new knowledge that an employee needs is actually a new practice for the organisation, and the employee must go outside to resources such as MOOCs. The mindset of designing learning ecosystems instead of courses offers a powerful means to foster and build your people into being self-guided learners. Dr Robin Petterd is a principal consultant at LearnD, where he helps organisations cut through inefficiency and complexity by architecting a learning and knowledge ecosystem. He is also the founder and director of Sprout Labs. Sprout Labs develops learning experience platforms that enable learning and knowledge ecosystems. Contact via [email protected] Time to take your training online? Looking to work with an Australian company? LET REDBACK MANAGE YOUR WEBINARS www.redbackconferencing.com.au1800 733 416