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Archive: February 14, 2000
Creating an Incredible Learning Environment
"We learn something every day,
and lots of times it's that what we learned
the day before was wrong."
-- Bill Vaughn
From: Ruth Ann Hattori, CreativeIQ@aol.com
A couple of my most phenomenal learning environments have been created by Marshall Thurber, who is my super-learning guru. He has created games and learning experiences that truly ground big Aha's. Whether he's teaching Bucky Fuller's philosophy or Deming's lessons, Marshall knows design-engaging experiences that allow you to "discover" key lessons and have you nodding your head as he debriefs them and explains the concepts behind the learnings.
Marshall's work has been instrumental in helping us design Convergence 2000 and I really look forward to his participation in this year's Convergence where he will be leading an Action Learning Adventure on creating the learning environments necessary for today's fast pace of change.
From: Andrew J. Jankowski,andrew.jankowski@ey.com
20 minutes of meditation. Mozart playing in the background. Frequent breaks. Frequent exercises. Floor to ceiling whiteboards.
Do I win a free trip to convergence? (ed. note: No, but nice try!)
From: JBrons@aol.com
Here's the single most important thing about learning environments:
The environment must be such that Truth Telling is the norm. From that kind of beginning, the trust is built, motivation increases exponentially and the learning happens almost without a lot of effort. How do you create a Truth Telling environment? Here are some steps I have found to be key.
1) It starts way before the team gets together. All announcements, pre-work, etc. have openness and integrity all over them.
2) The kick-off by a top exec. staff member is filled with modeling truth telling, openness, integrity. "This is an opportunity for us to get to know each other as people, in addition to getting to learn about each other's functional responsibilities."
3) Have some structured activities that promote sharing and disclosing behavior, eg. Affiliations, Who's Up?, Trust Circle.
4) Have unstructured time for the getting-to-know-you magic to work.
Laura Hauser, Leadership Strategies International,
laurahauser@earthlink.net
"Horse Sense: Personal Lessons from an Unlikely Mentor"
This great one-liner was inspired by my Innovation University (IU) friends and fellows during last week's site visit in Tampa, Florida. Their thoughtful and creative ideas were invaluable in expanding my thinking about how to market aninnovative workshop called "Risk the Reins" that is offered as a pre-conference workshop at Convergence 2000 on March 26 in San Diego, CA. "Horse Sense: Personal Lessons from an Unlikely Mentor" is also the title of a new article submitted for publication in Pepperdine University's Career and Business Journal. Feel free to preview it now on the Innovation Network's web site at http://www.thinksmart.com/conv2000/horsesense.html. Thanks IU pals!
From: "High, Blanco", blanco.high@mail.va.gov
"Leaning is not mandatory..neither is survival."
-- Deming
From: Andrea Woodward, andrea@thinksmart.com
In 20 years of schooling, I was never challenged and stimulated like I was in my year as an Innovation University Fellow, an innovation best practices research program of the Innovation Network. Four things made that experience phenomenal for me: 1) As a fellowship group, we were working on a real project, rather than simulating the work environment; 2) We learned new tools and had time to use them to shift our thinking and group performance; 3) Our group's site visits to innovative companies gave us all a common experience that made discussion much deeper; 4) We went dancing every night. (After you've spent an afternoon "storming" while trying to align individual and organizational agendas, it's great to move!)
That's the thinking underlying the design of Innovation Network's annual conference, Convergence 2000: 1) Teams and individuals bring real work that requires a fresh approach; 2) Action Learning Adventures offer an extended two-day workshop for a thinking and planning retreat; 3) Every Action Learning Adventure offers an immersion experience for participants--like a site visit to an innovative company or a walk in a reflective labyrinth; 4) We'll gather together every night in The Barefoot Bar (complete with sand dance floor!), have fun and recharge ourselves.
The conference is March 27-30 in San Diego, CA. More info here:
http://www.thinksmart.com/convergence2000.html
Or, e-mail me, andrea@thinksmart.com, about Convergence or Innovation University.
From: Jan Stoltman, rjstoltman@earthlink.net
Ingredients for an incredible learning environment:
An assortment of creative, upbeat, multi-faceted and multi-talented individuals
Curiosity
Desire to evolve, grow and learn
Enough differences in style, background & experience to challenge but not frustrate
Open-mindedness
Clear values
A physical environment that uplifts, supports and inspires
Room for privacy & collaboration
Music
View of the outdoors/nature
Mix of action, contemplation, conversation, discussion
Down time
Creative "doodling" time
Inspiring role models
New ideas
New challenges
Cross pollination of ideas and thoughts from different fields
Physical exercise
Resources - reading materials, books, tapes, discussions, etc.
To prepare:
1) Introduce a selection of the above elements over time.
2) Mix with a balance of humor, high standards, freedom, deadlines, tolerance for risk, hands-on and hands-off approach
3) Observe initial outcomes and adjust accordingly - adding or subtracting ingredients
Hints:
1) You can vary the amount of each of the ingredients to taste
2) You can vary the length of time spent - shorter periods, and longer ones
3) You can combine the individuals in various configurations
4) You can document the results formally - tape, video, log, journal, oral history, debrief or informally - just observe
5) You can solicit input and feedback from the participants
6) Prepare mentally, emotionally and spiritually for a bountiful feast of growth, learning, evolution and remarkable outcomes!
Serves 5-unlimited amount, depending on proportions of ingredients. Can be adapted for families, companies and organizations, governments, international networks, and possibly intergalactic missions.
From: Downing, nolimits@cdsnet.net
What if there was a place you could go where you could be heard, where it was safe to speak and admit a mistake, where everyone near you supported your learning and progress toward your goals, where there were wonderful models of what you wanted to become, where you could move as fast or slow in your progress as you felt capable doing, where your natural curiosity and joy in both intellectual endeavors and self growth were supported and encouraged, where you didn't have to separate the rest of your life - family, work, emotional ups and downs - from your learning environment, where your physical, mental, emotional, intuitive and spiritual life skills could all grow in an integrated way, where you were constantly challenged to stretch your intellectual, ethical, emotional, community and physical skills to new plateaus,........What if?
The most incredible learning environment I have experienced has been in training midwives - we meet weekly for a full day over one and a half years. Students are challenged intellectually, they come to trust the safe and supportive environment and can bring mistakes to consciousness easily, they have models all around them, they grow and learn as whole people, they have a safe environment for turning mistakes into wisdom, they are constantly challenged to balance innovations in science with ancient midwifery knowledge. Not all students who enroll become midwives. But they all become who they are..they grow as people and discover a depth of potential previously hidden. They move beyond limiting ideas and accomplish more than they had previously expected of themselves.
From: Chuck Braun, CBraun@innovating.com
I recently designed a 5 day new employee quality course based on the central theme that learning is primarily social. And, the belief that learning works best when it is fun, participative, inclusive and involves a wide variety of learning experiences. Key to this model is creating learning experiences rather than training. The course is delivered to 3000 people yearly. We followed the following principles when designing the course:
All human beings are born with the desire and ability to learn. People like to learn. In fact, people are learning all the time we are a society of lifelong learners.
Learning is social.. When people come together at work (or as teams in a learning event), they end up creating and sharing ways of working. Failure to learn is the result of exclusion from participation. Failure to learn occurs when employees lack true access to the knowledge and training they need. Access requires that conditions allow individuals to make their own personal meaning from information.
Self-directed learning is the driving motor of change. Learning is an essential part of work. Research shows that 70% of workplace learning takes place informally.
Real learning comes from real doing. Knowing depends on engagement and practice. Learning is not complete unless learners are able to connect new knowledge effectively to what they already know and then put that new knowledge into practice.
People not only have different ways of learning; they also learn different things from the same interaction. Learning takes place on uniquely personal in terms Learning events need to reflect this awareness by creating a rich environment that challenges different types of learners.
We each bring unique knowledge and skills to learning. Everyone is a teacher; everyone is a learner regardless of his or her position. Even the least experienced team member may have that one unique perspective that sparks an entirely new look at the challenge at hand.
A fundamental objective of any learning event is to increase confidence and empower the lifelong learner. A well-designed and delivered event that provides useful knowledge in clear and engaging ways is a welcome experience for learners facing today's business challenges.
From: Bob Barlow, rbarlow@frontiernet.net
"The doer alone learneth," said Nietzsche, and I'm inclined to agree.
The trappings of education; the handsome and painfully expensive textbooks, the up-to-the-minute computer software, even the well-trained teachers; these are simply tools, the spades and trowels of learning. Just as you wouldn't expect to make a garden grow by curling up with a good rake, exposure to learning tools alone will not result in learning. The best learning environments are those in which students have access to direct experience, with teachers acting either as facilitators or as co-adventurers after meaning and beauty.
From: Anne Robinson, anniecreate@hotmail.com
JOYCE, I'm not trying to "guild the lily" (just as you're leaving the Innovation Network\to do more work of your own) but I think one of the most fool-proof (and I used the term advisedly) opportunities I've had for learning has been the various Convergences. (Actually I can say that about the other excellent conferences I've attended:
Creative Education Foundation (CPSI), American Creativity Association, Intuition Network, Humor and Creativity Conferences.) It and they offered wide variety of choices as to subjects and viewpoints; there was little feeling of pressure (no grades, few critical judgments); innumerable inspiring people to learn from or share learning with; plenty of inspiration but also plenty of fun; all in various types of appealing surroundings. I'm glad more businesses and organizations are learning to send their people-at-all-levels to such glorious gatherings. ANNE DURRUM ROBINSON whose conference-attending days are over but who treasures every one she ever had.
From: "Grieco, Margaret (MLAMG - Toronto)", margaret_grieco@ca.ml.com
The best learning environment is one in which the attendees arrive with an attitude to give as well as to take information. They come prepared to share their knowledge, communicate their experiences and approaches to doing their work. They then come away having not only learned something from the 'teacher' but come away with real tangible ideas, how to use what they learned and also come away having acquired if not friends, some acquaintances whom they may be able to contact in the future for whatever reason. They also gain some knowledge of those other companies and how and what things they do well. We must always remember that knowledge is power. So after a good learning experience, one returns to one's office a stronger employee!
In summary, the facilitators have to set up the space, invite the participation and encourage the open flow of information.
From: James Harris, tech_imp@yahoo.com
The company I work for starts from the word 'GO' to create a learning environment. It starts with our interview process where we ask questions that get at:
"Will this person come and ask me questions?"
"Can I go ask this person questions?"
"Will they tell me they don't know the answer?" and a follow-up to question #2, "Will they help me to find the answer?"
We also look for people who are:
- Smarter than we are.
- Who could be our boss.
With those kind of questions at the 'gate' we build with the people we hire an environment where we are constantly teaching and learning from each other.
From: Edward Golden, goldene@cwu.EDU
The ideal learning environment would be one where everyone is a teacher. I know that I learn more than my students do.
From: Marco Antonio Wong, mwong@enlace.net
Some ideas I can share:
1. Do brain gym exercises twice a day
2. Open a file in the company server "lessons learned"
3. Send 3 key questions every day, like: what was really hard to understand today? what's missing in this issue? why is hard for me to let go my usual way of thinking?
4. Have a learning fest once a month, with "unusual" music, room settings, etc.
5. Draw a company collage on individual, team's learnings
6. Include in meetings a learning agenda
7. Have a Chief Learning Facilitator in the organizational structure
8. Have a Learning Encourager in the company
9. Open an ICQ chat group on personal learnings
10 Include in performance appraisal the "learning log"
From: "Lisa Dominy (LEWISON)" ldominy@microsoft.com
My idea for creating an incredible learning environment is to have a competition that anyone can enter called "Miracles of the Mind" where people come up with new solutions to current problems and are given awards for their contribution. Start out with a web site and then make it an annual competition.