Wikipedia defines meta-learning as '...the process by which learners become aware of and increasingly in control of habits of perception, inquiry, learning, and growth that they have internalized. It is the state of being aware of and taking control of one’s own learning'. In their article in the Chief Learning Officer magazine, Jay Cross and Clark Quinn highlight that 'Chief Learning Officers should take a meta-learning viewpoint to increase an organization's odds of sustainability.'
I guess in simple terms meta-learning is learning about learning. Today, learners need to take increased responsibility for their learning. With social learning and informal learning taking bigger pieces of the learning pie, it is becoming even more critical for learners to know what helps them learn better.
Meta-learning has its application for both individuals and organizations. As individuals, meta-learning helps us become better learners. The more we become aware of our own attitudes, beliefs, and motivation towards learning - the better learners we become. This also means that we take increased responsibility for our own learning and participate in learning as a continuous process.
Within an organization, meta-learning helps create and support an optimal learning environment and promotes a learning culture. With meta-learning, organizations are more focused on learning interventions and encourage learners to develop new skills. Becoming aware about meta-learning also enables individual learners to share their views, insights, and learning with other learners and highlight some of the best practices from their own meta-learning process therefore helping the organization to move towards becoming a 'learning organization'.
As an instructional designer and learning consultant, I feel a need to explore meta-learning at a deeper level to identify techniques that will help my learners learn and create simulating learning environments. I also realize that somewhere, I need to help my learners develop their own learning skills and therefore learn better using the available resources.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
What color pen are you?
What color pen are you? This is a question that Dan Roam asks each of us. His book "The Back of the Napkin -Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures " offers a refreshing view about visual thinking skills. If it helps, this book is ranked as the number 5 in the business book of 2008 category by Amazon. To get a teaser of what's in the book, click on the napkin for some engaging nuggets on visual thinking. Learn about how to solve any problem with a picture, the 4 steps of visual thinking, the 5 focusing questions, and the 6 ways we see (and show).
And as Dan puts it, “Solving problems with pictures has nothing to do with artistic training or talent….”
“Welcome to the whole new world of looking at business.”
To catch a glimpse of Dan, what's inside his book, and his plans for the next book, check out Dan's blog. This blog contains a link to the video capture of Dan’s session with Microsoft. I saw it and its quite inspiring.
I have been doing visualization skills training for instructional designers for years and have definitely improvised it from where we were…but there’s lots to do. After this video, I want to apply some of the stuff shared by Dan and maybe include the video/elements from his blog/book as self-learning and include some of the concepts and examples/techniques during the classroom session…. As you can note…. I am meandering right now… but I am clearly inspired :)
BTW, what color pen are you – the black pen, the yellow pen, or the red pen?
I keep oscillating between black and yellow...
Watch the video to find out!
And as Dan puts it, “Solving problems with pictures has nothing to do with artistic training or talent….”
“Welcome to the whole new world of looking at business.”
To catch a glimpse of Dan, what's inside his book, and his plans for the next book, check out Dan's blog. This blog contains a link to the video capture of Dan’s session with Microsoft. I saw it and its quite inspiring.
I have been doing visualization skills training for instructional designers for years and have definitely improvised it from where we were…but there’s lots to do. After this video, I want to apply some of the stuff shared by Dan and maybe include the video/elements from his blog/book as self-learning and include some of the concepts and examples/techniques during the classroom session…. As you can note…. I am meandering right now… but I am clearly inspired :)
BTW, what color pen are you – the black pen, the yellow pen, or the red pen?
I keep oscillating between black and yellow...
Watch the video to find out!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Workplace Learning and Me - 10 years from now...
For March 2009 Big Question is: Workplace Learning in 10 years.
"If you peer inside an organization in 10 years time and you look at how workplace learning is being supported by that organization, what will you see? What will the mix of Push vs. Pull Learning; Formal vs. Informal supported by the organization? Are there training departments? What are they doing? How big are they as compared to today? What new departments will be responsible for parts of workplace learning? What will current members of training departments be doing in 10 years?"
----------------I am not good with predictions so this one is tough to really predict. But based on what the trends are, here is what I would like 2019 to be! Through the articulation of my thoughts, I am also trying to understand and etch my role as a performance consultant in the coming years.
From Trainers to Consultants:
In 10 years or even lesser, workplace learning will be largely supported by performance consultants. These folks will not be 'trainers'. Instead they will be people who can analyze performance and help others perform a job better. These consultants will understand the business and also the development method/process and continuously strive to optimize the people and process for a profitable business. There will be no conventional 'training departments' that are constantly trying to prove their worth in organizational training initiatives. Instead, performance effectiveness will be a business function.
More Pull, Less Push:
In terms of type of training, most training will be pull-type where learners will be interested to learn and therefore connect with the right resources and acquire knowledge. The learning process will have a series of activities - some may be 'designed' or sequenced. Others will be more random and self-generated by the learners - kind of like an ‘assembly’ where the learners will customize their own learning. There will still be some space for push learning in the form of new hire training or compliance training that forms a part of the 'mandatory' requirements. But largely, I foresee the learner to become stronger and focused about their learning needs.
Collaborative and Blended:
In the coming future, I see a big role of Web 2.0 tools and technologies that will encourage social and collaborative learning. ‘Traveling for training’ will become the least preferred mode. Learners will want that they should spend the least time away from work for training. Considering these expectations, blended methodologies will find a higher place in the scheme of learning scenarios. Training will break from traditional classroom barriers and formal methods to more online and more informal with increased social interaction. Personal Learning Environments will be identified, developed, and shared. Learners will network with other learners to learn. Much learning will be on-the-job, just-in-time, and just-enough!
My Role:
Although, I have already started to walk this path, I see myself moving away from the ‘traditional R&R of a Training Manager’ towards the ‘Performance Consultant’ role. I see myself moving away from ‘designing, delivering, and managing training’ towards a more business-focused, consulting role. In this role, I will be responsible for creating and nurturing learning environments across the organization – and these learning environments will impact the performance more strongly than before. Along with ‘training need analysis’, I will focus more on ‘business needs analysis’ and design suitable opportunities for people to learn and impact the business positively. I will have the bigger, holistic picture of the business and its learning needs and will interact with other functions including the HR towards creating a comprehensive talent development plan. I may still be within the ‘training department’ but will be a facilitator, coach, mentor, guide, catalyst, and a leader of learning!
From Trainers to Consultants:
In 10 years or even lesser, workplace learning will be largely supported by performance consultants. These folks will not be 'trainers'. Instead they will be people who can analyze performance and help others perform a job better. These consultants will understand the business and also the development method/process and continuously strive to optimize the people and process for a profitable business. There will be no conventional 'training departments' that are constantly trying to prove their worth in organizational training initiatives. Instead, performance effectiveness will be a business function.
More Pull, Less Push:
In terms of type of training, most training will be pull-type where learners will be interested to learn and therefore connect with the right resources and acquire knowledge. The learning process will have a series of activities - some may be 'designed' or sequenced. Others will be more random and self-generated by the learners - kind of like an ‘assembly’ where the learners will customize their own learning. There will still be some space for push learning in the form of new hire training or compliance training that forms a part of the 'mandatory' requirements. But largely, I foresee the learner to become stronger and focused about their learning needs.
Collaborative and Blended:
In the coming future, I see a big role of Web 2.0 tools and technologies that will encourage social and collaborative learning. ‘Traveling for training’ will become the least preferred mode. Learners will want that they should spend the least time away from work for training. Considering these expectations, blended methodologies will find a higher place in the scheme of learning scenarios. Training will break from traditional classroom barriers and formal methods to more online and more informal with increased social interaction. Personal Learning Environments will be identified, developed, and shared. Learners will network with other learners to learn. Much learning will be on-the-job, just-in-time, and just-enough!
My Role:
Although, I have already started to walk this path, I see myself moving away from the ‘traditional R&R of a Training Manager’ towards the ‘Performance Consultant’ role. I see myself moving away from ‘designing, delivering, and managing training’ towards a more business-focused, consulting role. In this role, I will be responsible for creating and nurturing learning environments across the organization – and these learning environments will impact the performance more strongly than before. Along with ‘training need analysis’, I will focus more on ‘business needs analysis’ and design suitable opportunities for people to learn and impact the business positively. I will have the bigger, holistic picture of the business and its learning needs and will interact with other functions including the HR towards creating a comprehensive talent development plan. I may still be within the ‘training department’ but will be a facilitator, coach, mentor, guide, catalyst, and a leader of learning!
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