Notes on the diagram: The above diagram is my first attempt to visualize some of the insights from the lecture I am reporting on below. The baseline on the bottom is meant to signify the possibly of forgetting or failing to invest in learning. The gentle arc I have put in place suggests that learning is the generally the focus of early life but it very much continues as one continues through life. I left out some of the more informal kinds of learning only because I did not quite know how to symbolize them or where to place them on the arc. I’m certainly open to suggestions on how the diagram could be rendered richer and morecomplete.
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure to attend a public lecture at the iSchool Institute by serial technology entrepreneur Steven Forth. His talk explored the theme of lifelong learning and the question of who owns learning and our records of this. During the wide ranging topic, he also discussed setting goals and learning plans. In reading productivity books and blogs (including the noted Getting Things Done book), I had come across some of this goal setting ideas before. However, Forth paired this system with the Strengths Finder methodology in a way I found quite engaging. Through graduate school and in other contexts, I have had an interest in learning how different people learn and this talk deepened that interest further. One aspect I had not yet previously considered was Forth’s example of how some people prefer to understand a model or abstraction first and then consider applications while others prefer to build up experience and then derive rules or a model from that.
In reflecting on the event, several questions come to mind that I would like to share with my readers:
- How should one reflect on and plan informal learning (loosely defined as learning that occurs outside the purview of formal educational institutions)?
- What is the right balance of learning goals? (in Forth’s examples, drawn from real individuals, he generally listed three major goals per year with a mix of career goals and lifestyle goals)
- Beyond funding for educational activities, how should employers support learning? (A truly complex question but one well worth exploring)
Now for some shameless self promotion! If you enjoyed this post, you might be interested to have a look at my post on the inaugural iSchool Institute given in April: The Launch of the iSchool Institute. The next iSchool public lecture, “IT Has a Great Future Potential: Is the Management Ready?” by Bruce J. Rogow on October 27 looks very promising as well; register for this free event.
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I’m glad you enjoyed it, Bruce. I’ve heard since from Steven and he left Toronto the next day absolutely flying on the energy and discussion that took place in the room that night.
By the way, since you missed Amar Galla (our May 2010 speaker) he’s back in Toronto to work with Centennial College in early October, and will be in the Museum Studies workroom in the Inforum on Oct. 4, 10:00-13:00. Dr Lynne Teather is co-ordinating his visit. I found his talk earlier in the year fascinating, and, by prior agreement, we could only record the first half of it: he’s quite open about names and photos of the people he works with, but a number of them would be at serious risk if their stories were publicly available on the Internet. (The May talk is available via ePresence under iSchool Institute events on the main iSchool@Toronto website, http://www.ischool.utoronto.ca.)
Thanks for the comment. I found it a stimulating talk as you can see. I’m glad that Steven found the experience enriching as well.
I’ll have a look into Amar Galla’s talk, thanks for mentioning it.
Thank you for taking your time to share your thoughts. As Bruce said, I truly enjoyed the conversation and back-and-forth of the evening. A thought on the number of goals. I used three in the presentation as it was a handy number. All of the people I used as examples actually have more than three goals. I suggest people begin with three and make sure that one is physical, one is personal and one is related to their careers (broadly defined). Try that for six months before adding in a few more goals. I would always keep the number under 9 and in most cases closer to 5.
The role that organizations can or should play in informal learning is a great question. It would be the subject of an interesting panel discussion. But at the end of the day, we are each responsible for our own learning and for creating a culture in which all of us have ample opportunities to learn!