Wishful Thinking...?

One of my interests at the moment is where the responsibility for learning lies…is it with the teacher, in whatever guise they might be taking – i.e. trainer, facilitator, workshop leader or is it with the learner…and if the responsibility is a shared one how can that be negotiated successfully?

Yesterday I asked someone a question at the end of a session of training, it was a simple question, “Can you tell me something you’re going to take away from this morning?” It’s a question I usually ask participants at the end of training in order to create an opportunity to consolidate, reflect and reaffirm the explorations and findings of our time together. When I asked this particular person that question, I was more than a little surprised at her reaction. She had such strong resentment at having to answer something she wasn’t sure about. Now I understand her defensiveness was almost certainly covering a host of insecurities but I couldn’t help thinking it was a shame.

The other thing I couldn’t help thinking was a shame was when the group were asked at the start of the training why they were there. A number of participants said, “Because we were told to?” Compare that with some of their colleague’s answers, one of whom said that they were there to, “Learn something new about themselves” and another that said they wanted, “A new look at things.” Now it doesn’t take a genius to see who is going to get the most out of the day…

So this is the thing…before any training is done with a group it occurs to me something much more holistic needs to take place that negates the fear, distrust and resentment that characterises too many people’s attitude to education. That heals the scars left by whatever harmful experiences have led people to a place where opportunities to develop are at best undervalued and at worst identified as something to attack… I also think that somehow the message has to get through that in order to develop ourselves and move forward we have to accept that some responsibility has to fall to us…no matter how good the teacher if we’re not prepared to listen no progress can be made…

I shall end these musings with a wish…I wish that everyone who is given the opportunity to learn, in whatever context, begins that experience with the thought, “What can I get out of today?” What an excellent atmosphere that would create in all the training rooms in all the land…wishful thinking? Possibly…but it is absolutely vital if individuals and organisations are to reach their potential…