Are you ready for real learning yet?

Here's a test for you "Do you find you always feel excitement and just can't wait for your next teams/zoom meeting and to flip through the slide deck?" If your answer is 'No' you might be able to borrow some tips from this post.

If you asked me, I'd say it's much more difficult to be a?#Learner?than a?#Teacher/?#Facilitator/?#Coach/?#Tutor. What would you say?

Do you find you always feel excitement and just can't wait for your next teams/zoom meeting

A learner has to pay attention, listen past their current world view, take and make notes , find connections with other learnings, plan to try out the new learning apply the new learning review it and see if their understanding was correct and above all they have to find a human bridge between what they are to learn and the learning itself to help motivate them and bring it to life. If like me, for history, it was Mr Gabra, the learning just would not take place!

All the?#tutor?has to do is to be a human bridge to the learning, create a ladder of ideas, analogies, illustrations and exercises that stimulate the learners seven senses, in a supportive/challenging physical environment of other learners. The approaches should cater for introverted & demonstrative learners, Simples!

It's not about the technology, stupid!

This week I was invited to speak about the future of education not for executives and managers, my stomping ground but for undergraduate students. It's a topic I've spoken on often since the early 1990's when computer based training was first mooted along with 12 inch laser discs. At Ashridge business School a sales man demonstrated a watch click, copy and respond training module. I explained that training was only relevant in an old world where you wanted compliance and people to replicate and do more of the same and was no longer relevant. He left in a huff when I commented that it should be reserved for pupies!

Training isn't learning

As on-line content gained in popularity but remained emotionally impenetrable the easy answer was 'hybrid' using the face-to-face to fix the short-comings. Hybrid offers provided a lower cost option with the impression of similar coverage. You know it is ineffective when people insist of getting together to 'build relationships or 'catch up'. One big reason is that digital/virtual significantly reduces the channels our senses can access. Instead of seven senses we have vision, mono-sound and a bit of touch for typing chat messages!

If you reduce the channels expect to reduce the learning impact

Once distance learning took hold the 'old-world mindsets went into a panic on how they would keep control so there was a rapid rise in the popularity of Learning Management Systems.?#LMS?is provides content management, control and auditing over the participant's activities. It is Administrator/Teacher-centred not Learner-centred.

#LMS?is Administrator/Teacher centred not learner-centred.

Does anyone remember when the 'Next Big Thing' was MOOCS. (Massive Online Open Courses)? Do you remember how they failed spectacularly and why? Perhaps we had amnesia, as the lockdowns brought us video conference based solutions augmented with document control and verification and chat (mini-moocs?). But webinars broadcasting shared PowerPoints with hard to access 'breakout rooms' to learners who's role is to sit silently, watch, listen and type the odd chat, is not inclusive inspirational or empowering.

Broadcasting into an empty barrel is not inclusive inspirational, collaborative learning

Here's a test to see if you have it right. Ask learners, "Do you find you feel excitement and just can't wait for your next experience." Too often the answer is. No. because you've prioritised incorrectly. "It's?not?about the technology. It's about the people and the emotions of the journey of discovery application & ownership!"

Since 1993, at Pentacle, we've worked to research and understand what makes learning work when you move beyond the 'workshop-space/classroom' More recently we've been learning and using that within QUBE. Below is a small set of what we've learnt about how to make learning work for learners.

Decide your learning model:

• The culture you create, the people you select and how knowledge is shared and explored depends on the learning model. At Pentacle we work exclusively with executive education
• A link to the 5Ps to hlep you create your learning model the?EduGogy?PET

Select and skill-up your tutors:

• Profile - Humble, Good sense of humour, Socratic style
• Skill up- Convert your excellent traditional skills into different but excellent virtual ones.?Learn how?or look at a?check list.

Overcome the restrictions of 'virtual'

• On QUBE we have learnt to add six super real cultural attributes and artefacts to compensate for the loss you experience when you go digital/virtual.
• Give learners what they need and want - Autonomy, Interaction, Easy to pay attention and Ownership

Maximise Retention & Remembering, Collaboration, Social Learning Courage & Application

• Use an inclusive culture- Rituals like?#GatherInCircleTM?and?#WriteFirstTalkSecondTM?are central to QUBE culture
• Use?#QuintsTM?for learning and support groups. They use the?#ActionReplay?PET. The quints use the café for making friends and hanging out. It's cool
• Invite colleagues from work to join participants in their personal QwikStudy qubicles for tutorials, catch-ups and real work to banish the "not invented here" barriers of applying learning
• The culture that the Teacher/facilitator/Tutor creates is central to the learner's success. What do you want in your culture?

We're always happy to talk about a different way to learn.

[email protected]?or sneakily read about?QUBE-learning