To mark CPD month on TrainingZone I wanted to ask how you learn. Whilst you are busy delivering or programming learning, how do you actually learn?
I wanted to get the ball rolling by sharing how I learn and asking members of the community to share their thoughts and experiences.
My on the job learning comes in the form of asking people in the organisation (face to face, on internal networks such as Yammer and Chatter, on the phone and email) plus I use Twitter and Linkedin Groups. I also:
- Attend two monthly networking events and watch and listen to content that comes from the events I cannot attend (through the Twitter hashtag for the event and blog posts)
- Participate in Twitter chats
- Interview people - including what they have learned
- Read books and blogs - I have RSS feeds feeding into an RSS reader - this is were I select blog posts and articles to read and share
- Attend events - conferences and unconferences. As well as the speakers I learn a lot from the conversations that spring up around the presentations
- Facilitate discussions at events so learn from others
- I use sites such as Slideshare to read presentations and watch quite a lot of video - Youtube and TED talks in particular
- Search using Google
- And I am starting to ask questions on Q&A platform Quora.
I also learn a lot, both knowledge and behaviour, from my wife and children which is very rewarding. I am particularly enjoying learning with my children.
The biggest change in how I learn is the tools I use - web tools put me in touch with experts in disciplines I would have never had a chance to ask questions of.
So, how do you learn and has this changed much over the last two or three years?
4 Responses
How I learn ..
Most people are either visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learners .. meaning they like to see, hear, or feel.
For me, it’s auditory – tell me .. and I get it! Don’t offer me a pie chart, graph or map, spell it out, loud and clear.
Further, I love delving into the latest research .. it’s mind boggling what one can find on the internet .. and it’s all there waiting for us .. a well that never runs dry ..
Reading on the Internet
I find that most of my information now comes from somewhere on the Internet.
Receiving email newsletters (like TrainingZone), a few websites that I visit regularly.
As much as I’d like to get RSS and use Twitter a bit more, in a busy office with security policies they just aren’t available.
One key thing I have is Evernote – a web-based notepad service. Whenever I find that useful bit of information, I ‘clip it’ to Evernote. It’s then available for me to refer back to (including the website that I found it on) whenever I need. Saves the hassle of trying to find it again.
Attending conferences and exhibitions (especially the free ones) allows me to keep up-to-date with current trends and ideas.
— Michelle Kaye IT Trainer Boodle Hatfield
How do I learn?
Participation seems to be the best way for me to learn – dont give me Distance Learning and expect me to learn! I found that out the hard way.
Thanks for your responses so far
Hi all
Thanks for your great responses.
@Carroll good points about learning styles. I agree that the web is such a powerful resource. Only this morning I needed a fix to task and after a Google search found a How to article that walked me through the process.
@MishKaye Email is an important tool. Good to hear you mention Evernote – it’s a tool I don’t use much at the moment but would like to investigate it a bit more.
@dhudsonuk I agree – I once found an OU course more difficult to do than I thought I would. My conclusion was that it probably wasn’t the best way for me to learn. Like you, I get a lot out of participation.