“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.” ~ John Dewy
If this is true (and all the evidence suggests that to truly learn we need to engage our emotions which requires a degree of reflection, so it seems like it is) why does it feel like we are focussing on reflection less and less?
As many of you reading this, when I first started working in L&D I was taught about Kolb’s Learning Cycle (amongst other things, obviously) and within this, the importance of allowing learners to reflect on experiences to contextualize and consolidate what they have learnt.
Recently though, I’ve got to wondering whether the fast-paced nature of organisations and individuals is driving us towards a culture of surface learning – where learners aren’t given the time or space to really reflect on and consider their learning or the experience that they have had.
The increasing use and availability of mobile learning allows much information to be delivered in a “Just in time” format – so provided for individuals just prior to the point of need. This means that the information they are taking in is fresh in their mind for the task/activity they are about to undertake. But without the ability to reflect on what they learnt and how they applied that learning, the knowledge is likely to evaporate, leading to them having to undertake the same “just in time” material the next time they approach the same or a similar task.
I don’t think that it’s just mobile learning that is causing us to move away from reflection – it’s all learning delivery methods. The majority (but certainly not all) the e-learning programmes I’ve come across don’t encourage reflection and organisations don’t seem to prompt learners to reflect after completion of a course. And although instructor led sessions may have a small amount of time built into exercises etc for reflection, very few people can effectively “reflect-on-demand” and due to the pressures of their role, many people just won’t have the chance to effectively reflect once they are back in the workplace.
Now in many cases, this might be fine, but in the main, isn’t this just a poor method of developing people? Surely it makes sense for people to have a deeper level of knowledge which would allow them to apply the learning in a wider variety of contexts and/or develop them as a more rounded professional? Or, given that information is so readily available, does it really matter if people achieve “deep learning”, is surface learning now enough?
What do you think?
