the four-leaf clover

It’s taken me a bit longer this semester, but I’m finally writing about my deep respect and love for Jane Vella. Our text, Taking Learning to Task, is not only easy reading, but Vella has a way about her style of writing that makes me want to read more. I appreciate her unique perspectives about learning and how she personally tries to relate to every one of her learners. Our readings this week really summed it up for me, The Art of Leading Learning Tasks. This is a true talent that I can relate to after sitting through many ineffective classes, group discussions and training sessions.

I do not like hearing teachers say, “I’ll give you thirty minutes for this task.” The appropriate thing is to set the end time, “We’ll share your work at 8:50″ or “We’ll see where you are at 9:15.”

Simple attention to detail when leading learning tasks are so important. Jane Vella emphasizes wording and the importance of language. She also talks about showing respect for the adult learner and demonstrates this through proper instruction. Eye contact, sharing, welcoming responses and good listening are also a part of the art of leading learning tasks.

Even though a lot of what Jane Vella reveals to us through her text is “common sense,” it’s amazing that many teachers, facilitators and leaders don’t follow her example. The ideas and recommendations she gives us are very easy to follow, I think its just a matter of what people are used to hearing and doing. Luckily, in this case, I haven’t had much experience teaching or facilitating on my own, so hopefully I will be able to implement a lot of her values and ideals in my future career.

“Action learning is a dynamic process that involves a small group of people solving real problems, while at the same time focusing on what they are learning and how their learning can benefit each group member, the group itself and the organization as a whole.”

In class last week we discussed action learning and the components of an Action Learning program. I felt a little lost during the discussion because I had never used or heard about this concept before. I also didn’t find the best articles or background information to really help me become more knowledgeable on this subject. So, after class I went on my search to find more. Of course, as Wendy says, Google has it all.

I came across an editorial by Michael Marquardt titled, Action Learning, and it sums up everything in a few pages. He discusses how companies employ Action Learning through strategic planning, developing managers, reducing operation costs, etc. He tells us what action learning is (as I quoted above) and lastly, the components of an Action Learning Program.  

1. A problem, or project, challenge, opportunity, issue or task that action learning centers around. He talks about the importance of the problem and how it should “provide an opportunity for the group to generate learning opportunities.”  The group may focus on one problem or multiples ones that members may bring to the table.

2. Action learning group or team are the ones who examine the organizational problem. The team is usually four to eight people who should have a diversity of background and experience. This will allow for a variety of perspectives and views.

3. Emphasizing insightful questioning and reflective listening above statements and opinions. “By focusing on the right questions rather that the right answers, action learning focuses on what one does not know as well as on what one does know.” These questions will help build group cohesiveness, innovative thinking and enhance learning results.

4. Taking action on the problem — if the group only makes recommendations, it loses its creativity and commitment. Therefore, no real practical learning until action is taken and reflected upon. “Action enhances learning because if provides a basis and anchor for the critical dimension of reflection.”

5. A commitment to learning: The learning that takes place has greater value for the organization that the immediate advantage. There is equal emphasis on the learning and development of the individuals and team as on the problem being solved.

6. Action learning coach: ( Dr. Carter!) This person helps the members reflect on what they are learning and how they are solving the problems. This happens through questions as the coach “enables group members to reflect on how they listen, how they may have reframed the problem, how they give each other feedback, how they are planning and working, and what assumptions may be shaping their beliefs and actions.”

Marquardt’s Model is different than anything I’ve heard of or read about before. I think his rule of statements only being made in response to questions quite interesting. It seems like something I would really have to think about if I was participating in this model of action learning. I do like the thought of having a coach, especially the role of intervening and pointing out good opportunities for learning. I think it’s easy to get wrapped up in statements and conversation as opposed to asking questions and learning from them. I look forward to implementing action learning next year and seeing this model unfold.

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http://www.gwu.edu/~bygeorge/021804/actionlearning.html

• Action Learning, A Powerful New Training Tool for Developing Individuals, Teams and Organizations

I wanted to throw out an idea for my project proposal for Instructional Strategies. To give all of you some background, sorry for those of you who already know, I work at the VCU School of Dentistry. Every six months or so all the faculty go on a “Faculty Retreat” so to keep all of us staff busy and ensure that we aren’t dipping out of work early (no not really but hey I’m sure it happens) we have to attend a Staff Development Day.

In the 18 or so months I’ve been here I’ve had the pleasure of attending two of these staff retreats or development days and I must say that they need some work. Some aspects are beneficial and entertaining, but for the most part I don’t think the activities are really geared toward the reality of our day to day work environment. So, my project proposal is to develop a more efficient “Staff Development Day” for those at the VCU School of Dentistry. I hope to incorporate break out sessions and open discussions which will allow the staff to have time to hash out ideas and thoughts they have about the school and their jobs in general. I think it’s important to let people talk about things they like about their work environment as well as those things that they struggle with or don’t agree with. In the past we’ve also had speakers present, and two out of the three this past Staff Development Day didn’t realize who we were, who the target audience was. Not good. I also want to incorporate time to fill out practical and useful evaluations.

I think developing this full day training session/staff development workshop will be not only beneficial for me as a learning experience, but maybe I’ll be able to pass it along to HR when it’s completed!

Interconnections, self-maintaining, self-renewing, web of relationships, interdependence… these are just some of the key words that I wrote down during our viewing of Mindwalk last week. When Dr. Carter first mentioned that the movie was a constant conversation for almost two hours I wondered how easy it would be to follow. Much to my surprise, the movie was easy to follow, easy to relate to, and allowed for some of my own personal thinking as well. After it was over, Carol and I both looked at each other and said “Wow!” Mindwalk really helped to bring together the concepts we had read about in Burke’s text and personally, helped me understand the concept of “life being a probability of interconnections.”

It was easy to follow Sonia’s character and her soft demeanor. I liked when she used objects to describe the concepts of interdependence, such as the clock and the tree. The tree relies on the roots, animals, fruits, fungus and water for survival and she used this to describe the open systems theory. I tried to think of my job as a “web of relationships” and as a whole we are the VCU School of Dentistry. However, there are many pieces or departments that make up the whole school. If all the faculty in Orthodontics decided to get up and quit tomorrow it would affect every other department in some way. This falls back on the concept of when one part of the system is changed, other parts will be affected.

I wrote down other notes before we viewed the movie that I want to remember–

• an open systems perspective is key to understanding organizational change
• rarely try to change whole system at once – recognize that change in one part affects others
• feedback loops always exist in the open systems model
• target of change needs to be the system, not the individual
• energy robbing activities need to be minimized
• Equifinality = more than one way to reach a goal or point

I want to look back and remember these notes and see how my experiences with open systems and organizational change, change! I see some in my job now, or I see how some of my faculty members complain that they have to do those energy robbing activities. I’ve talked about the eVA purchasing system before in some of our classes, and recently with Procurement and Accounts Payable enforcing new policies, my faculty have to use the eVA system more. My favorite comment was one I got a few weeks ago,  “Ordering through eVA is slowing down and ruining my research.” As soon as I wrote down that energy robbing activities need to be minimized this popped in my head. Unfortunately in this case it really can’t be minimized because it’s required. The faculty need to adjust to change, which I’ve come to learn doesn’t come easy.

I’m looking forward to taking what I’ve learned so far and what I’ll continue to learn and apply it to my department, the School of Dentistry, and think of it all as an open system.