A Systems View of Learning
I leverage human-centered design and the science of learning to create learning experiences that move the learner away from what's familiar. I believe it’s through moments when we experience a failure, see an alternative, or stretch out of our comfort zone that learning comes.
Most learning fails because it doesn't allow for safe failure. It provides the 'correct' answer before the learner has even felt the 'problem.' In my approach, I reverse this: I start with the challenge.
My Learning Design Model
My learning design model involves four areas of concentration:
Connection
I believe learning starts by connecting the learning content to what learners already know, what their concerns are, and what they hope to achieve. At this stage, I incorporate stories, emotions, intellect, and humor to establish meaningful contexts for what they are going to learn. At the same time, I include familiar scenarios that implicitly explain the why, what, and how of the specific learning topic.
Experimentation
In order to develop skills like creative problem-solving or become more influential as a leader, learners need to try it out for themselves through exposure to new contexts. At this stage, I include opportunities that enable them to try out new behaviors, by navigating videos, demonstrations, readings and active explorations of case studies. More importantly, projects are given to enable learners to transfer learners from the online environment into real life professional contexts to deepen their impact.
Agency
Knowledge is constructed through active decision-making with visible consequences. At this stage, learners extend their understandings and thinking by exercising their initiative in solving problems and making decisions. To achieve agency, I create moments where learners apply their knowledge and take ownership of their decisions. This is accomplished through in-course decision points and end-of-the-course activities where learners make real-world decision and post their work for feedback to see how others approach the same problem.
Reflection
Reflection is integral to deep learning and applying it to new contexts. At this stage, learners make sense of their experience through revisiting their thought processes, emotions, and decision-making patterns. I provide discursive spaces to help them connect the online content to their specific work contexts while sharing and discussing with their peers and qualified mentors, building deeper understanding of their professional decisions.
