Learning Literacy
by Dr. Keith E. Webb

Recently I took another look at one of our training programs. The learning objectives were clear. Then it hit me - the challenge wasn't what the participants needed to learn but what they already knew. Participant preconceptions and prior experience can hinder as much as help. For what we already know can get in the way of what we need to learn.

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." --Alvin Toffler

To learn, we often have to unlearn first, then we can relearn.

Learn
Each year I get a new Moleskine journal to record my ideas, reflections, prayers, and experiences. The pages are blank, with lines, ready to be written on by me. I write this book.

Adults are like a Moleskine journal - but not a blank one, rather, one that already has writing in it. Everyone comes with knowledge or experience. We have ways of doing things. We have mental models for how to live, relate, and work. We have knowledge about a countless number of topics.

As you coach and train, acknowledge prior learning and provide plenty of opportunities to use what they already know. Create discussions and teach-back exercises to get out what they know.

Unlearn
"Jakarta. Jakarta. Jakarta." No matter how many times I said it, no matter how many times my language instructor corrected me, I still pronounced it wrong. I had no trouble with "Bandung," "Salatiga," "Aceh," "Tasikmalaya," or other Indonesia place names that I didn't know. I learned to pronounce these names correctly the first time. My problem was that I already had a way of (mis)pronouncing "Jakarta." After nearly five years living in Indonesia I never did unlearn my way!

Unlearning is tough. Much tougher than learning. It is certainly my biggest challenge as a trainer.

The first step to unlearn is to acknowledge that what I now know or do may have once served me well, but it is currently in the way of my further progress. In other words, things have got to change. I'm willing to let go of the past. Next up: relearning.

Relearn
Our brains have pathways on which little electrical pulses travel every time we do or think about something. Like tire ruts on dirt road, the more you do something the deeper the ruts in your brain and the harder it is to change to a new pathway.

Relearning is challenging because you have to not only master the new thing, you must avoid falling into the ruts of your previous ways.

When we present the COACH model to our workshop participants, after the first time they use it, they often comment that they felt awkward, slow, or unsure. They say it didn't feel "natural." Well, it wasn't natural. Natural is the old way of doing things. When we relearn things our productivity actually decreases for a time. After a bit of practice, the new thing develops new ruts, feels natural, and we see our productivity increase.

How about you?

• How would you rate your learning literacy? How willing are you to unlearn and relearn?
  
• What are a couple of things that have served you well up to this point, but need to change if you are to move ahead?
  
• Who is helping you unlearn and relearn - pushing you out of old ruts and onto new pathways?

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Copyright © 2009 Keith E. Webb & CRM

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Dr. Keith E. Webb is a trainer and experienced cross-cultural leadership coach helping organizations, teams, and individuals multiply their cross-cultural impact. Find free articles at http://www.CreativeResultsManagement.com.