What does learning mean to me?
I remember the first time I went to an adult learning event or at least what I considered one. I sat in a dirty classroom with broken chairs and watched a video for about 2 hours. I was told that I was learning everything I needed to know how to be safe at the new site I was working at. To this day, the only thing I remember from that event is the guy's name that narrated the video. His voice was just too memorable to forget. However, I was hooked from that day on. I was intrigued by the way people learn and how people learn and even the best ways to learn.
My career wasn’t always focused around learning, but it really played a pivotal role throughout my career. Learning to me wasn’t about the content as much as it was about the experience... who did I meet, what activities did we do, what did we do after the training, how was the room set up, everything associated with the experiences. For me it was when you had all of those things that made the content and actual learning impactful and helped me really get into the experience and take it all in. Sometimes our opportunities for learning don't present themselves perfectly, we have to dig to find the learning, think about the first experience I had! I always push myself to find one nugget, one piece to take back in every experience I attend or even deliver. Have you sat in a class for the 5th time learning the same thing, have you took an online class that you struggle to keep your eyes open? These happen all the time, and after having had to sit in some of these myself, it is our mission to change that.
Three Ripples to Take Away
1. Be Open. There is opportunity to learn, open your eyes and ears and be willing to accept it.
2. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask, speak up, be apart of it.
3. Reflect. Take at least 2 minutes at the end of any event and think about what you did that day.
I challenge all of you reading this to think, what was your first adult learning event, and do you remember anything?