learning to learn with the improvement kata

©2012 Meryl Runion Rose. Please share freely with credit.

The Improvement KataLearning how to learn

by Meryl Runion Rose ©2012

©2012 Meryl Runion Rose. Please share freely with credit. 2

How do you define learning?

Once upon a time, like in Little House on the Prairie Days, learning meant teachers stood in front of a classroom and drilled data and “facts” into their students.

©2012 Meryl Runion Rose. Please share freely with credit. 3

We used to think…

…there was a “single right answer” to every question, and good students remembered them.

George Washington was our first president.

When’s recess?

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Things are less certain now…

…and there’s too much to know. Instead of just memorizing data and apparent facts, we can learn how to learn.

©2012 Meryl Runion Rose. Please share freely with credit. 5

The focus of learning is shifting…

…but our education system hasn’t caught up yet.

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Many managers haven’t caught up yet either…

…managing as if there is a single right answer to every question……thinking managing means providing answers.

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Instead, you can teach how to learn

Today, effective teachers, mentors and coaches guide mentees in how to solve their own challenges instead of providing answers.

Have you searched the error message?

That’s a great way to learn about and solve problems.

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And effective managers operate that way too

Use the pattern of the Improvement Kata.

That’s a great way to learn about, and solve

problems.

I’ll coach you.

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Knowing how to learn…

is about more than asking

questions.

I wonder what this came from. Let’s find out!

I call that:

A Journey of Discovery

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You can use a kata to practice and teach scientific inquiry

If Toyota can make it work, I can

too.

Practicing the Improvement Kata

develops inquiry skills

I call that:

Kata Questing

©2012 Meryl Runion Rose. Please share freely with credit.

Kata takes our discussions out of the clouds of abstraction…

“SYSTEMS THINKING

“

“In principle…”

““Ideally”

““Generally…”

““Theoretically”

“LEARNING

ORGANIZATION

“LEAN

THINKING

11

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…into concrete, practical reality

Let’s change your grip and

see what happens.

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Practice makes inquiry a habit

What’s our target condition?

What’s our current reality?

What obstacle are we addressing now?

What is our next step? What do we expect?

Forget the sledge hammer. We’ve

got a kata.

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Kata leads to a sense of self-efficacy, or what I call high Kata Quotient (KQ)

You want me to what? I’ve never done that before but I can learn.

I don’t know the answer, but I

know how to find the answer. I don’t have

those skills yet, but I can develop

them. I call that being a:

Kata Quester

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Knowing how to learn

makes us more

comfortable stretching

our abilities daily

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That also empowers us to guide others

The Improvement Kata guides deep learning.

The Coaching Kata guides the process

of helping others learn to learn.

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I’m feeling

smarter already.

So THAT'S what Rother was saying.

Your Kata Quotient (inquiry ability) matters more than how much you know

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Kata Questing is an excellent habit

We inquired our way into

success! Great kata!