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Why total learning?brightwave.co.uk

Meg GreenBrightwaveProduct Learning Consultant1At Brightwave we talk a lot about Total Learning. And before I hand you over to Charles to introduce our panel speakers and start our session, we wanted to take a few minutes to give our view on what total learning is, and why it matters.

How do we learn at work? And also, *what* do we learn at work?

I asked around the office while I was creating the slides for this introduction and the question I asked was:2

What was the last major thing you learned that advanced your career?

And in retrospect has been fundamental to your career?

What prompted you to do it?

How did you know you were doing it correctly?Have a think about these questions yourself and Ill return to the themes of the responses just a bit later

What I found out is what weve known all along, which is3

We learn all the time and always have.

And this happens in a mix of more formal qualifications and programmes/courses, learning on the job, and learning from others.

Take Technology out of the picture and that mixture remains the same. 4

Facilitated by technologyAdd technology into the picture and it increases two important elements:

-speed of access-capability for data tracking and transparency5Total learning the full 100%

70%On-the-job Experience

20%InformalLearning

10%FormalLearningwww.tessello.co.ukWhen we say total learning, we mean it fully captures the three main types of learning interactions that make up the full 100% - and this is where we should be aiming to be.

The lines between these areas are increasingly blurred as learners more often have multiple careers in a lifetime. The benefit of a framework that mixes all these learning styles together in a total learning approach enables individual learners to move back and forth depending on the particular competency and need.

The organisation also has the abiltiy to fit the learning initiative to either a more formal track through using courses and certification, or create a more informal blend of learning for competencies that are better learnt on the job or better PROVEN on the job.

Learners and organisations alike expect and need that flexibility, and

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What do you need in a Total Learning System?What does the learner need? What does the organisation need?

Coming back to the themes that emerged in my little workplace poll, Ive seen7

We first understand the foundationWhether its an initial technical background as a grounding, or a framework of ground-rules we all need a benchmark and a foundation, so we know how to move within it, and then to stretch beyond it

Many times the majority of learning happens outside this structure, but its initial presence is vital to the learning process.

Organisations need to ensure also that learning is more than googling it needs to have a centre and include the vision and ethos of the organisation. Learners need to be playing from the same book and this is their opportunity to ensure that consistency comes from a trusted source. Organisations need the proof that this learning is completed, to satisfaction. 8

We learn from othersIn my little office poll, overwhelmingly the critical business knowledge gained which advanced careers came from others. Many times it was self-directed learning, but we mirror our activities on those we trust, either colleague experts or our managers.

In organisations oftentimes we as learners view a trusted expert as already having that stamp of approval from the company and model our behaviour in a similar way.

This can be fundamental technical skills, or softer skills such as management, project management, and communications.

Sometimes those colleagues sit next to us, and sometimes theyre in different buildings or even countries. Having a total learning system that facilitates the easy knowledge transfer and sharing of experiences is more important than ever. Sometimes even just because our colleagues are no longer right next to us. Thats the first step -but then we can also look to capture that learning so more than the two initial colleagues benefit. 9

We learn from our mistakesOne very important day years ago my old boss and I learned the same lesson: dont do a major client rollout on a Friday afternoon before everyone leaves for the weekend!

Everyone has that whoops mistake moment which may have made that particular situation difficult, but has ended up increasing their personal development or improved the process of your organisation as a whole. Try/fail/repeat. Success and learning comes from these steps.

A total learning approach ensures that those mistakes can be recorded not for reprimand but so that follow-up learning can be built off it, experiential learning can show additional competency and improvement before trying again.

Tracking that knowledge will help others not make the same mistake. The knowledge from a mistake becomes best practice and the best thing for an organisation is that only one person has the mistake and everyone else learns from it.

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We are checked by our mentors by our resultsThis was an interesting balance. When discussing the question how did you know you were doing it correctly, my colleagues mentioned two common themes: either that

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We learn in the workflowThis means a blend of online and offline which shouldnt limit tracking capability. One mistake we make is presuming that because were technologically enabled now as a population, important learning doesnt still happen in an offline capacity.

What technology should and can do is provide learners with an opportunity, at the exact moment of need in the workflow to either record online or offline activities. Technology aids the capture and the capitalisation of that learning, but that learning can come from any source.

Learners dont decide to learn at a particular time and sit down at their desks or in a classroom to do it. Therefore a total learning system should follow suit so again organisations can benefit from that

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We love data

The Total Learning System 4 powerful systems in 1

70%20%10%Heres an example of ours. 14

One place for formal, informal, socialCapture evidenceCapture knowledgeWhy use a total learning framework?One place for all learning formal, informal, social

Transportable log of all learning experiences

Capturing evidence of learning for CPD or qualifications

Build the knowledge capital of the organisation

15Many organisations have embraced this combination of formal and informal learning

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Lighting the learning touch paperJoin the discussion:#TotalLearningCaro WalmsleyManaging Director, Brightwave

Andy LancasterHead of Learning & Development, CIPD

Abi Lammas Director of Learning & Innovation, CIM

Myles RunhamHead of Online,BBC Academy

28th January 2015#TotalLearning

Thank youAny questions? Come and talk to us onStand 60@BrightTweet#TotalLearningwww.tessello.co.uk