Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Training methods have not
fundamentally changed.
But certain aspects have indeed
evolved over the past few years.
Orthodox learning methods
(classes and courses)
are coming under more and more fire
from education science circles,
from training companies,
and from tutors themselves.
Today, new learning methods,
open training, work-study schemes,
and self-paced learning systems,
are emerging and leading to
more self-driven and self-reliant
individual learning methods.
Formal learning methods
have not changed that much.
But informal learning,
learning outside classrooms,
what we call
independent learning,
has obviously evolved a lot
since new technology appeared.
Formal learning organisations
are still running on inertia
and they still consider
that traditional learning
is extremely important.
That's what we see most often.
But, when people need to take over
and take care of their own learning,
they resort to the plethora of information
they can find on the web,
from their networks,
and via search tools
made available to them.
They take over their own learning
and manage to build skills
that were difficult to build
with the resources they had before.
Tutors will become facilitators
rather than imparters.
They will coach learners
educationally speaking,
socially and emotionally speaking,
and perhaps most importantly,
from a methodological perspective,
from an organisational perspective.
Today, learners in learning environments
that are as abundant and as unsettling
as the web
need to learn
methodological skills,
to be self-reliant,
and to find their own path.
That does not come naturally.
Learners need to learn to do that,
by partnering a tutor.
We should think about technology
as a tool that can supplement
what we already have.
We mustn't put technology at the centre
and assume technology will work a miracle
and everything will be much better than before.
We are shifting towards
what we call blended learning.
And that is obviously
the way to go.
Because individuals who took
distance learning courses
as we have known them so far,
based on traditional methods,
did so in isolation
and felt lonely.
That feeling of loneliness very often
killed their motivation and they quit.
What learners need today
when they use these methods,
is a feeling that there is somebody there.
They need to feel an educational presence,
a social presence,
a cognitive presence.
The interaction they can get
is extremely important.
The environments that technology is creating
are enabling more interaction than ever before.
And that interaction creates
a sense of presence.
That sense of presence in turn
creates a sense of community.
That sense of community nurtures dedication
and leads to successful learning experiences.
I think individuals will find what they want
if they ultimately co-build
their own learning paths.
They will find more flexibility
to work on their training paths
around their personal lives
and their family obligations.
They will be able to anticipate
changes in their professional lives
and will be able to adjust
much more easily
when their professional lives evolve.
They naturally stand to gain a lot.
The organisations will also be involved.
They will need to provide learners
with environments where
they can build their skills
and use those skills in their jobs
in the company.
In other words, jobs,
i.e. skills in companies,
will move closer and closer
to training.