Self-directed Learning and Learning Dispositions

We need to develop independent, self-directed learners who are able to adapt to the demands of this new world that is constantly in flux. Self-directed learning requires both capabilities (skills, strategies and abilities required for learning), as well as the disposition to learn.

Carr and Claxton (2002) recognised that learners must not just be able; they must be ready and willing to learn. It could be generalised that the relationship between capability and disposition is bidirectional and linear – ability in a particular arena generates success, which leads to a greater inclination toward the activity. Conversely, an inclination to persevere in an activity leads to greater engagement and the development of ability. The caveat to this is that,

“…the relationship is an uncertain one. Capability does not always produce disposition, nor vice versa. Education for lifelong learning has, therefore, to attend to the cultivation of positive learning dispositions, as well as of effective learning skills.”

While numerous writers have offered different opinions about the dispositions relevant for learning, Carr and Claxton (2002: 109) consider the three prime learning dispositions to be:

1. Resilience: the desire to persist with learning despite setbacks.
2. Playfulness: the ability to experiment and consider unlikely possibilities, a vital ingredient in creativity.
3. Reciprocity: seeking a variety of channels to express and exchange ideas.

Carr and Claxton (2002: 127) further suggest that the learning dispositions are “important building blocks for life-long learning” and that there is a need for educational settings that “exemplify and encourage their development”.

In the design of learning and learning environments, territories are often defined by learning objectives. It's critical to look beyond immediate objectives and offer avenues for the development of learning dispositions. This includes providing activities that build confidence and self-esteem, encourage search, exploration, enquiry, experimentation and play, rather than providing readymade answers. It's also important to ask why and how questions, to develop skills for justification of answers, and facilitate dialogue and discussion.

Reference:
Carr, M., & Claxton, G. (2002).Tracking the Development of Learning Dispositions, in Assessment in Education, Vol. 9, No.1, 2002. In Daniels H., & Edwards A., eds. (2004) The Routledge Farmer Reader in Psychology of Education (pp. 106 -131). RoutledgeFalmer.

Breaking patterns of learned helplessness

A few years ago I'd reached a serious low after a major upheaval and disruption in my life. I had to make a choice, between a rock and a very hard place. With little to guide me but instinct, I opted for change. It was a tough decision. The consequences were far reaching, for me, my family and my infant son, as it took me without preparation into unanticipated single parenthood.

The early years were hard. I was struggling to stay afloat and cope with the physical, financial and emotional strain of raising a child in India on my own. One day, a well meaning aunt in her well meaning way said these words to me:

"Your life is finished -- you took a bad decision and you ruined your life. Why not just admit it and give up? Not everyone finds happiness - stop trying to fight your fate."

Thank you dear aunt. Your words words created in me the sort of reaction physicists are trying to create in the Large Hadron Collider. The Big Bang. It accelerated the atoms of my being out of the terrible black hole of apathy and helplessness. It was time to give my fate a good kick in the butt. That day, I broke free. No more thought was wasted on wondering whether I did right or I did wrong. I decided to trust myself and believe I did what needed to be done.

Learned Helplessness is a self-perpetuating and self-defeating plague that fosters in people the belief that they are helpless victims of circumstance and that they have no control over the things that happen in their lives. It is a conditioning mechanism that engenders passivity and subjugation. It disempowers us and destroys our connections with hope and joy.

Ken McLeod explains it beautifully in his article, Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness is often rooted in the home. As parents and teachers, we unwittingly subscribe to the system that fosters learned helplessness. We often pass on our own learned helplessness as an inheritance to our young. Recognising this first will lead us to a way out.

And yes, there is a way out. It involves recognising obstacles and learning skills to overcome them.

In McLeod's words,

"The cost, however, is high. We can only undo learned helplessness by severing our internal connection with the system that gave rise to it. "

Where else do we see learned helplessness? In schools, in educational institutions, and societies where differences and questioning minds are not tolerated. Wherever patterns of belief and thought have become calcified and brittle. Wherever hunger and poverty prevail. Wherever there is exploitation and corruption, violence and abuse.

To sever connections with such systems is to leave behind and let go of everything you may have ever known. It's lonely journey. And the only person you will please is you. But don't give up. And don't teach anyone else to either.

Go out there and fight your fate. The truth is no one else can fight this fight for you. Break free and discover a whole new world!

Explore the Universe

I'm an unashamed Dr Who fan.

For those of you who may not know, this is a science fiction TV series about the last of the Time Lords (Dr Who of course) travelling through time and space in his amazing Tardis which looks like a small blue box on the outside but hosts unbelievably delicious technologies on the inside. Apart from the multitude of extra-terrestrial beings he introduces us to, I like the series because its underlying ethos is about looking beyond our beliefs and accepting the different worlds "out there" and that it's not very different from "in here". A little mind-bending is always good for the soul.

Now, the Tardis has come to us.

The WorldWide Telescope will give many of us a glimpse of the universe as we sit at our computers. Check out the Web site and free downloadable software at:

Explore and remember to look beyond your beliefs!

A Revolution in E-learning

We are witnessing a revolution in E-learning, thanks to Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle. Nearly a million people are able to come together via Skype every Monday and take part in their amazing sessions discussing Tolle's A New Earth. Those who can't make it at the right time can always watch it on demand.

Oprah has actually created the collaborative, coooperative learning community that has been written about in educational literature for years. She has made it happen. Where e-learning is often perceived to be a lonely, isolating experience, she has shown how it can be an exhilarating, exciting, inspiring and social experience. She has broken barriers and crossed borders.

She has shown us how a whole country and a whole world can be brought together to learn and talk. Think of the possibilities! Is India listening?

Watch it now!

Enjoy!

Self Worth: The Antidote for the Dowry Plague

Dowry cases still continue to make headlines. There is however, little discussion about the underlying malaise that the dowry phenomena is really a symptom of: The inherent lack of self-worth in women.

This is belief that is planted and instilled in women from the moment of their birth. And we as mothers and fathers do much to strengthen and further entrench this false and damaging self-perception.

To many today, the lesser evolved of our species, the worth of a woman is measured by her (or her father's) bank balance and the assets she brings to the kitty. Is it not amazing how the fragile relationship between a man and woman who choose to make a life together and to raise a family, can be sustained by the payment of this toll tax?

It is not a new thing that for many, both men and women, marriage is a stepping stone to economic benefits. Call it dowry or call it marrying well. Money has always a part of the equation. So when do these expectations cross the limit and become criminal? Where is the line to be drawn? How is a girl to know and when is she to put her foot down?

It all boils down to being given a choice. Even today, how many women really have a choice? By offering women avenues to build their lives on their own, without having to resort to marriages based on dowry we will be striking at the root of it. And such evil must be removed from its roots. By offering women education and skills, we give them choices.

Women must be shown and made to appreciate their own self-worth and their limitless capabilities. Both men and women must recognise and realise this. Let us teach our children these values and eliminate this evil for good.

Read about an initiative that helped women set up their own businesses and gave them the confidence to make their own choices.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/17/MNUFV3EO3.DTL

Exclusion

Exclusion is a terrible evil. It is terrible as an act and terrible as a state of being. It isolates both perpetrator and victim.

Deprivation and disadvantages in early life have strong implications for future life chances. There is also the pattern of perpetuation -- deprivation in one generation is usually passed on to the next.

Here in the UK, the Social Exclusion Unit has prepared an Action Plan on Social Exclusion. It is recognised "that social exclusion and the subsequent waste of human potential is bad for the whole country, as well as for those individuals suffering from it.....Tackling social exclusion also matters because failing to do so creates a cost for society." This document also recognises that social exclusion cannot be tackled by the government alone. There is a clear role for individuals, and the wider community. Further, "people who are suffering social exclusion must want progress for themselves and those around them. By working together we can ensure that even the most excluded have a stake in the society and economy of tomorrow by seizing the opportunities that life...offers today."

Read the Executive Summary of this Action Plan at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/social_exclusion_task_force/publications/reaching_out/

Stop. Think. Act. Let's never participate in exclusion. And for that, we must consciously implement and work toward Inclusion.

Designing for Usability

Not everyone knows what an Instructional Designer does. I am often asked to clarify. People rarely guess it's anything to do with learning or even E-learning. I also often trip on the word 'instructional'. So now, I've started using the term E-learning Architect. Sounds much better, and at least they know it's about E-learning! Of course, Learning Designer sums it all up rather nicely as well. Content specialist is rather drab. It is a lot more than just content! Then what about Learner Experience Enhancer? Or Learner Journey Coordinator? Or simply Learning Analyst? But it's more than just analysis, it's also about translating that analysis into a real experience.

Well, call it what we will, the design of instruction on the web must always be based on a thorough understanding of learner psychology, and web usability. It's also about layout, graphics, interactivity, navigation and above all, learner engagement. At the end of it all, the experience must add to or change the learner in some way. Rule number one: Understand your audience and their changing needs.

To learn more about design, usability and the user experience visit these links that offer resources and good insights into user testing of Websites:


http://www.big.uk.com/knowledgebase/research/web_user_testing.htm

http://www.gotomedia.com/resources_olia.html

You'll also get some great insights on communicating design, the pathos and ethos of design and richness from Uday Gajendar at:

http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/what-does-rich-mean

Chief Justice

Leila Seth is the "first woman chief justice of a high court in India, first woman judge of Delhi High Court and first woman to top the Bar exams in London " (Times News Network, June 24, 2007, Pioneer in the courtroom).

Women's achievements still make the headlines as though it's extraordinary and amazing for a woman to be achieving like this. Let's now cross over from a decade of firsts to a decade of regular and always and but of course it's got to be a woman and who else could do it?! Kudos to Leila Seth, and all who strive for the cause! And I know quite a few.

As I think more, women have always flourished in the business of justice. Famous women and less famous women and even some infamous women have had opportunities to grace the bench. Mothers must mete out justice when their children fight. Teachers must ensure justice in class and between students. When children see justice being done, they implicitly learn the ways of justice. That is how a fair and just society is built brick by brick -- by example.

You and I are often faced with situations everyday where a decision must be made about right and wrong and what is fair and what is unfair. We may not always be conscious that we are members of an Honourable Bench, but yes we are. And justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done. Does this apply to you?

11 Dimensions

There's an excellent teaching and learning resource that many may find useful - Nova - The Elegant Universe offers amazingly elegant explanations about science, the universe and quantum physics - a must for all those interested in science, teachers, learning designers and everyone in between.

I especially loved the explanations of The String Theory, Resonance in Strings, and the interactive mathematical exercise exploring a world of ten dimensions. The site also offers teachers guides and online viewing of the program The Elegant Universe.

Potential and The Field of Infinite Possibilities

A million ups and downs and detours and retreats and recoupings bring me to this blog. Six Degrees of Potential stems from the idea that human potential is limitless and takes a bit of nurturing in order to translate into six degrees of freedom.

Here, I will explore and park thoughts related to learning, teaching, education systems, and the achievement of human potential. Most people dont even come close to achieving their amazing, innate potential. Environment, education, and mentoring and motivation have a lot to do with it. I'm interested in learning, how it happens, why it doesn't happen, how we inadvertently build and how we can break down barriers to learning. How learning happens all the time, learning without boundaries, and learning in all dimensions.