The Fear of Learning

My academic prowess knew no bounds until the autumn of 1992. It was at this point that I attempted to make the shift from GCSEs to A-Levels. It was a swift and uncomfortable journey to disappointment.

So much time sitting at a desk, attempting to learn about the reproductive cycle of the dragonfly or the theories behind economic policies of 20^th century governments. You could reasonably accuse me of making some poor topic choices (apologies to the biologists and economists) and I could attempt to pass the buck to ‘boring teachers’ but that would be a gross miss-representation of those generous, friendly and extraordinarily patient people who had the dubious pleasure of trying to cram information into my head.

Now, I know that I’m not stupid, but it seems I may actually be a little slow – it has taken me 30 years to realise that perhaps I just learn a bit differently. In my role as a trainee L&D Consultant at Pro-Development, I am shadowing our experienced trainers on some of our courses and have now been a delegate on a number of others.

My eyes have been opened! This is learning like I’ve never seen before – there are sweets on the tables (perhaps this shouldn’t be my first highlight…?), group discussions, writing on flipcharts, building with Lego, quizzes… and then there’s the ‘experiential learning’ – walks on the Moors, building rafts to paddle across lakes, cookery courses, there’s even talk of sending me down a pothole next week. I’m not sure how this gets tied into learning, and it may just be that my colleagues have had enough of me, but it certainly beats sitting at a desk taking notes.

The first course I was enrolled onto was the ‘Train the Trainer’ three day workshop which gave me a great insight into how the Pro-Development courses are planned and delivered. The care and planning that goes into a well-constructed workshop is astounding. As an activist, right-brained, kinaesthetic learner (see, I was paying attention!) I get much more from a session where I am up on my feet practically trying something out whereas my reflector, left-brained, auditory colleague might prefer to be sitting down, taking notes and considering how to apply their newfound knowledge. At the end of the programme we applied our fresh training skills to teaching each other the basic rules of netball, correct rowing technique, mindfulness, and assembling flood defences – a pretty broad new set of skills on top of the training!

As I have now witnessed, the joy of Pro-Development courses is that all their trainers go to great efforts to use exercises and techniques that will enable all ‘types’ of learner to be catered for. We are not in the business of churning out one-size-fits-all training solutions but we do have, or can easily design, a course to fit you and your team. With a huge range of options from a one day Building Confidence and Assertiveness workshop to a 6 month leadership training programme, I am becoming increasingly aware that anyone could come on these and learn loads.

Don’t let a fear of learning get in the way of experiencing a Pro-Development course!