Developing Expertise: Learning How to Learn in Business Manifesto
Learning How to Learn: Developing Subject Domain Expertise for a Lifetime
There are twelve basic ways to learn how to learn in business:
1) Take a class (find available classes)
2) Teach yourself (read a book)
3) Experiment (Experiment and get feedback)
4) Community of practice
5) Mentorship
6) Best practice (interview or poll members of the community or Fortune 500)
7) Buy a data base
8] Case studies
9) Academic research
10) Self-reflection
11) Faciliation
12) Observation
It is assumed that #1, #2, and #9 are the only ways to do research. In fact, these skills are at best taught a minimum in most academic programs. This is a failure of higher education and should change. Period.
One of the fundamental goals of a college education is and should be learning how to learn. Unfortunately, I feel all too often that it fails in this regard.
Its not just that higher education gets its wrong–its that it provides the wrong model–which is almost exclusively based on academic research.
This is a fundamental skill like reading, writing, and arithmatic. And realistically is analogous to the need to have public speaking in the curriculum.
Which one should I chose? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? In which situation are each method most helpful? How should they be used in conjunction?
Thoughts? Agree or disagree? What can be done?
Lets not add that the model of education they receive is largely just an hodgepodge amalgam of the Socratic method combined with top-down banking education. Moreover, experiential learning–outside of classroom role-playing is entirely left off the agenda. Its time to wake up that that traditional bricks and mortar university is fundamentally broken. Maybe not at the high end–but certainly to a profound degree. This effects our creativity & our GDP & the ability of future generations to reach their dreams.
Its time for us, academics, and university administrators to wake up to this reality. If we do not–our next generation will lack the skills it most needs to problem solve & adapt in the workplace (see: 21st century skills)
Its possible this class could be combined with creativity, design thinking, and communications technology.
Clearly, the academic publishers & the academic publishing world in general needs to wake up as well….
Its about being able to solve human problems big and small from communication to political to racism to poverty.
I don’t see how reading Romeo & Juliet for the 3rd time can compare to the impact of having the tools to solve problems which lie at the heart of Romeo and Juliet.
In contrast–I can even see ways (possible….not optimal) to integrate literature in a way that would make the literature more relevant to students.