Closing the Learning Loop

I tend to think of learning in terms of sensemaking (e.g., Klein's Data-Frame model), rather than, say direct instruction or constructivism.

However, an article I was reading recently (not on the web) triggered some thoughts about another view that I've seen expressed in a various disciplines...a view which focuses on how we internalize then communicate experience.

The key steps are:

1. Experience - a lived narrative. Raw sense data is stored in a loose structure that includes time, past narrative fragments, emotional intensity, etc.

2. Retrospective structuring - an ongoing process where the experience is relived, sensory data is structured, inferences are drawn, and individual data items are emphasized/de-emphasized. As the raw data is recalled and abstracted, a propositionally coherent structure is imposed on the data. Karl Weick sees this as a key aspect of sensemaking...hence his famous observation "how can I know what I think until I see what I say?" However, the emphasis here remains on the narrative...within an inferred structure that is the ground to the narrative figure.

3. Communication to self/others - this is the culmination of the previous step where the key aspects of the experience are verbalized.

This last step is where two approaches to communication become apparent. Depending on the context, either a narrative or a propositional approach may be taken. If the purpose is to entertain, narrative is likely. If the purpose is to persuade, propositions are often favored, especially in technical contexts.

None of this is especially noteworthy...except for technically-oriented professionals. We tend to be proposition-heavy and narrative-light in our communication.

Why is this a problem? It may not be. If a rich shared narrative exists, a proposition-heavy communication may be acceptable. However, if no such narrative exists, our audience is likely to struggle...if we don't wrap the propositions in a memorable narrative. Or, in a collaborative context, we may struggle to get beyond "talking past each other's propositions."

So, try to ensure that the learning loop is closed when communicating....from personal narrative to generalized propositions, then back to contextually-framed shared narrative.

Creating such a narrative for this set of propositions is left as an exercise to the reader...as is a discussion of the risks of over-emphasizing narrative (e.g., being perceived as superficial and manipulative)... :-)

Forgetting and Learning

While watching a PBS program on the "Botany of Desire" today, I was reminded of how important forgetting is in learning.

The program discusses THC (the psycho-active chemical in cannabis), a neurotransmitter with a similar shape (anandamide), and the importance of being able to forget (one effect of both chemicals) to avoid being paralyzed by fear or overwhelmed with contextually irrelevant data. A summary is available at "Cannabis, Learning, and The Botany of Desire" (pp. 14-ff).

Karl Weick, in his classic "The Social Psychology of Organizing", discusses the same issue as it relates to organizations. One section addresses the importance (and difficulty) of organizational "forgetting." In it he quotes a Journal of Applied Behavioral Science article discussing Albert Speer's (Hitler's minister of armaments) use of Allied bombing raids to enable organizational forgetting:

"These raids were 'helpful,' according to Speer, because they destroyed the filing facilities, those containers of paper which enable organizations to establish traditions, procedures, and so on, which are mainstays of bureaucracy. Speer was so enamored with the results of these bombing raids that, upon learning of the destruction of his ministry in the Allied air raid of November 22, 1943, he commented: 'Although we have been fortunate in that large parts of the current files of the Ministry have been burned and so relieved us for a time of useless ballast, we cannot really expect that such events will continually introduce the necessary fresh air into our work' (Singer and Wooten 1976, pp. 86-86).”

Organizational learning currently focuses on acquiring, structuring, storing, and retrieving information. As the volume of information explodes and hyperconnectivity moves many decision contexts into the complex domain, forgetting may need to be added as a core learning competency.