Learning Myths and Opportunity
Posted on 01 September 2010 by James McLuckie and tagged as
learning myths, critical thinking
Our latest blog comes from Owen Ferguson,
Product Development Director with our friends GoodPractice.
Here, Owen explores the ubiquity of learning myths and discusses
why they are so widely quoted by L&D professionals.
Earlier this year, Donald Taylor raised the
issue of learning myths on his blog and it prompted
some interesting comments. Revisiting his post recently, I thought
that it was worth exploring in a little more detail, especially
considering some of these myths are still widely quoted.
Donald highlighted three learning myths in particular:
And there's many more that could be added to those three.
Why are such myths so widespread? What makes them
attractive?
One of the main reasons is that not enough people are given the
necessary training in critical thinking skills to analyse these
claims with a sceptical eye. This isn't unique to learning and
development; as a society we're too quick to take the word of
journalists or people presented as 'experts' who are nothing of the
sort [1].
Another reason for the popularity of these learning myths is
that they are 'sticky' ideas - they contain elements that are
inherently attractive to us.
Firstly, they have the surprise factor; all
these learning myths have something that would surprise someone the
very first time they heard them.
Secondly, they sound like there's some
kind of scientific basis for them; indeed, many of those who pass
on these ideas will say things like "research has shown …" or
"scientists have found …"
Finally, they are easy to remember and
understand; there's no complexity in these ideas, no shades of grey
or exceptions to be found. They can be gobbled up and regurgitated
without much effort or thought.
Lessons and Opportunities
The 'stickiness' of certain ideas is a lesson that marketeers
have learned and refined over decades, but it seems to me that
they're being used in the wrong way here. It's fine to skimp on the
detail when it's obvious that something is being sold; people know
to ask for more detail in these situations. However, passing on
myths in the context of learning reduces our understanding over
time and embeds exactly the wrong sort of thinking in the L&D
profession.
However, there are opportunities here for L&D as well. These
myths abound because of a skills gap. They cost us money because
every decision made on the basis of faulty information will more
likely than not cause problems down the line - just look at what
happened to the banks.
So, how do we equip staff with the necessary higher order skills
needed to lead and manage in the complex modern economy? How do we
ensure that decisions made in our organisations are based on sound
information and not hocus pocus? These are questions and challenges
for learning professionals and I've no doubt that as a profession
we're up to the task. We just need to get up to speed a bit more
quickly than we're doing at the moment.
[1] Take the claim in today's newspapers
that one espresso can
put your heart at risk. This story seems to come from a
reputable source and there's information about milligrams of
caffeine and percentage reduction in blood flow. But how many
people realise that a small study of 20 people in laboratory
conditions isn't that valid? Or ponder how interesting it is that
the research was conducted in Italy, famous for its coffee culture,
where the incidence of heart problems is amongst the lowest in
the world?
Put this beside all the things about
coffee that 'research has shown' and you get a picture where coffee
cuts the risk of a range of cancers, diabetes and Alzheimer's while
putting strain on your heart, increasing your stress response and
causing fatigue. All of it based on small cohort studies and not
backed up with any really good epidemiological evidence.
NOTE: A
great analysis of the espresso story can be found on the NHS
Choices site (worth a visit whenever you see a dodgy health
story).
If you'd like to share some thoughts
on this blog but can't see a comments box below, then view the post
on on
this page. You'll be able to tell us what you
think there.