Looking at
the Management Of Learning

It is a widely accepted fact that we have to trigger or manage our learning opportunities ourselves - that learning is not a once-off incident but a continual process. This is why we take this look at "The Management of Learning".

Fact is; by sitting back and waiting for learning events to come to us, we will become disillusioned. We need to be active and strive in hopefully the best direction we can.

The Management of Your Learning

Learning new fields or approaches is simply the stepping stones to getting where you want. This is all about the management of learning.

Step 1: Deciding

It is often hard to manage learning especially if you are an adult like me, working full-time. Yet, there are ways and I decided to offer the following steps for anyone interested in adult learning.

Step 2: Sourcing Material

Deciding on which way to go.

Choose an area you would like to focus on and choose a time-frame in which you would like to complete this learning. For example,

• Area of knowledge needed: MS Word Time: 30 Days
• Mind Mapping Skills Time: 20 Days
• Basic Knowledge of Quality Management Time: 90 Days

Research the material available online and get an overview of what is current and what direction you would like to go.

Check out the top websites and e learning sites on these topics. What seems to be the key areas that they are mentioning? What are the possibilities using Mobile learning?

Then compare it to what you know. (In others words, complete a GAP analysis of where you are, where you would like to get to and then decide on the steps necessary to get there.)

This will give you a clear outline, together with the time-frame of how to project manage your learning.

Then, source material on those topics.

Nowadays there are so many sources available: Podcasts, Videos, Audio books and Presentations, Mobile Learning material.

Source at least 3 examples of each source of learning and check for online Seminars or Goggle Hangouts on these topics. Youtube can be an excellent source of free material. Use your list of topics to search for the video. Typically, you can quickly evaluate how good a training is by the comments under the video.  

Step 3: Plan out your time

Plan out your time.

Plan, for example, to spend 30 minutes or one hour daily on this material.

Podcasts, Videos and other digital material have the immense advantage that you can control the pace. You can stop them and repeat them as often as you feel necessary.

Take notes to check your understanding and enable easy resourcing of the information later.

Step 4: Working with Books

With Paper books, it is advisable to “make the book your own” by highlighting, underlining, placing notes in the margins, whatever is necessary to make that book yours for understanding. Use symbolic doodles even; for example, streaks of lightening, exclamation marks, light bulbs to represent warnings, noteworthy points and good ideas.

Make it a habit not to finalise your work with the book until you have understood it, cover-to-cover, from start to finish. Some people recommend listening to Audio books at least 5 times before finalising it. It helps too to list up the five most important concepts of the book.

Re-reading or re-running any of these sources of learning will reinforce learning.

(Note: we also have a list of highly recommended "Must-read" business books - as recommended by several groups of experts on LinkedIn. )

Step 5: Planning

Build your 30 minutes or 60 minutes daily schedule, then build your weekly schedule and set up your plan for the time-frame how you are going to achieve your learning. Keep your action plan close to you. Planning is key to good management of learning.

Step 6: Implementing Your Learning

• Plan your implementation.
• Taking smaller steps at a time, seek out situations where you can talk to people and discuss the issues you are learning.
• Take on mini-projects where you can gain practical experience.
• Review your progress.
• Go back to re-check areas where you were unsure.
• Once you have these checked out, take on larger projects.

It is to be recommended that you note down your progress, like on a child’s behavioural chart. Give yourself stars for achievement. This will really motivate you immensely.

Advantages Of The Management Of Learning

The Advantages behind committing yourself to the management of learning will be:

- Less frustration as others seem to know more or are more up-to-date on issues,

- Better abilities

- Increased self-esteem as your work takes on a better quality

- Increased inclusion in a wider variety of work

- Brand new ways of looking at the world

And you will simply increase your employability!