I often start my workshop presentations by saying, “Don’t take notes. It won’t help you.” (in fact, I start out most of my seminary class sessions that way). I tell the participants to trust themselves to learn what they need to learn during our time together, and that what they need to learn is probably just ONE thing. But it will be the one thing they need, so that’s all that really matters.
Most folks are able to relax and settle in for the presentation without pen in hand. A few are not able to break old “schooling” habits and try to scribble down every word I say or every point on the presentations slides. My hunch is that those are the ones who’ll likely not learn much of anything. At the end of the presentation they’ll walk away with copious notes which will get filed away somewhere in their studies and never looked at again until the next cleaning day. Then those notes, never read, get thrown out with the rest of the clutter.
The reason I tell people to not take notes primarily has to do with one fundamental principle of learning. That principle is: “You learn what you need to learn at the time you need to learn it, and not before.”
That’s a powerful principle of learning that too often is ignored or not appreciated. It’s the reason so much of “schooling” doesn’t lead to meaningful learning or retention. A lot of what goes on in classroom learning is what I call “pretend learning.” That simply means that teacher and learner collude in learning “about” some things that are for the most part irrelevant to the needs and situation of the learner, and they contract to devise a way to “test” for recall or application within the boundaries of the artificial context of the classroom or lab. If the student passes the “test” we call it successful learning. But you know what happens fifteen minutes after the test, right? The student has forgotten most of what was “learned” because the REAL application of learning was not directed toward the real world, but rather, to the test. To call that “learning” is a stretch in my book,
The principle that “You learn what you need to learn at the time you need to learn it, and not before,” has relevance to adult education. At some point adults develop what is called “crystallized intelligence.” When that comes about the adult learner gets very picky about what he or she will learn. It’s a form of discernment (for better or for worse) that allows an adult to determine the potential worth of any learning experience–and then choose whether or not to participate. Unlike children who will learn anything and everything (good or bad), and unlike adolescents who still, to a certain extent, have the capacity to accept that “you need to learn this for the future,” adults will learn only those things that are of personal interest or which meet an immediate need.
The idea that “You learn what you need to learn at the time you need to learn it” has some interesting implications:
- Some things need to be learned in the context in which they will be applied. This suggests that there is limited value in teaching seminarians “how to” perform a baptism or a Lord’s Supper, since those things are culturally contextual to every congregation. For congregational Christian education this challenges our approaches to family life education or teaching “about” marriage relationships at the church campus or building when those things need to be learned in the family, at home.
- A learner’s need is a greater motivator for learning that what we think a learner should learn or what we think is important or interesting. Needs arise out of developmental dynamics or life situations. Those two factors should guide educational programming. So, while the sanctity of marriage is an important concept, the only people really interested in talking about divorce are those who are heading toward one or dealing with its aftermath. So, don’t waste your time talking about parenting with teenagers or young-married-without-children. The only people interested in talking about parenting are young parents and grandparents that are raising their grandchildren.
- When-you-need-it training may be more effective for some things than attempting “anticipatory learning.” The time to teach a person a skill or competence is at the time they need it.
- You can’t plant insight into the unmotivated (as Ed Friedman often said). No matter how true the subject, how important, or how relevant–and no matter how skilled a communicator you are–unless the learner is motivated to learn, any attempt at teaching is a waste of time. And remember, a felt or unmet need is a motivator. Interest, novelty, or attention-getting schemes ultimately will not translate to meaningful learning. Once then novelty wears off the learner stops paying attention, interest wanes, and we move on to something else.
“You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” –Stephen Wright
