[trends] Learning 5 in 5 : positive learning

I don't quite know if the 4th trend in my 5in5 series is a real trend or more of a hope I hold for the future of learning and development over the next five years. I hope it is a trend. :-)


4- Positive Learning: from filling skill gaps to lifting skill mountains

What is it all about?
The brand image of (e)learning and education isn't great. On radio shows hosts demonstrate their empathy for listeners who suffer from exams, and throw in a few anecdotes of their worst educational experiences. A few Online Educa's back, a marketeer in the audience summarized the 'customer value statement' for elearning as follows: you do it by yourself, on your own time, without access to experts, and are afterwards accountable if you don't know it. On the question "what should we stop doing in leadership development", an answer was "stop sending people to classes they don't want to attend". Where does the negative connotation for learning come from? I think it has a lot to do with our focus on the negative side of learning. We position learning as a cure to fill skill gaps, to fix what people are bad at or not good enough at. That would demotivate anyone...

So as a trend-slash-hope for the next five years, I see learning flip to the positive side. Instead of focusing on the derailments that need upskilling, instead of teaching all the knowledge and skills people lack or insufficiently demonstrate, let us focus more on strengthening the competencies people are good at already and make those stand out even more. Ultimately, it is all in the balance. (Read also: balance is the new...)  Yes, we need to make sure we are not derailing, but if our worst skills are still good enough, or we have other people around us to mitigate our weaknesses, we can really put a positive swing on our learning and use passion to fuel and direct our journey in becoming even better.

The underlying trend for 'positive learning' is that we have put students and employees in the driver's seat of their own learning journey. As a natural consequence of making people own their competence development, we'll see a flip to learning that increases strengths instead of covering weaknesses. People tend to take evening classes in what they like and what they don't suck at. Learning organisations will therefore need to put this positive message in their communication and marketing. Once 'positive learners' meet, they'll take a lot of what is traditionally handled by the teaching industry in their own hands, because they'll already be good at it and want to improve even further, and because they're be that much more motivated. Fear is the motivator for 'negative learning'. (eg if you don't know this you should look for another job) Passion is the motivator for positive learning.


Sign of the times:

• Check out the 'standout' site and assessment of Marcus Buckingham. It gives you a strengths assessment. 
• Research in positive thinking found that it actually changes the brain (physically). There seems to be a positivity ratio of 3:1 as well. You can check your daily positivity ratio with a free survey on Barbara Fredrickson's site.
• As we're not really doing good on the money and wealth gathering in the western world right now, let's change the metrics! We notice a growing focus on happiness as an indicator, such as 'bruto nationaal geluk' (in Dutch). Also, for the first time there is a very comprehensive book bringing together the scientific findings on happiness in the world book of happiness. All world leaders got a copy as a Christmas present last year. (Not from me, from Herman Van Rompuy.) Positive learning can be a contributor to happiness. 

Agree? Disagree? Like? Dislike? What does it all mean?