Design learning to answer why? When I taught marketing communications, one of the early lessons I conveyed to students, and the very first element I looked for in their work was this: can the audience explain WHY this message is for them, and will they care? What makes this message, at this moment, significant? Learning […]

Close your eyes. Breathe deep. And remember. Not that long ago I taught a course on semiotics to help advertising students understand how to draw connections between material forms (things that can be heard, seen, touched, or tasted) and the signified (the mental concept – what that thing means). One day I taught a class […]

It takes a village. And good content. And a good instructor. Learning interactions are one of the most overlooked design elements in learning, often because managers and instructors have a limited view of who and what is doing the interacting.  Some people think of the personal interactions a learner may have on the job, in […]

Serve Small Bites. “‘You look too thin, grandon,’ said my grandmother. ‘Here, eat some more!’” My friend was telling me this story about a visit he’d had with his grandmother, and I’m sure it’s relatable for many of us. He and his extended family gathered around his grandparents dinner table, already overstuffed and getting sleepy, […]

When we design a learning experience, we design a story. Just like your favorite movie, learning experiences are stories that have a degree of intensity to them, and also a conclusion.  It seems obvious to say out loud, but learning experiences are stories that can scaffold not just what someone knows about a particular topic, […]

Deep learners become changed people. When I was young, my family built a home on a hill just north of town. As such, we were not on the city water or other utilities at that time. So for water, we had to drill. Granted, I was only six at the time, so I didn’t understand […]

Not everything needs to be cranked up to 11. Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced a truly phenomenal moment of learning? It could have been a class. A profound book. A compelling internet video. A hands-on cooking class. Gymnastics. DEI training at work. Now raise your hand if you’ve ever gone through a terrible […]

How query and intellect work together to make the new. One of the greatest drivers of lifelong learning is a fun, though difficult to analyze, human trait…  Curiosity. Have you ever wondered why you’re curious? Why any of us are curious? Why do we as humans have a sense of curiosity, and how is it […]

What powers learning and innovation in school? In business? (Originally published Nov 17, 2021 on Medium.com) Imagine for a moment that you have just climbed onto a bus with your team. Maybe you know where you’re going, maybe you don’t. But you want to go somewhere. Somewhere where everyone can learn. Where innovation can happen. […]

Great leaders craft teams and systems that learn.  If great teachers are to lead and great leaders are to teach, then they need to either support or build a learning organization.  Learning organizations push for and support a transformational leadership paradigm, rather than a transactional one, according to Prof. Bernard Bass. The idea here is […]