At TaylorMade Learning Solutions, we couldn’t agree more and LearnScape is proof that when learners are provided with the opportunity to apply what they know, reflect upon its application, evaluate the results and make the necessary adjustments, they are no longer being “taught” anything – instead, they’re learning and developing themselves – mastering the skills they need “outside the classroom”, where they (and you) get to see and appreciate their lasting results.
Leaders aren’t made in the classroom and they don’t all arrive with the same knowledge skills and competence.
The future requires us to “flip” the learning process so that the classroom is there to support “real world,” experiential learning.
LearnScape is based on a model that is sometimes referred to as “action learning” which is learning that is experiential in nature.
In his article The #1 Reason Leadership Development Fails, author Mike Myatt lists twenty reasons why traditional training fails and why it’s a problem for organizations trying to get ahead in today’s competitive global environment. At TaylorMade Learning Solutions, we understand that training budgets need to go further and that the pressure to show results is increasing. That’s why LearnScape targets only those skills that an individual needs to develop, is customizable and flexible in it’s implementation and comes with built-in accountability mechanisms.
Don’t let the self-directed nature of LearnScape worry you. When learning is interesting, there’s far less encouragement and monitoring of activity completion needed, freeing your HR folks up for doing far more meaningful and productive work. Learners tell us they appreciate how responsive the LearnScape approach is to their needs and to the demands of their day-to-day work. Here’s how we’ve been able to address what Myatt says is why “training is indeed the #1 reason leadership development fails” and why we would argue is the #1 reason developing any other soft skill fails, too!
The demand for employees who are able to learn, analyze, create and think for themselves is growing exponentially with many thought leaders believing it’s high time we “flip the workplace” as well. So why not give the learner access to the resources they need and simply let them get on with it?
– Roger Francis, expert, vocational training
Learning is all about context – and nowadays, it’s also about cost, timely implementation and return on investment. LearnScape is flexible, easy-to-access and responsive to the needs of today’s learner and organizations. LearnScape is action learning, experiential, informal, and delivered digitally when and where people need to access it.
Each competency or skill involves between 20 and 30 hours of learning activities, all designed to expose the learner to new notions, concepts, ideas and perspectives; think critically about them; apply and evaluate them; and continue to practice them. Application for the learner may involve using the skill on the job/in their work, practicing the skill with their Practice Community members, colleagues, mentors, etc. Either way, we’re a bit of a dog-with-a-bone when it comes to ensuring that the learning has in fact translated into an increase in competence on the job. There’s simply no better way to tackle the “transfer of learning” challenge than through action learning.
With LearnScape, the manager or supervisor plays an important role. A Manager’s Coaching Guide takes the work out of the activity debriefings that learners are required to engage in as a way of demonstrating their work and efforts towards mastering their new skills. And just when as managers, we thought we knew everything! As it turns out, the debriefing process itself turns up nuggets of new thinking and perspectives that have us learning too!
LearnScape takes advantage of the best place to learn – in the workplace and on the job – allowing organizations to leverage their investment through the learner’s on-the-job performance and results.