Sorry to jump into this so late in tbe game, but I am intrigued by the
question of "what is the difference between training and teaching?" that I
came across while browsing. However, may I reframe it slightly to ask
"what is the difference between training/teaching and facilitating
learning?"
I'm not sure that training vs teaching is a true dichotomy, at least as I
usually construe the terms. Are the differences primarily those of
technique? Training is sometimes more sophistictated in terms of the use
of activities to generate learning, but in both cases, the
designer/teacher/trainer attempts to tightly control the outcomes of the
experience through the use of design techniques involving "outcomes" and
"learning objectives", and time driven agendas and activity sequencing. In
the case of business training, this is often a marketing
imperative..."what are the deliverables?" must be cleanly answered in
order to make the sale. Typically, the instructor experiences stress if
the group curiosity moves off in directions not included in the planning
process. At best, he/she becomes adept at weaving and steering that
curiosity beck to the "task at hand". At worst, she/he forcibly shoves
the group back on track, to everyone's loss.
Unfortunately, neither approach really taps into the greatest of all
learning motivators...curiosity. I believe that this is an emergent
quality in groups...that it is nearly impossible to predict the exact path
it will take. That may well be the path of greatest learning, however! I
have an eerie feeling that learning is another complex system that cannot
be fully engaged or understood if we attempt to truely control its
direction and outcomes. Indeed, in attempting to do so, we generate
conformity rather than learning. Conformity is not the need of the age.
The alternative is to view design and planning as a seed rather than a
blueprint, and to create structures that support dialogue. This is indeed
much more frightening for the facilitator/trainer...it means giving up a
great deal of control and getting comfortable with silence in the midst of
expensive training time. Not necessarily the approach to take if the
point is learning a software package (or I haven't the imagination to see
how, yet), but which works well for behavioral skills such as
communication. It means setting the direction of a learning conversation,
and being capable of providing expert insight, while allowing the group to
follow the paths of its own curiosity. It's a balancing act. Too much
structure and you are still in the cat-birds seat, directing rather than
facilitating. Too little and learners become very grumpy indeed in the
void of unmet expectation.
Whew...
Hey, I have to go! I have a training to deliver. No kidding.
--Jack Flanagan <jflanagan@llbean.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>