Assignment 1 -- Learning Organization
At the center of what Senge hopes we'll understand about a "learning organization" is that real learning gets to the heart of what it is to be human, and how we can re-create ourselves through dialogue, systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning. Pick something from the article, and discuss how it may "threathen" to expand your traditional views about learning.
posted by Donald Wagner at
2:51 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Everyone! I hope you have/are having/had an amazing 3 day weekend. I have decided to get this out of the way so-to-speak before a trip to the State Fair. :o) Enjoy!
"Personal mastery is not something you possess. It is a process. It is a lifelong discipline. People with a high level of personal mastery are acutely aware of their ignorance, their incompetence, their growth areas. And they are deeply self-confident. Paradoxical? Only for those who do not see the 'journey is the reward'"
This quotation not only threatens my views about traditional learning but threatens the entire "I am going to school to be a..." mindset. For years I have struggled with that huge question, "what do I want to be when I grow up?" When I could not answer that question I left college, and moved to New York City. I spent 8 months in New York; every time I spoke with my father he would tell me "the journey is the reward", "the knowledge is the reward", "your education is the reward". He made a point of expressing that it did not matter if I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up as long as I saw the intrinsic value of college -- as a place of higher learning. My father, the successful cardiologist, who is self-actualized and a master of himself (if you ask me or anyone who knows him), the man I look up to the most in my life, has encouraged me to spend two more years at ESF. Although I could graduate this Spring, I have been compelled to consider my education for more than a diploma. Since returning to ESF I feel that I understand this philosophy and have made "personal mastery" my goal and lifelong discipline.
By
C. Whitlock Nolan, at 5:23 PM
As a strong adherent to the traditional system of teaching and learning, all of the tenets of this article seemed to be a "threat." Upon first glance, it seemed as if the things that Senge mentioned could be dismissed as a load of BS. I have been immersed in the idea that the learning process is about sitting in a room, letting someone babble at you, taking notes, and filling your head with information to spit back at the instructor in time for the test. This may explain why I have been sleeping in class since the sixth grade!
However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the most effective lessons I have learned have been ones that carry on to aspects of my daily life. For example, even though I slept through hours of Mark Meisner's Nature and Pop Culture class, once I started doing the readings, I found out ways in which individuals can have a profound impact on conservation. I realized that eating organic food and biking to work were more than just ways in which "granola crunchers" held themselves above the rest of the population. The ideas actually made sense, and when applied to my daily life, could make somewhat of an impact.
While still somewhat against the whole "team learning" approach, Senge's article DID make me realize that maybe the lessons that stick with you the most are the ones that challenge your preconceived ideas and ways in which you approach life. In order to make an impact and truly teach, instructors need to look beyond what students can read and spit back, instead focusing on what each student can do to integrate the lesson taught into their daily life.
By
Carla Izzo, at 3:16 PM
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