Learning Conversations

Most of us accept that Education does not meet the needs of learners today, nor their employers. This mismatch is a key reason why a shockingly high level of de-motivated youth, as well as workers and managers remain unable to develop themselves. They have been other­ organised and are unprepared for the world of work and the challenges of life. Again, traditional education is becoming uneconomic and future learning is increasingly using distant learning and digital technology on a global scale for transmitting the curriculum. Yet, how a person learns remains a hidden process even from the learners themselves. There is a pedagogic deficit since learning itself is not directly addressed. This book offers a new conversational science of human learning based on Self-Organised­ Learning (SOL) and offers systematic reflective procedures called the Learning Conversation to enable individuals of all ages, backgrounds and disciplines to heighten awareness of their uniquely personal learning process. Learners are best seen as self-organised entities experiencing Learning Conversations as they seek to construct personal meaning, and to experiment with their learning skills. Personal learning myths which imprison learners, can be overcome as they gain awareness and become engaged in developing their learning competence. The learner is encouraged to model their learning process and to act as their own scientist creating their own learning experiments and evaluating their progress by primarily generating their own feedback. They learn to engage in Learning Conversations with themselves and others expanding their horizons of learning. The method of the Learning Conversation is fully described and a Taxonomy of Conversational, Experiential and Behavioural Tools is introduced which augment its power.

The book examines personal learning myths which imprison learners, and shows how given support such myths can be overcome as they gain awareness and become engaged in developing their learning competence. The learner is encouraged to model their learning process and to act as their own scientist creating their own learning experiments and evaluating their progress by primarily generating their own feedback. The formulation of a clear purpose, strategy and tactics is crucial. As learning proceeds these are reviewed, refined and revised as an iterative process and only when the learning outcome meets the criteria arising out of this process is self­ organised-learning achieved. They learn to engage in Learning Conversations with themselves and others expanding their horizons of learning. The method the Learning Conversation is fully described and a Taxonomy of Conversational, Experiential and Behavioural Tools is introduced which augment its power. With practice the Learning Conversation, with its emphasis on process rather than product, becomes internalised as part oflearners' natural language for negotiating change in their capacity to learn. Rather than embarking on Course after Course they continue to learn from experience, on-the-job and in life. The Learning Conversation has no end and they continue to progress their skills, competence and creativity. The book introduces the Learning Coach, and the Learning Manager as new functions and shows how teachers, tutors, and therapists can reformulate their roles to encourage and support the self-organising process. Procedures such as; Personal Learning Contracts, Personal Learning Biographies, SOL Spreadsheets and Multi-dimensional Conversational Evaluations collect evidences of learning that can be reflected on and reviewed for learning effectiveness. These become the tools of the Learning Coach and their client learners as they engage in Learning Conversations. Gradually, learners are empowered to act independently exploring all possible resources for their learning in education, work and life. A SOL System for installing Learning Conversations within a whole department or organisation is also outlined, which requires the support of the Learning Manager. Examples indicate how this can be introduced in educational and commercial establishments. Individuals, teams and whole organisations become self-organised learning entities capable of taking on responsibility for their own learning. Evidences for the effectiveness ofthis radical approach includes; 'reading to learn', 'understanding command words in mathematics ', 'student learning of intellectually complex matter', 'officers learning complex sonar and air intercept control skills in the Ministry of Defence', 'managers supporting quality of service, cost-effectiveness and improved delivery of mail in the Parcel Force and the Royal Mail,' 'company executives improving their performance', 'marketing and production teams working together', and many more examples. The final chapter explores the possible futures for Self-Organised-Learning in our society. What might a Self-Organised Society achieve? Psychologists are best seen as tool-makers for SOL, teachers as Learning Coaches, and providers of an SOL System for groups and organisations as Learning Managers. SOL conveys a vision that we can all bootstrap ourselves securely and compassionately to an emergent future and how SOL and its Advanced Learning Technology (ALT) can be made available globally. Local SOL HUBS can be digitally managed by a SOL central HUB. SOL virtual friends create learning communities across nations to negotiate deep change in society. This will be the ultimate educational evolution or revolution and this book points to one way that this can be achieved. The methodology of the Learning Conversation can contribute to the philosophy of science as a conversational paradigm for human inquiry, and five essential axioms are postulated.

Sheila Harri-Augstein was Research Professor in Human Learning at Brunel University West London until 2001. A graduate in Biology and Physiology she was Head of Sixth Form Science for several years before being awarded a PhD in Human Learning at Brunel. She also acted as Advanced and Scholarship level examiner for the Oxford and Cambridge Exam Board. As senior lecturer at Loughborough was responsible for introducing Self­ Organised Learning into the Teacher Training Curriculum and she has written Course units, monitored tutors and acted as examiner for the Open University. At Brunel, in addition to her Post graduate teaching duties, she procured research grants and lead SOL projects in education, and in commercial organisations. Together with Laurie Thomas she is the founder of SOL and the Learning Conversation Methodology and she is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She has presented TV and Radio programmes and sponsored by the British council, run workshops and seminars in Europe, North America and Australasia on SOL. Sheila is co-director of the Centre for the Study of Human Learning (CSHL) now based at Oxford. She is author and co-author of several books including, The Art and Science of Getting a Degree, Reading to Learn, Self-Organised Learning, Learning Conversations, and Learning to Change. Currently she runs master classes in SOL and supports SOL Coaching at the International College of SOL based at Reading, UK. Contact address: /sheila.harri-augstein@cshl.ac.uk/