Learning, Time, Risk, Trust, Choice…

We were given the gift of time and choice on our professional development today.  We had a day to choose what, how, and with whom we wanted to learn.  How often do we offer this gift to our learners?  What if we offered them even an hour to choose their learning?  Is the risk so great that we don’t dare?  Do we trust them to learn, to collaborate, to work and play, to grow? 

How many times do we say that we don’t have time to do something?  How often does the schedule get in our way?  And, which schedule do we mean?  Do we mean the daily schedule where a bell rings and people come and go?  Do we mean the schedule of all that has to be accomplished over the course of a week, semester, or year?  Do we mean both? 

How must our learners feel about time and the schedules? 

What must it be like to just get into an interesting experiment, story, or problem and then time forces us to go on?  What if a learner is interested the current topic and wants to learn more?  Today, I was late to every appointment because with each learning experience we chose to stay past the deadline.  How do I respond when my learners are late or need more time? 

It is about time, risk, trust and choices.  Will we choose to learn?

About the Author: Jill Gough (@jgough) works to be a better learner, listener, and friend. She thinks a lot about communication, visualization, and teamwork.