Jim Pemberton
MB Exclusive.
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2006
- Messages
- 12,583
- Name
- Jim Pemberton
Lee just shared this with me today. It sums up the roadblocks I put up in the way of myself when I'm exposed to new ideas.
Maybe it will help some of you, or your more experienced employees:
"NOTES ON ADULT LEARNING
The More You Think You Know, the Less You Will Absorb New Knowledge!
Adult learning of new ideas is highly dependent on our level of
motivation and our prior knowledge. Research has found that the
more we think we know about something, the less likely we are to
learn when someone tries to share new knowledge with us.
This finding comes from three studies of the impact of prior
knowledge on learning. In each study, adults were presented with
new information on various product and service concepts and then
tested on what they had just been told. The research found that
adults with the least prior knowledge of the category gave the most
accurate answers. Adult participants with greater prior knowledge
seemed to assume that they already knew about the product or service
category and didn't need to focus or concentrate on learning the
information presented.
Those who feel that they already understand [present subject] are
less likely to open their minds to learning. Instead of looking for
ways to apply the new knowledge, they will skim the material and
process the learning in a shallow fashion. They debate and disprove
truths that don't align with their beliefs or established ways of
doing things.
As this truth indicates, you have a choice. You can humbly open your
mind to new learning, or you can pat yourself on the back for your
personal intelligence and endlessly repeat your cycles of success
and failure. The choice is yours."
Maybe it will help some of you, or your more experienced employees:
"NOTES ON ADULT LEARNING
The More You Think You Know, the Less You Will Absorb New Knowledge!
Adult learning of new ideas is highly dependent on our level of
motivation and our prior knowledge. Research has found that the
more we think we know about something, the less likely we are to
learn when someone tries to share new knowledge with us.
This finding comes from three studies of the impact of prior
knowledge on learning. In each study, adults were presented with
new information on various product and service concepts and then
tested on what they had just been told. The research found that
adults with the least prior knowledge of the category gave the most
accurate answers. Adult participants with greater prior knowledge
seemed to assume that they already knew about the product or service
category and didn't need to focus or concentrate on learning the
information presented.
Those who feel that they already understand [present subject] are
less likely to open their minds to learning. Instead of looking for
ways to apply the new knowledge, they will skim the material and
process the learning in a shallow fashion. They debate and disprove
truths that don't align with their beliefs or established ways of
doing things.
As this truth indicates, you have a choice. You can humbly open your
mind to new learning, or you can pat yourself on the back for your
personal intelligence and endlessly repeat your cycles of success
and failure. The choice is yours."
