Module: Personal and Professional Development

Unit: Self-Managed Learning

Lesson: The Self-Managed Learning Process

2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resource Development International Limited reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in these
learning materials. No part of any learning materials may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form
or by any means, including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
written consent of Resource Development International Limited.

The Self-Managed Learning Process

Self-managed learning
This module is about how you can plan, implement and assess your own process of learning and
development. The aim is that this self-managed learning will enhance your lifelong development in
relation to your current work, your future career, and your wider aims for life.
The main focus of this first lesson is on learning styles and approaches to learning, but it will be
useful to begin by looking at the key aspects of self-managed learning.
Self-initiation
Using the term 'Self initiation' emphasises that you are the person in control. You need to plan
what you want to achieve, how you will learn, and how you will assess your progress.
That does not imply that you can ignore the requirements of organisations and employers: for
example, if you wanted to get a job as an accountant you would need to pass the relevant
accountancy examinations. But it does mean that you are the one to make decisions about your
aims and how you will carry out the learning and development.
Goal-setting
The first stage of any self-managed learning is to set clear goals. What exactly are you trying to
achieve? What skills, experience, qualifications etc will you require in the future?
Personal orientation
Your achievement goals must be important for you. You are more likely to be motivated if you set
out to achieve your own aims; working for other people's targets may be more difficult.
Milestones
It is quite likely that your development plans can only be achieved over the long term. For example,
completing an HND will take a number of years. You will probably find it useful to set yourself
milestones, perhaps planning to complete a particular unit by a stated day, complete three
modules by a particular date, and so on.
When you reach a milestone, spend some time thinking about your progress. Are you on schedule
to complete your overall development? What problems came up, and how did you overcome
them? Have you identified any new aims for the future?
Self-reflection
Self-managed learning involves thinking about your current and past performance, your aims for
the future, and your progress towards those aims. This process of self-reflection needs to be
accurate and honest.

2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning Theory
There are many different theories of how people learn. What follows is a variety of them, and it is
useful to consider their application to how you learn as an individual in both an education and
professional setting. It is interesting to think about your own particular way of learning and to
recognise that everyone does not learn the way you do. You should be able to recognise your
strengths and weaknesses and develop strategies to maximise your strengths and overcome any
barriers to learning.
Burns (1995) 'conceives of learning as a relatively permanent change in behaviour with behaviour
including both observable activity and internal processes such as thinking, attitudes and emotions.'
It is clear that Burns includes motivation in this definition of learning. Burns considers that learning
might not manifest itself in observable behaviour until some time after the educational program has
taken place.
This approach to learning emphasises the fact that individuals perceive and process information in
very different ways. The learning styles theory implies that how much individuals learn has more to
do with whether the educational experience is geared toward their particular style of learning than
whether or not they are "smart." In fact, educators should not ask, "Is this student smart?" but rather
"How is this student smart?"
The concept of learning styles is rooted in the classification of psychological types. The learning
styles theory is based on research demonstrating that, as the result of heredity, upbringing, and
current environmental demands, different individuals have a tendency to both perceive and process
information differently. The different ways of doing so are generally classified as:
1. Concrete and abstract perceivers - Concrete perceivers absorb information through direct
experience, by doing, acting, sensing, and feeling. Abstract perceivers, however, take in
information through analysis, observation, and thinking.
2. Active and reflective processors - Active processors make sense of an experience by
immediately using the new information. Reflective processors make sense of an experience by
reflecting on and thinking about it.
Traditional schooling tends to favour abstract perceiving and reflective processing. Other kinds of
learning aren't rewarded and reflected in curriculum, instruction, and assessment nearly as much.
How the learning styles theory impacts education:
Curriculum - Educators must place emphasis on intuition, feeling, sensing, and imagination, in
addition to the traditional skills of analysis, reason, and sequential problem solving.
Instruction - Teachers should design their instruction methods to connect with all four learning
styles, using various combinations of experience, reflection, conceptualization, and
experimentation. Instructors can introduce a wide variety of experiential elements into the
classroom, such as sound, music, visuals, movement, experience, and even talking.
Assessment - Teachers should employ a variety of assessment techniques, focusing on the
development of "whole brain" capacity and each of the different learning styles.
Overview of learning theory
Learning can be defined formally as the act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skills.
In contrast, memory can be defined as the capacity of storing, retrieving, and acting on that
2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

knowledge. Learning helps us move from novices to experts and allows us to gain new knowledge
and abilities.
Learning strengthens the brain by building new pathways and increasing connections that we can
rely on when we want to learn more. Definitions that are more complex add words such as
comprehension and mastery through experience or study.
Physiologically, learning is the formation of cell assemblies and phase sequences. Children learn by
building these assemblies and sequences. Adults spend more time making new arrangements than
forming new sequences. Our experience and background allow us to learn new concepts.
At the neurological level, any established knowledge (from experience and background) appears to
be made up of exceedingly intricate arrangements of cell materials, electrical charges, and
chemical elements. Learning requires energy; re-learning and un-learning requires even more. We
must access higher brain functions to generate the much-needed energy and unbind the old.
Our discussion here assumes learning, from the most fundamental to complex, to be:
Any increase in knowledge.
Memorizing information.
Acquiring knowledge for practical use.
Abstracting meaning from what we do.
A process that allows us to understand.
Remarkably, people can learn from the moment of birth. Learning can and should be a lifelong
process. Learning shouldn't be defined by what happened early in life, only at school. We constantly
make sense of our experiences and consistently search for meaning. In essence, we continue to
learn.
Although humans like the familiar and are often uncomfortable with change, the brain searches for
and responds to novelty. Rote learning frustrates us because the brain resists meaningless stimuli.
When we invoke the brain's natural capacity to integrate information, however, we can assimilate
boundless amounts.
This may explain why sometimes a tough class, one you never thought you would get through, was
one of your all-time favourites.
Western society once believed adults didn't learn. Even today, if you ask a group why adults cannot
learn, it may surprise you how many begin answering the question without challenging the premise.
Unfortunately, many adults deny themselves what should be one of the most enriching parts of life
because they assume they can't learn.
We can learn from everything the mind perceives (at any age). Our brains build and strengthen
neural pathways no matter where we are, no matter what the subject or the context.
In today's business environment, finding better ways to learn will propel organisations forward.
Strong minds fuel strong organisations. We must capitalize on our natural styles and then build
systems to satisfy needs. Only through an individual learning process can we re-create our
environments and ourselves.
Find out more by visiting the following website:
http://www.digitalschool.net/e du/adult_learn_Brookfield.html
2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning styles
The modern day organisation recognises the need (need to explain the importance for
organisations and individuals and why 'learning' is so important for the success to both) for flexibility
in the strategies for learning.
For learning to be successful the learner must experiment and apply new ideas to his workplace
activities. Only in this way will improvements in business performance result. Learning cannot be a
theoretical exercise.
Successful learning is dependent on how well an organisation can match what has to be learnt with
the particular learning styles of the learner or learner groups.
Honey, P & Mumford, A (1982) suggest that learning styles can be characterised by the following
four classes of learners:
The Activist
The activist thrives on the challenge of new experiences. He (why is it he? ) is happy to try new
things out and experience new situations or new ways of working. He is a 'risk-taker' by
temperament. However, The Activist often does not have the ability to see through new ideas. He
may be poor on execution, or be unable to stay the course for the long-term.
The Reflector
The reflector is analytical in his thinking. He is cautious and weighs up the pros and cons of any
situation in detail before acceptance or rejection. The Reflector can take a long time to come to
decisions.
The Theorist
As the name suggests The Theorist is strong on theory, good at assimilating complex information
and theorising, but usually weak on application and subjective judgements.
The Pragmatist
The Pragmatist's focus is on the application of learning in real-life situations. He is practical and
can be frustrated by excessive theorising. He simply wants to get on with doing the job. He
responds well to organisational problems with practical problem-solving skills.
None of these styles are good or bad in themselves. In fact, a team comprising of individuals with
different learning styles is likely to be far more effective than one with just theorists or one with just
activists.
The challenge for strategic HRD is to create a learning environment that maximises the potential of
these differing individual learning styles.

Classify your own learning style.

What types of learning and development initiatives work best for you?
2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kolb's learning cycle

Kolb (1976, 1984) suggested that there are four stages in a learning cycle.

Figure 1.01 - Kolb's learning cycle

He also suggests that some people will prefer different stages.

Concrete experience is learning from experience. "I put my hand in the fire and got burnt."
Active experimentation (or trial and error): "Let's see what happens if I put my hand in the fire."
Reflective observation (working out possible solutions before trying): "I wonder what would
happen if I put my hand in the fire."
Abstract conceptualisation or thinking. "That fire is hot. If I put my hand in it I expect I will get
burned."
Kolb suggests that many people will adopt different stages in different situations. Learners have
choices and can choose to change their style.

2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

You may already have used all four stages of Kolb's learning cycle in relation to your study and
your work.
What examples can you think of where you have:
1. found out something by experience
2. tried an experiment to see whether your experience can be generalised
3. thought about the conclusions and come up with a general concept
4. tested your concept and found that ways in which you need to amend it, or develop further
concepts.

Which learning styles do you tend to use?

When answering that question, think about your learning in a range of contexts.

It is quite likely that you concluded that you use different styles in different situations, though you
probably use some more than others. For example, you may generally be an Activist or and
Experimenter; but you may use more reflective approaches when in high risk situations.
As another example think about the various approaches made when learning about team building.
You might use a theoretical approach when learning in the training room, but be more of an activist
when learning from experiences at an outdoor training centre.
For self-managed learners, the theories of learning cycles and learning styles are of great
importance. Learning is not simply about remembering what we have been told or read. We
cannot assume that we need to learn in the same way in all situations.

2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-development or organisation-led development?

Thinking back over the ideas in this lesson, you may have been surprised by the importance given
to individual decisions. As a self-managed learner you decide what to study to achieve your own
aims. You also assume control over your personal and professional development, having control of
this area and planning for the future is an important part of achieving success. It enables you to take
advantage of different environments and utilise their potential for learning.
This does not, of course, mean that other people in the organisation will not direct some aspects of
your training and development. For example, senior management may decide that everyone needs
specific training in, say, health and safety or first aid. Your manager may decide that you need to go
on courses in writing reports or interpersonal skills.
Overall, however, the ideas of self managed learning have increasingly been seen as effectively
leading to greater levels of skills, knowledge and experience within the organisation. Two
approaches to this are described in the following screens.

Learning organisations
A learning organisation is one which lives and breathes knowledge acquisition and skill
development - the ultimate extension of 'learning on the job'.
Characteristics of a learning organisation are:
1. Learning approaches to strategy. Organisational policy and strategy and their implementation,
evaluation and improvement, are consciously structured as a learning process.
2. Participative policy making. Participation and identification are encouraged in debating policy
and strategy. Differences are accepted, disagreements aired, conflicts tolerated and worked with in
order to reach decisions.
3. Informating. Information systems 'informate' as well as automate. Systems allow staff to question
operating assumptions and seek information in order to learn about the organisation's goals, norms
and processes.
4. Formative accounting and control. Management systems for accounting, budgeting and reporting
are organised in such a way that they assist learning from the consequences of decisions.
5. Internal exchange. All departments and internal units view themselves as customers and
suppliers, constantly in dialogue with each other.
6. Reward flexibility. Assumptions which underlie reward systems should be made public and
alternatives investigated.
7. Enabling structures. The organisation needs to give space and headroom to meet present needs
and respond to future changes.
8. Boundary workers as environmental scanners. Employees with external contacts - for example,
sales representatives and delivery agents - function as environmental scanners, collecting negative
and positive to pass on to other staff.
9. Inter-company working. Information is deliberately shared to support joint learning with significant
other stakeholders outside the organisation, such as key customers and suppliers.
2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

10.Learning climate. Organisational culture and management style encourages experimentation, in

order to learn from successes and failures.
11.Self-development for all. Resources and facilities are accessible to everyone in order to
encourage self-development.
Source: adapted from Pedler et al (1991).

How does your organisation view training and organisational learning?

Write a brief summary. Indicate how you might make any improvements.
Reflexive modernisation theory
The idea of reflexive modernization was suggested by three European sociologists - Giddens, Beck
and Lash. They suggest that the solidarity supplied by traditional authoritarian societies has been
replaced by a greater focus on individualism.
According to Aiken, some of the key topics in this theory relate to how societies have reacted to the
emergence of classes, wealth accumulation, rapid scientific advance and the arrival of industrial
and capitalist society. Societies are now faced not with the problem of harnessing or controlling
nature for the benefit of humankind but 'essentially with problems resulting from techno-economic
development itself'. You could perhaps think about this in relation to green issues such as energy
use: to what extent should the problem be dealt with by governments and to what extent is it our own
responsibility?
Similar questions arise in relation to individuals and organisations. Who is responsible for ensuring
that everyone develops to their full potential?

Kolb's learning cycle

Label the various stages of Kolb's learning cycle.

2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

Figure 1.02a - Kolb's learning cycle

Figure 1.02 - Kolb's learning cycle

2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

Knowledge Checks

2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

 2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

Knowledge Checks - Solutions

2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.

 2012 Resource Development International Ltd. All rights reserved.