Do you remember the last time you tried to learn something new? Chances are you went through a typical process: you realized that what you were doing wasn’t working and you needed to do something different, you struggled for a while, and then finally it all came together.
The realization that you got it, that it all makes sense, is an amazing feeling! And as a professor, I get to see this happen all the time. Thankfully, I still get to have my own AHA moments too!
The Bliss of Ignorance
Just like everyone else, my students start out not knowing what they don’t know. In all honesty, this is a nice place to be sometimes because it allows you to keep doing the same things you’ve always done.
If you’re like me, you wonder what’s wrong. Maybe you even try to rationalize why you keep doing the same things even though you keep getting the same results.
At this point, we may not even know that there is a better way to do something because we’ve never seen or tried a better way. As the old saying goes, “ignorance is bliss”… until it isn’t.
Waking Up
Then, we move to the point where we realize that there is a gap in the knowledge. From my perspective, this is similar to waking up in the morning and feeling a little groggy. Learning to see things differently can be a little disorienting at first, but our brains are fully capable of reorganizing to understand new things.
Accepting that there is something we don’t know, that maybe we should know, and maybe it could even make our life better, is very frustrating for most people. We want to feel like we know whatever we need to know because that makes us feel good about ourselves. And we know we’re smart enough to learn what we need to know.
At this point, the frustration can lead to resistance. That’s normal because it means that our perspective will have to change to incorporate this new information into our worldview, and more importantly, our daily lives.
Sitting With Discomfort
Being able to witness someone understand a new concept for the first time is one of the best parts of teaching and coaching.
My students have described my class as a laid-back atmosphere where you can have deep conversations while you learn. At first, I was a little offended by the “laid-back” part. Aren’t college classrooms supposed to be highly structured, even rigid? Isn’t the professor supposed to stand in the front of the room and lecture while the students take notes?
I’m not that kind of teacher. After working through my assumptions and beliefs about teaching, I realized that my teaching style is in line with my beliefs. If you’ve read any of my other posts you understand why this belief alignment was an important process for me to work through.
I know that these AHA moments are rare when we are experiencing a lot of stress. In times of stress, our brain is primarily focused on keeping us safe and alive. We may even sabotage our efforts in order to maintain the comfortable status quo.
My students experience a lot of stress outside of the classroom, and they have the stress of learning new and challenging material. My delivery of the material can be the bridge that provides support through the process.
I operate the same way when I coach people. We start where we are, decide where we want to go, and explore the space in between. My focus is on getting people the best results they want to achieve with the least resistance and stress possible.
Putting it All Together
Eventually, the new learning takes shape. With practice, things that just didn’t make sense, finally come together.
After you step outside of your current view, you can see the issue from a whole new perspective. Suddenly, things become integrated, no longer in disconnected, chaotic pieces. At that point, it’s not possible to go back to seeing the world the way you did before.
That is the definition of learning. True learning is the incorporation of new knowledge that leads to permanent changes in thought and behavior.
