‘Why don’t people learn?’ What do you mean?

Hello! I am starting this series with the feeling that now is the right time to write about my thoughts developed through my experiences. There is a lot of time on hand, but I hope that this series will sustain beyond the COVID-19 lockdown. Let me begin.

As people are locked in their homes, some may have thought about constructively utilizing their time by learning something new. Some organizations feel that they can use this time to push online training programs and let their employees learn. But inevitably, the initial enthusiasm will wane, and people will go back to a state where they are reluctant to learn. This begs the question- why don’t people learn?

Many years ago, I came across ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams. One of the plot points of the books is the supercomputer ‘Deep Thought’ that would provide the answer to the “Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and (almost!) Everything”. The computer does arrive at the answer after millions of years- the number 42! But then someone asked, “What was the question?” and Deep Thought answered, “That is a difficult question. I can’t answer that!”.

I think the question ‘Why don’t people learn?’ is a question like that. We try answering it, try to calculate ROI of training intervention, try to measure attendance etc. thinking that we know the question. But what do we really mean when we say that people do not learn?

I think the issue has two perspectives. First is what we mean by learning, and second is how we measure learning. There are plenty of models and theories that we will relate to, to arrive at the answer.

Let us first tackle the question. What is learning? Learning starts with ‘knowing’. How do I know something? The answer to that is, quite simply, by going through experience. Now, this is a very expensive way of learning and may not always be feasible. We can gain knowledge by listening to those who have gone the experience. There are a lot people who talk or write about their experiences, and when you see and read them, you gain knowledge without having to go through those experiences yourself.

Naturally, measuring whether you have gained the requisite knowledge involves asking questions about the knowledge in question. A lot gets written about how exams are ‘bad’ since they only test knowledge, and not the application of the knowledge in real life. Though all of that is true, if there is no knowledge, what will you apply? Thus, the point remains: ‘knowing’ is essential to learning. Additionally, it is not enough to just learn, it is also important to recall said knowledge when needed. When we try to answer why people don’t learn, minimally, we are asking why people don’t know!

So, let us look at the barriers to acquiring knowledge and recalling it when needed. Once we know the barriers, we can work towards finding solutions to removing them. Barriers can pop up at various levels – limitations of the learners, limitations of the trainers, and limitations of the medium.

Learners may not acquire knowledge because they are not interested in knowing. Why? The reason could be that they do not see the application of that knowledge in the near future. But should knowing be restricted to just the near future? In 1987, I was working as an engineer in the R&D division of TCS, along with other engineers and computer scientists. During that time, I did a Diploma in Business management, despite the fact that almost all of us thought of management studies as ‘less challenging’ than whatever we were doing. However, when I started Enhance & Excel 20 years later, many concepts that I learned in that course became very relevant to my life. Obviously, I couldn’t recall everything, but at least I knew where to look for more information as and when I needed it. Unfortunately, since the last 10 years that I have started my organization, I do not see many managers taking that kind of long-term approach in reality. I have often met managers, who are supposed to be high potential leaders, taking a very transactional view of learning.

Another reason that learners may not acquire knowledge could be cognitive ability. If they do not learn with the flow, they may lose interest. Often people are shy about asking questions and clearing doubts. They may be slow because of the lack of background they have in that subject or they may simply be tired.

Yet another reason may be the lack of mental stamina in absorbing and retaining knowledge. However much entertaining training may be made, training that imparts knowledge is not, in fact, entertainment. It requires focus, it requires exercising the brain and many adults may have just lost the stamina. They need to build it, but they don’t.

Lastly, learners may be reluctant to learn by assuming that they ‘already know it’. If I watch a movie once, I will hardly be able to recall too many details. I watch the same movie a second time, and I can recall some more. I watch it multiple times, and I know so much more. So many people can recite dialogues in movies word for word (just recall watching Sholey) but when it comes to knowledge, people are not interested in revisiting it. Too often, when I take workshops, if I start with some basic concepts, the attendees are sure that they know these concepts but still make a point to note them down. This means they still needed the revision. When we go on to actually play the simulation or some other action learning activity in the workshop, they discover that what they thought they knew, they did not actually know enough or they could not recall it.

Apart from the learner, there are limitations with the trainers as well. The trainers may not know how to teach. They may not know enough in the first place. They may be disconnected form the needs of the learners and so on. As trainers, we must observe ourselves to see if these issues hold true for us. There are challenges with the medium used too. In the classroom, the trainer can judge, to a degree, whether the learner is listening or not. However, classrooms have their limitations as well – slow learners may not be able to cope with the pace and may lose their interest, while quick learners might lose their interest if they find the class too slow. There may be other ‘noise’ factors- the time of the day, the decorum and so on. But let’s face it: we can change trainers if they are competent, change the medium if it is not suitable, but if the learner is removed from the scene, there is no learning.

So far, I have touched on a very small part of learning, i.e. ‘knowing’. In the coming days, I will try to expand on the barriers of learning while learning through various mediums. Do let me know your thoughts on my ideas. Happy learning!