“It might be impossible, the experiment intimates, to imagine — even with our finest knowledge and best predictive models — what an experience would feel like before we have it, raw and revelatory and resinous with the one thing we can never model, never reduce to information: wonder — the wonder of the world suddenly new and we suddenly new to ourselves.” Susan R. Barry
The essence of learning lies in its unpredictability, driven by the elusive element of wonder. True learning is connective and imaginative. When we are disconnected from our imagination we are disconnected from learning too. When people ask what they will learn attending to any of my learning experiences I, always, tell them that learning is inherently subjective, shaped by individual perceptions and reactions to information and situations.
Unlike training, which typically follows a structured path with predetermined outcomes, true learning involves moments of discovery, surprise, and personal insight. Learning unfolds over time as we continue practice and exploring and involves a good dose of unlearning too!
Attempting to predict what someone will learn in a learning experience overlooks the profound impact of encountering the unknown and the unexpected. No amount of knowledge or sophisticated predictive models can fully capture the intricate and complex interplay between external stimuli and internal reactions that defines the learning process.
Each individual brings their unique perspectives, biases, and prior experiences, making it impossible to forecast the outcomes of a learning journey.
True learning transcends mere acquisition of information. It involves a deep sense of awe and curiosity that opens doors to new perspectives and self-discovery. This element of wonder defies quantification and defies reduction to data or algorithms.
While training may be predictable and structured, true learning defies such constraints. Therefore, attempting to predict what people will learn during a learning experience is a “performative trap” ultimately underestimating the complexity and richness of the human's capacity for evolution and exploration.
When approaching learning, my invitation is “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment” - Rumi
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