Book review
Lessons in Learning,
e-Learning, and Training : Perspectives and Guidance for the Enlightened
Trainer
Pfieffer, February 2005 (320pp)
Author: Roger Schank
Review by Donald Clark - Epic
A new book from Roger Schank is always a welcome
sight in e-learning. He has a habit of cutting through the garbage,
speaking his mind and coming up with fresh ideas. Generally regarded
as ‘mad’ by his enemies and ‘genius’ by
his admirers, he likes to adopt contrary positions. Unfortunately,
in his recent role as Chief Learning Officer for the Trump University
(yes, that’s Donald Trump) and his weird home schooling initiative,
he may be showing signs of the onset of true madness.
I have seen Roger speak many times and on one occasion he said
that he had tried to write a book on designing e-learning but had
found it impossible. He felt that the subject was huge and that
many of the skills were tacit, making capture difficult. This is
a brave attempt.
It is a credible effort to bring several themes together in a series
of essays. It’s full of the usual Schank crankiness, but that’s
to be expected. He really does have a go at almost every aspect
of current education and training. However, he backs his points
up with cogent arguments and real insights.
His point about learning through failure is truly inspirational
and almost completely ignored in education and training. Learning
by doing has been a strong theme in learning theory from the Greeks,
Locke (quoted in this book), James, Dewey, Kolb and Schank, yet
few have risen to the challenge. He has a real go at the training
community for ignoring this issue and explains in detail why they
avoid addressing the problem with their many excuses.
On e-learning he exposes some of the common flaws; failure to engage,
telling and not doing, relentless quizzes, lack of good storytelling,
and lack of goals, especially naturally occurring learning goals
and so on. This is practical and valuable advice.
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He backs up much of what he says with good referenced research,
especially on memory, with the difference between event and procedural
memory and Bartlett’s research. The book is also good on AI,
its problems and how it can be used, with a great deal of caution,
in e-learning.
The case studies need to be taken with a pinch of salt. CMU West,
Enron, oracle and Deloitte &Touche. We have an ex-Cognitive
Arts staff at Epic, and these case studies are a little suspect.
Lastly, his ‘Slaying the Dragon’ stuff is hilarious.
If you want a really good free read, see.
http://www.e-learningguru.com/wpapers/scc.pdf
You’ll laugh out loud.
This is a must read for anyone in the e-learning industry and if
you’re still not convinced and the price ($35) puts you off,
here’s a list of the essays
1. I Told You Not to Tell Me That.
The case for not “telling” in training—and some
guidelines for doing it if you must.
2. I Wanted to Learn But There Was No Money in It.
Thoughts on the relationship between learning goals and rewards—and
how to design training that helps learners stay motivated.
3. Teaching What Can’t Be Taught.
The value of knowing what you cannot fix—and understanding
how people really change and what the culture has to do with it.
4. Knowing Isn’t Doing.
The reasons most e-learning is so bad (and other training, for
that matter)—and five questions to ask to begin to make it
better.
5. Enron Fixes Their Communication Problems.
Thoughts on when to just say no—like when your company asks
for a training course.
6. Sex and Chicken.
The role of nonconscious learning—and how to help adults
do it.
7. I Can’t Remember Whether I Ate the Whole Thing.
On the difference between event memory and procedural memory—and
how practice has to figure in.
8. Sir, Step Away from the Fig Newton.
How what happens in real life undoes training—and what to
do about it.
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9. Billy’s Home Run.
Storytelling insights—and how hearing, telling, and living
stories makes for good training.
10. What’s Doing?
The excuses for not doing doing-based training—and how to
avoid them.
11. Pardon Me, I Must Have Misplaced My Stereotype.
The pros and cons of stereotyping - and how to teach people to
do it well.
12. Every Curriculum Tells a Story (Don’t It?).
The problems with most curricula today—and how they inspire
a different way to define the training designer’s job.
13. And We’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun ‘til Our Company
Takes the e-Learning Away.
Why most e-learning is boring, not fun—and real-world tips
for making it more engaging.
14. I Disagree with the Question.
The importance of getting the questions right—so the rest
of your job is easy.
15. Corporate Dragons.
Why most e-learning you are likely to encounter isn’t very
good - and how to recognize it.
16. Time for AI.
How AI might help when you have a problem that you need a smart
computer to do—like building story-based training systems.
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