Comments on: 2010 – design thinking, analytics, metaphors +

By: Mental Model Breakdown | wander@will

Mental Model Breakdown | wander@will — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:53:33 +0000

[...] and thus need to be “unlearned” (you can read about it in the comments section of this post.) It got me thinking — how does one “unlearn, alter, dismantle or simply change other [...]

By: Rani H. Gill

Rani H. Gill — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:13:21 +0000

If we examine cognitive psychology the way we unlearn old associations is by creating new associations. If you keep focusing on the “old” behaviors you reinforce them (“don’t think of an elephant”). If we know specifically the behaviors or actions then you can disrupt those actions — literally disrupt their script. For example – I successfully seen coaching used during role plays to interrupt a role-play person’s “old” behaviors. You interrupt the script and have them act it out again in a different manner. Or you tell a familiar story – but tell it from a different point of view, or put a twist in it to disrupt the script. Or you put people in unfamiliar situations where they cannot rely on their usual behaviors — they have to act or behave differently to succeed. It’s difficult to be more specific unless I am are addressing a specific situation. Feel free to connect via email if you are trying to solve a specific problem and I’ll see what I can do to help. cheers.

By: Saqib

Saqib — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:20:26 +0000

Hi Rani,

I was hoping you or your blog readers might have some ideas…….

By: Rani H. Gill

Rani H. Gill — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:38:58 +0000

Saqib – how then would you approach unlearning? I’m interested in your thoughts.

By: Saqib

Saqib — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:22:19 +0000

That is the question. I wish I had an answer

But the focus definitely has to be on the past and NOT the future, because the future we create in our head is based on what we have learned so far. Which is no good.

By: Rani H. Gill

Rani H. Gill — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:27:17 +0000

Good point. However, I think undoing can also be a way of unlearning – it breaks expectations, it’s an interruption of the script. How would you suggest people “unlearn”? Should the focus be on the past or the future we want to create?

By: Saqib

Saqib — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:17:51 +0000

Hi Rani,

What you are describing is non-doing i.e. not taking people to classrooms. un-doing (i.e. unlearning) requires a lot more effort, and is not easy.

Saqib

By: Rani H. Gill

Rani H. Gill — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:58:34 +0000

Hi Saqib – Thanks for your comment. RE: Unlearning metaphors? To interpret your question — if we learn new associations via new metaphors, we are re-configuring how we frame what we know. So in that case, unlearning becomes a reconfiguration. So for example, if we want to unlearn the metaphor of the classroom, the obvious unlearning choice is to take people outside of the classroom — and create perhaps a walking learning environment. Unconferences take this kind of approach. If we want to unlearn the metaphor of eLearning as “book” or “page turner”, perhaps we create learning that forces them to break the linear narrative and look up from their screen — forcing a think-break. Unlearning metaphors is a great way to think about this. thanks.

By: Saqib Ali

Saqib Ali — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:46:35 +0000

hmm. what about metaphors for unlearning? we have to unlearn how we have learned in the past.