Software Team Sociology: Learning by Doing

Sunday, May 9

Learning by Doing

cting Your Way into a New Way of Thinking

Positive Deviancy wasn't the only technique in Jerry and Monique Sternin's arsenal as they endeavored to convince the Vietnamese villagers to change what they fed their children. Jerry Sternin believed 'It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way in to a new way of acting.'

The biggest obstacle to the changes they wanted to make was the perception that the foods that they were advocating were worthless and low class. They made those foods (sweet potato greens, shrimp, and crabs) the price of admission for their cooking event. By gathering those foods so that they attend a cooking event that showed how to prepare those foods and then them caused cognitive dissonance as the villagers had acted as if they believed that sweet potato greens, shrimp, and crabs weren't worthless after all.

Even if you are convinced, knowing that something is the right thing to do doesn't make it easy to form a new habit. Making small incremental changes in your life is far more effective than any amount of self talk trying to convince yourself to do the right thing. Having the villagers gather the materials themselves broke the ice and gave them a head start in creating that new habit.

Recognition is Not Recall

When studying a subject students often believe they know the material as it is familiar. But recognizing that you have encountered the material before is not the same as recalling the material on demand. Students can easily become over confident believing they know the material when they do not.
Re-reading the material will only make things worse. Only by testing yourself and undertaking deliberate practice can your knowledge be solidified.

This sense of familiarity and recognition is behind much of the illusion of explanatory depth where people believe that they know how every day objects work but are at a loss when asked to give a detailed explanation.
It is also behind much of The Dunning-Kruger Effect. Just because something is ubiquitous in your life, doesn't mean you have the language and mental models to truly understand what you are seeing no mater how frequently you encounter it.

70-20-10 Rule

When learning a new skill or knowledge area we trend to over invest in self study and formal study and under invest in learning with others and deliberate practice.

Breaking Down Learning Activities

According to the Center for Creative Leadership learning can be up to 3 times more effective if you take a hybrid approach. This has been supported by subsequent research.

The breakdown is as follows

10 percent of professional development optimally comes from formal traditional courses
20 percent through social learning, coaching, mentoring, collaborative learning
70 percent through hands-on experience