The WHY of Learning

There are many conversations going on (online) around all things learning. I like these conversations because they help me learn. Also I often experience that the conversations lead to Babilonic confusion based on different starting points, assumptions and the different context that people have in mind (and there can be countless differences in context). When this confusion occurs, often the conversation moves to some kind of debate in which participants try to win and convince others that they are right. I’ve been puzzling lately trying to create an overview that shows a clear picture of why people are learning to bring clarity to conversations. I now think the first draft is ready to share and get some feedback on (see below).

The distinction of ‘instrumental’ versus ‘intrinsic’ coined by Scott H. Young in his book ‘Ultralearning’ was very useful to me. Instrumental learning is learning for a non-learning result so learning as a means and not an end. Here I added ‘Access’ and ‘Application’ as two subcategories. Access is focussed on learning to get access to certain industries, jobs or tasks and to be (legally) allowed to work in certain industries or jobs or to do certain tasks. Think of all kind of licenses and certifications that professionals need to do a job. Application is focussed on application of what you have learned to get a job done that you weren’t able to do before the learning because you missed certain knowledge and/or skills. Of course there often can be an overlap between Access and Application: if you invested time sand money to become certified and get acces to a job you likely also want to apply it to really do that job. Intrinsic is based on learning for the sake of learning itself, let’s say for hobby, interest or to satisfy your curiosity. It’s focussed on amusement. Think of learning photography or a different language. Also here can be an overlap with application, that it starts focussed on amusement but eventually you want to really make nice photo’s or speak that other language when you’re on holiday. There might also be an overlap between amusement and access that you need a license to be allowed to practice your hobby: think of water sports, a boat license or diving license. Instrumental also suggests that there might be other solutions then learning to get what you want. Think of ‘performance support’ or a specific app or tool that can help you reach your goal. Until now, I covered this theme from the perspective of the ‘learner’ but I hope it will also be useful for learning professionals representing an organization and learning designers. Being explicit about intentions and goals to achieve is also helpful for them I think. Now back to you dear reader. As I mentioned: this is a first draft and I’d like to receive some feedback and your ideas for improvement, so please share your thoughts and comments, thanks!