A definition of learning
that could change your life

This page suggests a definition of learning to facilitate double loop learning and other theories of learning. In addition, the learning definition used here relates to different adult learning styles and learning theories.

A definition of learning that will set you free.

There’s an old saying: “catch a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.

Put another way, if you LEARN how to fish you will be dependent on no one.

You will enhance your capacity to choose your own future, to sing your song, to change through self improvement.

Firstly, the definition of learning that we’re using here is:

to learn positively means: enhancing your capacity to create your own future and helping everyone else to do the same.

Of the many definitions of learning available, this learning definition goes way beyond seeing learning as being about just acquiring knowledge and skills (and even attitudes).

The above definition of learning includes the bigger concepts of:

* seeking feedback and building your capacity to apply what you grasped,

* using the process so that you can create your future,

* and then sharing your outcomes and wisdom with everyone else, especially if you belong to a team or team building is part of your self development.

This last point from the definition of learning implies that as well as being a learner you will need to be a teacher or coach or mentor of others.

The above learning definition implies that it is possible for the learning process to be a negative experience or that you may acquire negative things - surely not?

If you gain some "education" from a situation, surely that must be good?

Not necessarily so.

You can, and probably have, studied or experienced things that do not enhance your capacity to create your own future (which is the opposite of self help self improvement, of course).

For example, let’s suppose you are involved in a situation that turns out to be a disaster for you.

You will, undoubtedly, have learned something. But, what?

If you were left thinking or feeling some or all of the following:

* you can’t do that

* you’ll never try that again

* you have failed

* who do you think you are?, you’re only a ...........whatever

* why did you bother, you only got criticised for your efforts

* it will do as it is, leave things alone

* that will never work,

then, unfortunately, you acquired some limiting beliefs which will inhibit or even reduce your capacity to create your own future.

Your self improvement is going backwards and damaging change may even occur.

Hardly in keeping with the POSITIVE definition of learning above (which is to ENHANCE these things), and you will have experienced NEGATIVE learning.

An effective technique for avoiding this trap is to use a learning log or journal.


As all situations are learning opportunities for personal development, you need to make them all positive, of course..

The test is to ask yourself some questions, such as:

* what did you just learn?

* how has that increased your capacity to create your own future?

* are you feeling empowered and motivated or switched-off?

* is your self talk something like, “never again”?

* have you acquired any limiting beliefs?

* if you were doing it all over again, how would you do it differently and better?

* from a proactive mindset, what can you take positively out of this situation?

A definition of learning that will help create positive experiences - DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING:

The creator of this adult learning theory, psychologist Chris Argyris, uses the metaphor of a thermostat to explain it:

If you think of how a thermostat works. It registers the ambient temperature and when that is outside of a pre-set level, it switches on or off the heating.

In effect, the thermostat asks what the temperature is and, if it is within the set limits, does nothing.

If the temperature is out of the limits, limited action is taken - the heating is switched on or off but no further questions are asked.

That’s the equivalent of a single loop.

Maybe a question gets raised and an answer is provided, end of story - a single loop (one question and one answer).

Double loop, however, goes deeper than this.

If the thermostat was double loop learning, it would switch the heating on and off and it would also ask more questions, such as:

* why is the heating switched on at 22 degrees C?

* why not 23 or 21?

* why are we using oil fired heating and not gas?

* why do we need heating at all? etc. etc.

That is, many more questions are asked to go beyond the obvious answer, explore consequences and really learn.

In practice, this may often involve using problem solving methods such as the 5 WHYs.

Settling for the single loop won’t enhance your capacity to create your own future nearly as much as double loop learning will, given the definition of learning above.

Get the idea?

How do you use this model in practice?

It’s really a matter of getting into the habit of thinking in a double loop way in any situation (e.g. problem solving and change situations involving the change curve).

The best way of doing that is to challenge yourself with questions, such as:

* what did you just learn?

* are you sure that that isn’t just defensive reasoning - explaining away something deeper?

* what other questions should you ask to go beyond single loop thinking?

* what assumptions do you need to challenge here?

* what can you do to make a difference?

* for the future, what should you start doing?; stop doing? and do differently as a result of your double loop learning?

Don’t just hope that some questions will spring to mind when you are first working with this model.

To build your skill quickly, prepare well by writing down your questions and rehearse their use - on your own or with a friend.

Challenging questions, asked for learning purposes, will significantly boost your self improvement, put you in control and help you to achieve your future (in line with the definition of learning we've used above).

If the definition of learning above is the answer,
what's the question?
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