12 Years Later and Where Are We?

I don’t think it looks so good. Did we just waste 12 years?

Here are three kind-of-at-random articles from my firm’s newsletter, Pursuing Performance, just 12 years ago.

See what you think. Have we made any progress?

12 Years Ago: Learning Styles

A dozen years ago Sigmund Tobias  wrote about Learning Styles and there being no such thing, and where are we today?

This LS dragon is still being battled with but continues to defy research due to its “romantic nature” according to the author.

It still pops up, like a mole, way too often for me to the the only one to whack that mole. Or if that imagery is too violent for you, simply help me to dispel this notion, that designing to meet someone’s learning styles preferences has value, has return for that effort.

It does not.

According to the Research and the opinions of many highly respected researchers and practitioners in the field – see this prior post – here – and the November 2011 eLearn Magazine article I did on this – here.

12 Years Ago: Targeting Worthy Issues

A dozen years ago Dale Brethower and the late Geary A. Rummler  wrote about the need to focus on the RESULTS – yes I am screaming – of the Critical Business Issues, and where are we today?

Are we targeting meaningful results, significant returns, for our investments.

Are we planning on Measuring Results?

Or are we still chasing insignificant or negative returns with our investments of time and money?

What are we leveraging best?

Where are we squandering our resources unwisely?

Are we addressing our needs, our gaps, with evidence based practice, or the latest fads and foo foo?

Yikes. Look around.

There is too much foo foo. There are too few Measured Results.

12 Years Ago: Performance Support

A dozen years ago Evan Williams (Diane’s Gayeski’s teenage son at the time) wrote about Performance Improvement via Performance Gizmos such as PDAs, and where are we today?

We are still talking about this – as technology marches forward and creates more affordances – utilities – for everything that we ever dreamed of and more.

Everything but that George Jetson car.

And many of those things can so easily distract us – that we need to beware these wondrous affordances. We can use – and we can abuse – the technology. We can see these as both tools and toys. But that doesn’t mean we should go there IMO, to THAT blend.

Of the toy-tool.

Like games that don’t teach authentic terminal or enabling awareness, knowledge, or skills cognitively and /or physically.

Games in Learning for the sake of Games in Learning.

Yikes.

IMO.

Games may be one approach, but is it the most effective first, and efficient second, approach to the results of improved performance capability – or sustained performance capability?

If not, don’t mention that approach.

THAT would not be good stewardship of shareholder equity.

That Was a Great Issue of CADDI’s Pursuing Performance Newsletter IMO

Click on the cover of that issue to go into the Resource Tab treasure trove of free resources for that and other PDFs.

Pursuing Performance – Summer 2001

Warning – that PDF may be better read in the first of the two versions offered – the one that is unfortunately a print version for booklet printing but that has better readability.

There are quarterly newsletters – here – from 1986 until 2007 – when I began to use a seldom used Blog to replace that newsletter communications mechanism with this one. Many of these became quite lengthy/meaty… up to 68 pages for a few.

Check out those and all of the other FREE audio podcasts, video podcasts, books, chapters, articles and presentations I have made available in the Resources tab.

Enjoy!

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