Research by the Centre for the Study of Human Learning shows that personal myths and robotic behaviour are significant obstacles to learning. A key purpose of Self-Organised Learning is to help individuals and groups challenge these myths and robots in a supported environment, in order to free learners to achieve new levels of competence.
As illustrated below:
- If we choose to challenge myths or robotic behaviours there is a danger that our attempts to change will fail.
- Key to Self-Organised Learning is to provide support to learners through the ‘learning trough’.
- The outcome of Self-Organised Learning is for the learner to achieve new, higher levels of competence.
“… the learner’s own beliefs, values and prejudices, or what we have come to term the deeply held robot-like personal myths about one’s own learning. Our finding is that most people are disabled learners. Their myths disable them…”
“At any age personal myths can become ultra-stable and apparently unchangeable. This leads to a person’s performance taking on a robot-like function.”
– Sheila Harri Augstein and Laurie Thomas