When I started learning about Social Learning, I tried to put it in my frame of reference – Training. It had to fit in somewhere. It took me a while to realize that it does not. I had to make a totally different mental schematic with which to interpret the information I was receiving. Now that I have created that, it is much easier to take on new information.
It is interesting to watch others, however, go through their own schematic building. For example, some might ask “What does SL have to do with training?” We might well answer, “Nothing.” That does overstate it. BUT, training is a subset of learning. We learn many different ways. Training is one way to learn. Reading is another. Asking family/friends/strangers, trial by fire, debating, and SL is another. When we try to fit SL in the context of training – well, it just doesn’t fit. We need to take ourselves out of ‘training mode’ and think differently. For me, I learned this kinesthetically. I needed to try it. I couldn’t imagine the benefits until I used them myself. Then and only then did it make sense.
