E-Learning 1.0
Serenity Now: Making Peace with E-Learning
By Laura Francis
As students of e-learning, we can learn from yoga how to be more centered and focused, which can have a direct impact on how we view e-learning, how successful we are when using e-learning programs, and how well we incorporate e-learning into our work world.
With the spread of e-learning and the creation of second generation products and processes, it seems as if the speed of change will never decrease. Yet, there can be a slice of serenity in this crazy e-learning world. To determine how to achieve it, let’s look to five factors found in yoga practice.
Yoga is based on finding peace and serenity within yourself and with the world around you. You center yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally by stretching your body and steadying your breathing. As your movements and breathing center on you and the immediate physical world around you, you become grounded in the here and now.
As students of e-learning, we can learn from yoga how to be more centered and focused, which can have a direct impact on how we view e-learning, how successful we are when using e-learning programs, and how well we incorporate e-learning into our work world. To blend yoga principles with e-learning, we need to discuss five factors: Focus, Strength, Flexibility, Balance, and Harmony.
Focus. The number of courses available, the creation of new technologies, and basic differences between how people learn can lead to confusion in e-learning. A lack of focus exists with each of these elements.
As learners, we need to first ensure that we're following the right e-learning course. It’s incredibly disheartening to realize that we’ve spent several weeks of time and energy learning about various types of insurance, for example, only to discover that the e-learning program we’ve chosen doesn’t delve into medical malpractice insurance—the topic we most needed to know about. This unfortunate scenario doesn’t have to replay itself if we become focused in our e-learning efforts.
The first step in sharpening our focus is to create goals identifying our desired outcomes. That will help us as we shuffle through the multitudes of course titles to find the one that will work for us. Remember that effective goal statements are
- focused on results
- realistic and attainable
- stated concisely
- specific and quantifiable.
Once we’ve identified our e-learning goals, we can turn our attention to evaluating available courses and selecting the ones that best fit our needs. By first establishing goals and then reviewing the scope and specifics of available courses, we can save ourselves from many e-learning headaches.
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Learners aren’t the only ones who can benefit from applying yoga principles to their e-learning practices. Developers and facilitators can also gain insight from connecting these principles to their work.
Focus on learners’ needs. Keeping the audience in mind is crucial to success.
Strength. Concentrate attention where it needs to be—on the learners, not on flashy training or new technology.
Flexibility should be incorporated into the navigation of the e-learning program. Also, facilitators should be flexible and adaptable when problems occur during training.
Balance. Including the right balance of case studies, open-ended questions, exercises, quizzes, simulations and real-life application of the subject matter will help learners see real life results from their learning experience.
Harmony. Create harmony in life, work, learning, and relationships by blending learning with the innate human need for interaction.
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Strength. This yoga principle may conjure up images of body builders with rippling muscles, but that’s not how strength is defined in yoga. Strength is not only physical ability, but also mental agility. The phrase mind over matter applies well here. There are often certain yoga poses that are a struggle to either get into or hold. Yet by breathing well and focusing on the movements, we can often get into the correct position or intensify the stretch associated with the pose. This ability to use our mind as a catalyst for our muscles presents a fantastic way to overcome difficulties and barriers.
The same principle holds true in e-learning. The mental shift needed to engage our brains in this new way takes a lot of effort and mental fortitude. High levels of self-discipline are required in order to follow through with our goals and finish the course. Additionally, this shift from traditional classroom training can sometimes take a lot out of us. A strong will and a desire to learn and succeed weigh heavily here, proving that the mind is a powerful ally.
Flexibility. This third yoga principle is not always easy to achieve, but is tremendously important. It plays a starring role in both yoga and e-learning. In yoga, gaining flexibility in movements and poses is one of the most vital elements for successful practice. Continuous stretching increases flexibility of movement and ease of breathing.
Flexibility is equally important in e-learning. This type of instruction is quite different than what most of us encountered in school. The ability to be flexible to the differences will help us a great deal as we move forward in our professional growth and development. Additionally, being flexible in e-learning will help us learn to be flexible and adaptable in other work and personal situations, which is a wonderful bonus that can enhance our lives as a whole.
Balance. In yoga, balance is key. Without it, we’d never be able to hold difficult poses or reap the rewards of proper form. In order for us to gain and maintain balance, not only flexibility but also focus and strength must be present first. An invaluable mix of all the elements work together to steady us as we practice. Similarly, in e-learning the right balance must exist between abstract theories and concrete applications. We must take the general theories presented in the courses and find ways to practically apply them to our daily work lives. For example, just learning about different types of sales incentives and promotions doesn’t help in work as an internal marketing coordinator. We need to go a step further and apply the concepts to our job. For example, if we learn that recognition is one of the top three factors most important to employees, we can apply that by implementing a monthly newsletter that acknowledges and publicizes workers’ efforts to the rest of the staff.
Harmony. This last concept truly gets to the heart of yoga practice. Ultimately, there should be harmony between the internal self and the external world. This harmony manifests through a balance between all factors present at that moment. Although harmony can be a difficult state to reach, its benefits are well worth the effort.
We should strive for harmony in life, work, learning, and relationships. To accomplish that, we must blend e-learning with our innate need for human contact. That can occur through study groups, communities of practice, or just by sharing our experiences with those around us. To find harmony between the solo act of e-learning and the human need for companionship and interaction, we need to remember that life is not a solo activity. Learning should not be solo either. In past civilizations, learning comprised a teacher and a student—two people. But because of our technological advances and our growing ability to work alone, we are progressively losing that connection. Thus, we need to make a conscious effort to engage other learners or facilitators as we take part in e-learning—blending the positive elements of both traditional and electronic learning.
By applying those five yoga principles to e-learning, we can all find a little serenity in our hyperactive world. And once we reach serenity, we can help others learn to achieve it as well.
Published: April 2003