Deliberate Learning vs “Surprise Learning”

Today I watched Karate Kid movie again. The scene I am interested the most is when Dre learn on how to do kung fu by taking off and put on his jacket. He did not learn on how to kick or punch on the early sessions, just put on and take off his jacket. He spend days on doing this, without knowing why he should do that. Eventually, he fed up with all the “simple” training he has done. And the shifu showed him that the simple training he’s done all this time actually helps him to build fundamental kung fu skill. He is capable of evading, flowing, etc.

That scene makes me recall the moment when I was having a one on one with my superior when I was sent to a training in Hongkong and India. At that time, I asked him what specific skill I would acquire in that training, and he said to me: “just attend the training, that’s all”. After the training finished, I realized that the program actually could help me to develop my communication skill. Because I didn’t know it, I thought my 2 weeks training were wasted. If I would have known it, I would force myself to speak and communicate my ideas. At that moment, I realized that deliberate learning, that is deliberatedly know what skill to learn, is important rather than a “surprised” learning.

Learning is not easy

Yes, learning is not easy. Most of the time, learning means beating yourself. And that’s the most difficult enemy to deal with. If I don’t realize what kind of skill we need to develop in a program, How can I deliberately force myself to learn that new skill? You know that when we need to learn on a new skill, our unconscious mind pull us back to our comfort zone. That’s why, when we know why we attend the program, and deliberately know which specific skill to develop, we will turn on our self awareness to that unconscious mind, and force ourself to learn the new skill, eventhough it is uncomfortable for us.

Deliberate learning is not faking good

Some people would think that telling people which specific skills they develop in a program would trigger them to be faking at that program. I disagree with that argument. Why? Because a development program should not be considered as an assessment center process. Sometimes faking good helps us learn new skills. I have heard a proverb: fake it until you make it. So, it’s okay for me when people faking in a program, because it helps them to learn the new skill.