A short guide to...
Action Learning
and
Action Learning Sets
Simon Moralee
Manchester Business School
March 2014
1
Introduction
I first adopted action learning and action learning sets as a learning method in 2010 whilst
lecturing health care management to a group of BA (Hons.) Health Studies students at De
Montfort University. What attracted me to give it a go was I wanted students to become more
self-directed in their approach to learning and to become more inquisitive, seeking out rather than
being given information. The guide that follows was written with them in mind, but action learning
can be applied to any learning environment, with any type of participant or student.
As I have written in previous iterations of this guide, a tio lea i g may well be very different
from any type of learning you have previously done, so I am well aware that learning like this
might be a challenge for any student – it still is for me! The teaching and learning methods that
include action learning were chosen to support student learning, as well as providing them with
opportunities to learn in different styles and to help improve them as independent learners whilst
at university. This guide was originally written to support students in using action learning in a
module on management and organisational theory in health care, but as with many of the
concepts outlined here, they can be applied to group work in any module and outside university
life as well.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ____________________________________________________________ 2
Key questions to ask yourself about your learning experience at university _________________ 3
The starting point for action learning is not knowing something! _________________________ 3
The theory behind learning and action lear i g...just so you k ow it’s ot all
ade up! _______ 4
And now....to the action learning set itself. ___________________________________________ 6
What happens in an action learning set? ___________________________________________ 6
What happens at the start of an ALS? _____________________________________________ 7
Five Levels of communication ____________________________________________________ 7
Useful phrases for ALS __________________________________________________________ 7
To help you make the most of your ALS ____________________________________________ 8
Final thoughts on action learning ___________________________________________________ 8
Key principles of ALS ___________________________________________________________ 8
Summary ______________________________________________________________________ 8
Acknowledgements
This guide could not have been produced without the guidance and help of Susie Cox from the
Youth, Community & Education Division at De Montfort University who supplied me with the idea,
the materials and the support to do this.
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Key questions to ask yourself about your learning experience at university
Before we get started on action learning, I wanted to say something quite general about learning
at university. An important thing for you to do during this module and more widely at university is
to ask ou self a out ou lea i g e pe ie e a d ho ou lea
hilst ou e he e. ‘e e tl , a
gu ho s do e a hole lot of thi ki g a out this o e a lo g a d su essful career, Phil Race
, posed a set of uestio s he thi ks a e i stude ts i ds. The a e listed elo :
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What am I supposed to be learning here?
What else should I be learning?
Why am I learning this and why here in this lecture room?
How best can I learn this successfully?
How does this fit with all the things I know already?
With what resources and materials am I supposed to achieve this learning?
How exactly am I expected to be able to show that I have learned successfully?
How will my learning be measured, and by whom, where, and when?
How best can I make sure that I get due credit for my learning?
Is he ight? Is this hat ou e thi ki g? I thi k the e a p ett good sta ti g poi t fo aki g su e
I try to provide the best learning environment fo ou. It is e ause of these uestio s that e e
going to go for a mixed approach of lectures, action learning sets and workshops to help provide
you with a wide-ranging and holistic learning experience – this i ludes the assess e ts ou ll e
undergoi g as pa t of this odule. Let s o e o ...
The starting point for action learning is not knowing something!
“o hat is this all a out? Well e ll o e o to defi itio s a d the pu pose of a tio lea i g i a
little it ut it s i po ta t to k o
he using action learning that not knowing something is a
good place to start.
P of. ‘. ‘e a s
, ho oi ed the te
a tio lea i g as a edu atio al ethod, said
people had to be aware of their lack of relevant knowledge and be prepared to explore the area of
their ignorance with suitable questions and help from other people in similar positions.”
The pla e he e this t pe of lea i g happe s is alled a a tio lea i g set o a tio lea i g
la . Fo the pu poses of this odule ou a tio lea ing set (or ALS) will take place in the second
hour of the timetabled class in weeks 2-5, 8-11. You will be assigned by the tutor into sets of 8
students and rooms have been allocated for you each week (N.B. the room does change each
week so please be aware that you will not be in the same physical environment every week).
Each week you will have a task of suitable questions to work through that requires you to plan
ahead, read in advance, take notes and come to the ALS ready to discuss with the other members
and as Revans says above to get help from other people in similar positions. This is particularly
i po ta t as I o t e the e to o e see ou lea i g – you will have to manage these yourself,
ut of ou se I ll pop a d he k ho thi gs a e going as much as I can.
Now to that definition....based on McGill & Brockbank (2004), action learning can be seen as a
o ti uous p o ess of lea i g a d efle tio that happe s ith the suppo t of a g oup o set of
peers, working on real issues with the intention of getting things done. Participants learn with and
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from each other and take forward an important issue with the support of the other members of
the set.
In terms of p epa i g ou to a tio lea it a take ou a hile to get ou head around the
concept, so time will be put aside at the start of term to address this. Please read the rest of this
guide before the first ALS proper in week 2 – that a ou ll ha e a lea e idea of hat is
expected of you and your peers.
The theory behind learning and actio lear i g...just so you k ow it’s ot all
ade up!
The first thing to say is that there are loads of theories and concepts about how people learn, right
through from reception class at primary school and into and beyond university. Not all theories
are specifically about action learning, but they do importantly address the fact that individuals
have their own ways or styles of learning.
O e of the est k o is Bloo s Ta o o of Lea i g Do ai s (see figure 1 below), which was
created in 1956 by a group led by Benjamin Bloom, an American educational psychologist (Bloom
et al., 1956). Ta o o
ea s lassifi atio a d i Bloo s the e a e lasses o le els of
thinking: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation. Each level
can be represented in a pyramid or a wheel, starting at knowledge and moving to evaluation. The
idea is that we build on the starting/lower levels and increasingly throughout our education move
up to the later/higher levels.
Figu e : Bloo
s Ta o o
In the 1990s, Anderson and others (Anderson & Sosniak, 1994) revised the pyramid at the higher
levels and inverted it to demonstrate the importance of these higher levels. In addition, the words
were changed to reflect the active nature of learning (see figure 2).
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Figure 2: Anderson & Sosniak (1994)
There is obviously a slight difference between the two pyramids depicted above, but the key to
this is that learning is about building on what you know already and starting at the point of what
we will call remembering knowledge – this ea s ou ll e a le recognise and recall information
ut it does t e essa il ea ou ll u de sta d the o epts o theo ies that lie ehi d it.
Module lectures will hopefully give you some of the knowledge to remember, it s ital the that
you move to the next stage, understanding – this ea s ou ll e a le to estate i ou o
o ds the k o ledge that ou e lea ed – ou ll do this pa aph asing, summarising,
comparing and explaining knowledge in your own words into the next stage: applying the
theoretical knowledge by using it in practical examples and scenarios.
After that comes analysing – this is he e ou ll take all the its of k o ledge you have and
examine them so that you can support your arguments, making choices over which bits to use and
organising them to make your arguments make sense.
The final two parts of the classification are evaluating and creating – he e ou ll sta t to he k a d
critique (or judge) the knowledge and then put it all together by planning and producing new
patterns and ideas – ut do t o , the e is o e pe tatio that ou ll a hie e the fi al le els of
this straight away – it takes many years and lots of trial and error to do this, but the hope is that
you will progress up the pyramid as you go through your degree.
Okay – so if Bloo has lo
ou i d a d ou e thi ki g that it s just too diffi ult to get ou
head around, there are some specific concepts of learning when it comes to action learning that I
think are a little simpler to understand. The e alled the action learning formula and the KUSAB
model.
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The action learning formula (Revans, 1998; Marquardt 2004; Marquardt et al. 2009) describes
how we learn as a continuous process of action and reflection and is written as L = K + Q + R,
where L = learning:
K = knowledge – taught in lectures or guided through reading
Q = questioning – a combination of closed questions (who, what), objective questions (how
much, how many), relative questions (where, when) and open questions (why, how)
R = reflection, which can happen broadly in three ways:
o during a set, allowing for silence when whoever is presenting hesitates;
o again allowing for silence after someone has finished speaking and then reflecting upon
it; and
o reflecting on the dynamics, processes and learning gained between sets.
Another way of thinking about this is through something known as the KUSAB model (based on
work by a number of authors: Lewin, 1935; Rogers, 1969; Gagné, 1972) as adapted by Susie Cox in
2010. KUSAB stands for Knowledge Understanding Skills Attitudes and Behaviours:
Knowledge is learning new information that is largely memorised and then converted into a
usable form – it means you can say I know....
Understanding is created by forming new patterns of relationships, organising and
reorganising knowledge to create different areas of learning – it means you can say I see...
Skills is about learning new ways of solving problems or further developing ways of thinking
for the purpose of either coping with or resolving problems – it means you can say I can...
Attitudes are linked to beliefs and values – it means you can say I feel... or I believe...
Behaviour is when set members apply their newly-learned material to what they do and how
they live, changing their ways of behaving – it means you can say Now I do....
Whate e ou thi k of these theo ies, I hope that ou ll gain knowledge from lectures and from
reading textbooks and journal articles on your own and in the ALS apply the learning to the task.
The set task should e see as a sp i g oa d fo ou lea i g – aim to cover the points on the
worksheets to feedback in the workshop, but, depending on time, go beyond the questions and
statements there and try to use some of the ideas from the theories above to help progress your
learning.
And now....to the action learning set itself.
What happens in an action learning set?
Airspace – time and space for everyone to work on the task individually, recalling and
reporting back and working on the next phase or issue
Asking helpful and challenging questions
Liste i g a ti el
Giving feedback and sharing insights
Focusing on learning as much as on action – if ou ha e t u de stood so ethi g, that is as
much a cause of celebration and success as understanding something
Reflecting – and maybe responding
Allowing time and space for silences
Not judging or giving advice
Not telling anecdotes unless they are helpful
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Not offering solutions
Finding a formula for sharing ideas
What happens at the start of an ALS?
You will probably begin by focussing on the set task for the week, but remember to give time right
at the beginning to report what members have done since the last set, i.e. what have you read or
u de stood o gai ed a i sight i to that as ele a t to last eek s topi ?
You will then move onto considering the task set in the lead lecture: there is an expectation that
ou ll ha e looked at what you needed to do at the end of the last ALS and in preparation for the
relevant lecture and current ALS.
Now some of this may not happen immediately or easily, so treat the ALS as a place for not only
learning about management and organisational theory in a health care context but also as a place
to learn about how to learn itself.
You ll fi d as ou p og ess th ough the eeks f o 1-5, 7-9 that how you communicate will also
ha ge. He e s a othe ha d lassifi atio of diffe e t le els of ho people o
u i ate – it s
e likel that ot k o i g ea h othe , ou ll sta t at le el a d o e i easi gl to a ds le el
1.
Five Levels of communication
Level 5 – ritual & cliché: surface communication only, giving nothing of oneself
Level 4 – reporting facts: sharing information, communicating at a superficial level
Level 3 – ideas and judgement: taking risks, revealing bits of oneself
Level 2 – feelings and emotions: building on level 3, giving more of your real self,
understanding and living with differences
Level 1 – peak, ope o
u i atio : ha o
ith othe s, e path ith the , though ot
necessarily agreeing with them
Useful phrases for ALS
There are some ways you can help develop your communication skills in ALS and below are listed
some phrases that might help when either presenting or listening during an ALS.
When presenting...
I d like to e plo e...
I
o de i g hethe ...
I
ot su e if...
I u e tai a out...
I a t de ide hethe ...
I puzzled ...
I
o fused ...
When listening...
A e ou sa i g that...? to la if
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Could ou e plai X a it o e...? to t
Ha e ou e plo ed o thought a out...?
What do ou feel ost u su e a out...?
What ha e t I/ e helped ou ith et?
to u de sta d
to ope up e a e ues a d ideas
to halle ge
to suppo t u de sta di g
To help you make the most of your ALS
Listen and attend
Learn not to interrupt
Convey interest and empathy
Be supportive
Be challenging
Ask helpful questions
Be clear that what you are about to say – asking and considering before you say it – is helpful
to the presenter
Provide information where required
Offer insights and ideas – at the right time and in the right way
Final thoughts on action learning
“o ou e o e to the e d of this sho t guide. I hope it s ee of use to ou i getti g a ette
understanding of the concept of action learning. Please refer to it as you progress through the
module – do t hide it a a o a shelf to get dust !
Key principles of ALS
1. It s oka ot to k o – that s h ou e he e!
2. Build on what you already know, who you are, where you come from, what you have learned
at school/college already
3. Learn how to tackle difficult issues...and people (these guidelines will help!)
4. Stop to think and reflect (allow for silence) – and become more aware.
5. Transfer your learning in ALS back to the rest of university life.
6. Learn how to manage these ALS without the need for me to facilitate – I o t e sta di g
o e ou shoulde s aki g this happe
Summary
This learning approach is adopted many reasons:
It will enhance your skills for independent learning
It will encourage you to seek out information for yourself that relates back to the information
you have been presented with in lectures/reading
It will give you confidence in selecting, organising and using material from the literature
It will help to give you skills that you need in life during and after university and for
employment.
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References and further reading on action learning
1. Anderson, L.W., Sosniak, L.A. (Eds.). (1994). Bloom's taxonomy: a forty-year retrospective.
Ninety-third yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Pt.2. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
2. Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of
educational objectives: The classification of educational goals, by a committee of college and
university examiners. Handbook 1: Cognitive domain. New York: Longmans.
3. Lewin, K. (1935). A Dynamic Theory of Personality. New York: McGraw-Hill.
4. Gagné, R. M. (1972). Domains of learning, Interchange, 3(1): 1-8.
5. Marquardt, M. J. (2004). Harnessing the power of action learning, T&D, 58(6): 26–32.
6. Marquardt, M.J. (2004). Optimizing the power of action learning. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black.
7. Marquardt, M.J., Leonard, S., Freedman, A., and Hill, C. (2009). Action learning for developing
leaders and organizations. Washington, DC: American Psychological Press
8. *McGill, I., Beaty, L. (2001). Action learning: a guide for professional, management and
educational development. Revised 2nd edition, London: Kogan Page. Shelfmark
658.407124/MCG
9. *McGill, I., Brockbank, A. (2004). The action learning handbook: powerful techniques for
education, professional development and training. London: RoutledgeFalmer – available as
an eBook via the Library Catalogue (Athens login) – see chapters 1, 4 to start with, then
chapters 8-11.
10. *Race, P. (2011). Learning for the future, in Coiffait, L. (ed.) Blue Skies: New thinking about the
future of higher education – a collection of short articles by leading commentators. [WWW]
London: Pearson Centre for Policy and Learning. Available from:
http://pearsonblueskies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BLUE-SKIES-WHOLE-BOOK-160PAGES.pdf (see Chapter 29)
11. Revans, R. (1980). Action learning: New techniques for management. London: Blond & Briggs,
Ltd.
12. Revans, R. W. (1982). The origin and growth of action learning. Brickley, UK: Chartwell-Bratt.
13. *Revans, R. W. (1998). ABC of action learning. London: Lemos and Crane. Shelfmark
658.4071245/REV
14. Rogers, C. R. (1969). Freedom to Learn: A View of What Education Might Become. 1st ed.,
Columbus, Ohio: Charles Merill.
15. *Weinstein, K. (1998). Action learning: a practical guide. Brookfield: Gower. Shelfmark
658.3124/WEI
*recommended reading
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