Learning is a Road Trip

Bone-weary but contented I just got back from the 1058 km road trip to Muscat, to attend the first Omani Society for Educational Technology Conference (blogged on December 6 and 7). The conference, the capital city and time with colleagues were inspiring and reinvigorating. This post, though, was prompted by the trip itself. A lone voyager crossing the desert (see the map below) has 24 hours to think why learning is like a road trip. I distilled it down to three similarities.

1. A Map Can Help

View Salalah to Muscat Road Trip in a larger map

There are people who don’t use maps. I envy their sense of direction, but would argue that maps are not just to avoid getting lost. Maps help us understand the journey and make the most of it.

The maps of learning are the plans of where we are, where we want to go and how to get there (and what might be worth visiting along the way). In formal learning there is usually a syllabus or curriculum. In informal learning, which is often self-driven, the learning plan and goal are not always so clear. Just like a map helps us keep perspective on the journey, a solid but flexible learning plan – a final destination and the landmarks leading there – can build confidence and keep us on course. This way there is also opportunity for enjoyable detours without losing our way.

2. Know the Final Destination

My trip was between two extremes of the country, and many signposts either way showed only the name of the final destination. Without knowing where I was ultimately headed, I would have been lost in the desert now, rather than cosily blogging at home.

In learning, it is equally important to keep track of the final destination, the ultimate goal. This should not be confused with final exams, projects or even qualifications – those are just landmarks along the way. The ultimate goal of learning is to live the life we choose, the way we choose it, within a society that allows every person the same right.

3. Know the Milestones along the Way (And Enjoy Them)

On a long trip, the little places in the middle of nowhere along the way are huge milestones. There is a temptation to keep moving, to “get there” faster. This is perfectly valid, but a short stop is a chance to refresh the mind and appreciate how far you have come. The little milestones may literally be neither here nor there, but they do signify being that much closer to your goal.

The sense of “divine discontent” that drives learning – especially independent learning – tends to make small achievements seem insignificant. They are not. Small achievements are the milestones on the road trip of learning. Stop and celebrate them, if only for a minute.

And, Oh... The Journey Never Ends

There is a catch here, of course: there will always be a next destination. This extends to learning as well. New goals will always arise. We emphasise lifelong learning for this exact reason: true learning is not a finite process. If you want to keep moving forward, your final destination must move forward as well. In truth, the journey never ends.

During one of the most profoundly significant training sessions I have attended, our group walked into the training room on the last day to be met by these words:

THE END IS THE BEGINNING.

And so it is. May your learning journeys be safe and successful.

Images: Marie-Therese C. Le Roux via PicasaWeb