What's the Perception?

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons

I've been reading over some notes I made to myself last year when I was preparing to start working with a 'new' group of teachers; 'new' meaning new to using technology to improve learning in the classroom, not necessarily new to teaching. I was thinking about Senge's Mental Models, and I wrote down how necessary it it to take into account what other's perceptions are. Senge notes that, "Before you open your eyes in the morning, 80% of what your going to see is already encoded in your brain."

When we approach learning something new, we have encoded a perception of what we think the learning is going to entail, and these perceptions must not be de-valued. If I want others to learn, I need to take their perceptions seriously. Easing them into the experience is what enabling the learners is all about. I have to pay attention! The perceptions of all the learners - teacher learners and student learners - are important, and reveal where I need to start.