learning@maricopa.edu / pubs / oct97 /
	Learning is Transformational
The individuality of minds and the fact that we cannot possibly master everything are the strongest arguments against a uniform school system and for learner-centered schools where, in a nutshell, we treat individual differences differently. I would create three new positions for this school: 1) Assessment Specialist, 2) Student Curriculum Broker and, 3) School-Community Broker. Howard Gardner, "Nature of Intelligence," 1991 Man's mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension. Oliver Wendell Holmes, U.S. Supreme Court Judge The transformational nature of learning is so fundamental that it is often overlooked. We believe that learning is the most powerful process in human and organizational development. Learning leads not only to new ways of thinking, behaving and viewing the world, but also affects others who are connected to the learner's environment. Indicators that learning has occurred, which become evident over time, include: moving from one state of being and/or knowing to another, explicit changes in thinking and/or active practice, observable increases in aptitude, making meaning of one's world on the basis of new knowledge and experience, and establishing connections between concepts, experiences, people and skills. Given the power of learning to transform both students and the organization, a systemic approach can be used to encourage it. We believe that evidence of "active practice" and "establishing connections" are authentic indicators of the transformation process. Therefore, initiatives that facilitate activities such as service learning, learning communities, integrated learning, cooperative education, apprenticeships and internships should be moved from the margins to the organizational mainstream. In order to make such a movement, fundamental change may be needed in areas such as college and discipline structures, scheduling, faculty and staff development, incentives and rewards, and a host of additional "connected" considerations. A final point about learning as a transforming process: While there is extensive research indicating that people "transform" at different rates and in different ways, learners, faculty, and others who support learning generally remain "captives of the clock." Since a continuing theme of this document calls on us to act on what we know about learning, we suggest that dialogues on how to move away from time-based learning (e.g.: seat time for credit hours) be continued and extended throughout MCCD.
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