Replying to LO30591 --
Dear Organlearners,
Jan Lelie <janlelie@wxs.nl> wrote in the
Subject: Understanding 'The New Knowledge Management' LO30591
>Here lies the root of my suspicion of KM (and LO and the
>7S-model and the Business Balanced Score Card and ....what
>have you ): what it the intention, the purpose, the goal or the aim
>of learning. Do we want people to change their behaviour (with
>a certain purpose) or do we want to make people aware of their
>behaviour and offer them a choice? Part of the problem is the
>fact that in the beginning people (children) do have to depend on
>others and we do have to learn behaviour. Often i read here
>about the purity of the learning of children. Off course: that is
>learning for its own sake. And most of the schools - with the best
>intentions - seem to destroy this kind of learning. Because one
>needs to control the behaviour of children. True rebels without a
>cause.
Greetings dear Jan,
The above paragraph moved my spirit, especially the sentence "what it the
intention, the purpose, the goal or the aim of learning". In one day of a
never ending journey i may learn ABCD for some time, following it up with
EFGH, then IJKL, ...... For each of ABCD, EFGH, IJKL, .... i had a
purpose. But what is the purpose of the whole journey?
Is it to survive? Is it to get and keep a good job? Is it to become rich?
Is it to become influential? Is it to gain in knowledge? Is it to grow in
character? Is it the fun derived by learning? Is it learning for its own
sake? Is it to glorify God better and better? Or is there not any ultimate
purpose since the purposes for ABCD, EFGH, IJKL, .... are sufficient?
I have found that far too few people, including teachers, have contemplated
this ultimate purpose of all learning. The anwer to it is complicated because
of the differences between the questions
"what is the ulimate purpose of ALL learning?"
"what is the ulimate purpose of MY learning?"
"what is the ulimate purpose of OUR learning"
As for the OUR question, a very interesting source of information is the
inaugural addresses of chancellors of universities. Almost every
chancellor defines a new purpose. Is it done because a change is expected?
Is it done because of a passionate belief? Is it done because of having to
adapt to a changing society?
As for the MY question, i have asked over the years thousands of pupils
and students the question "what is the ulimate purpose of YOUR learning".
I got about as many different answers from them. I would like to put this
question to you fellow learners too.
Perhaps you may also try to answer the following one. Is it possible for
an organisation to know that it is a LO while it has never considered the
three questions above?
But what about the ALL question? I must admit that after dozens of years
contemplating this question i have not yet come up with the slightest
answer. I want an answer which goes beyond the ME and the OUR to the ALL.
This universality of the answer is exactly where my inability to answer it
comes from. As a scientist i feel that the question has to be asked and to
be answered. But as a learner for such a long time, i feel that finding
the answer may finally end my own journey of learning.
With care and best wishes
--At de Lange <amdelange@postino.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa
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