10 Mar Control Your Learning
Cliff was a student in one of our writing classes, and while he made a lot of improvement, the years of developing bad writing habits were hard to overcome, and he showed the effects of the indifferent language education he had received in his early school years. He was being considered for a new job which would require more writing, and certainly more interaction with clients, so he wanted to improve his skills and comfort with grammar and language use.
His organization was able to provide coaching for him, and again he made gains, but at the end of the coaching period he was only more eager to continue his work.
Resourceful as well as determined, Cliff initiated a Lunchtime Learning group. He found a few others who were interested in writing improvement and together they launched a plan to meet once a month – more frequently as time allowed – to work on their writing. Using the handout from the Language at Work writing class, and a grammar handbook suggested by his instructor, the group focused on a specific topic at each meeting, made up short writing assignments, and developed a method for reading and critiquing each other’s efforts. Others in the organization became curious, so the group invited people to speak to the group on various aspects of writing.
Cliff took control of his learning needs, and in a creative and effective way he extended the benefits of the workplace training that his organization had provided him.
Learn from Cliff! Pass it on!