Friday Creative Boost: Learning Journey Maps
Ever hit a snag while navigating the labyrinth of learning experiences? Fret not. Today, let's dive into an exercise that transcends mere reflection—it offers a blueprint of your intellectual and emotional odyssey. This week, let's delve into the Learning Journey Map as practiced by Sarah Stein Greenberg. If you're new to this concept, the Learning Journey Map is a way to visualize the intricacies of the learning process, usually employed in educational or innovative settings.
Start with Documentation
First off, earmark a recent learning experience that you'd like to unpack. It could be anything—maybe an internal project, a deep dive into a new technology, or even that weekend hacking marathon. (Microsoft’s Global Hackathon starts next week!)
In your favorite notebook (or digital note-taking tool), jot down everything that comes to mind about this experience. Don't hold back on the details. Recall the very first moment of engagement; was it entering a meeting room, hitting ‘Run’ on your code, or even just brainstorming the idea? What emotions, interactions, and obstacles followed? This isn't a 'Greatest Hits'; it's a comprehensive setlist including the opening acts and the encores.
Time to Map Your Odyssey
Grab a large canvas—physical or digital. Draw a vertical line on the left-hand side of your canvas, serving as a scale ranging from 'tricky challenges' at the bottom to 'skyrocketing wins' at the top.
Now bisect it horizontally; this line represents time. Stretch it across the canvas. Could be days, weeks, or months—your call. On this timeline, mark milestones based on the list you jotted down earlier.
Then, sketch a wavy line tracing the learning highs and lows of your journey. Did you have an ‘aha’ moment or a challenging bottleneck? Plot it. Use your initial list as your north star, and don’t be afraid to let the line meander.
Now, throw in a second line of a different hue, mapping out your emotional landscape throughout this journey. What were your highest highs? Lowest lows? It might surprise you how often your learning curve and emotional graph intersect.
The Unveiling: Analysis Time
Stand back and look at this map of triumphs and tribulations. Your highest peaks and deepest valleys hold stories—what led you there? Were there specific events, decisions, or even people that triggered these inflection points?
Take notice of where your learning and emotional lines crisscross. These overlapping moments could be significant, revealing insights about your learning process that you might have otherwise missed.
Sharing is Caring
If you have the opportunity, share your map with someone who’s walked a similar path, especially if they've done their own mapping. Comparing journeys can provide illuminating insights, confirming, or challenging your perspectives.
Wrapping Up
Mapping your learning journey retrospectively is not merely an exercise in nostalgia. It's a strategic endeavor that helps you understand how you learn, adapt, and grow. In the ever-evolving fields of startups and tech, this kind of self-awareness isn't just valuable; it's indispensable.
So, the next time you're pondering over a recent learning experience, give this map a whirl. You never know—it could be the key to your next breakthrough.