Uploaded on by Image Zen
I was once told that there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who divide the world into two kinds of people and those who don’t. Anyway, I’ve heard the discussion a lot about the different between education, training and learning. Some see sharp distinctions and other see them as the same.
I remember someone recoiling at the idea of being a training department. “You train dogs not people.” To that I always say, “Do you want your surgeon to be well trained or well educated?”
It’s seems like the academic world is more focused on education and the corporate world is more focused on training. You are statements like, “the purpose of an education is to become a critical thinker and well rounded.” “The purpose of training is change what participants will be able to do after the training is over.” Maybe it’s the difference between knowledge acquisition and skill development.
In schools, paper and pencil tests are mainstays. Standardized tests which are mostly about knowledge acquisition and comprehension seem to be the level of measurement. In a corporate environment, those tests are usually meaningless. It’s more the rule than the norm that doing well on a test indicates results on the job.
So to sort all this out, you often see the word Learning substituted for both education and training. Think about the advent of the Chief Learning Officer or Elearning, etc. I look at learning as something that a student or participant does. It’s not what the instructor does. It’s good in a sense that it doesn’t suggest a particular approach or methodology.
What do I use or prefer? I tend to use them all and use them interchangeably. I actually don’t think is a very productive argument. When people argue about terms, I often say let’s just pick something or mayble make something up. How about calling it ”Bob?”
i tend to use them interchangeably as well, but of the three when i’m specifically talking about professional development i use education. i figure learning is a good middle ground, though.
i like the idea of making something up, though!
Great comment…so we’re all agreed from now on education, training and learning will be referred to as “Bob”
The Issue for Business – Do We Provide Education, Training or Learning?…
I have always found inspiration at the Learning at Light Speed blog, where they address anything related to learning faster. Earlier this year I came across a great article published by Steve Rosenbaum entitled, Education vs. Training Vs. Learning Mr…
There is a difference between the training. Training is acquisition of skills necessary for a given job and its tasks, learning involves acquisition of knowledge and skills. Education is quite broad in the sense that it starts from birth and continues throughout once life. Paper testing is a measure of how much you have learnt in any given sort of learning.
Have you heard of a learned fool? what do you think it means? Say for example, we have professors who are not able to address the problems we have in the society, yet they have all the knowledge. If knowledge cannot be used to make a difference, then education has not taken place.
That is the reason why companies prefer training. The eventual testing is on the ability to perform a given task.
It seems to depend where you’re from. My wife’s from the Deep South, where they “will learn y’all to be good at” (fill in the blank). So it is possible for instructors to learn students.
