The Value of Passivity

... the title of an Oct. 10 post on elearnspace blog

When learning in a workshop or a lecture course, the Instructor provides some of the motivation to learn. Regularly scheduled sessions, lectures, presentations, all allow learners to absorb information...without having to provide all the effort. This may seem like a small distinction...but it is what I miss most about face-to-face learning.

Some days I'm just not motivated to read through multiple screens of text...analyze diagrams...experiment on my own...post my thoughts in a forum. All of these activities require that I'm focused on "getting my own learning". Sometimes, I like sitting back and listening to someone explain a concept. I like a certain amount of passivity in my learning.

This is a point of view some instructional designers would do well to consider. Listening to a well-prepared explanation can be a less stressful way of learning than a more involved and time-consuming series of activity/discovery/reflection/etc.. And provided the listener is mentally active and paying attention, it can often be more efficient than more "active" modes of learning.