Adults learn by creating and revising stories in order to develop a context in which to operate, viewing the world as material out of which to make "meaning stories". They select particular data from that environment, and construct a narrative or story that explains the relationship between otherwise disparate pieces of data. They filter particular information—the building-blocks of their narratives—based on unique experiences, personalities, and evolving mental models of how the world works. An adult’s learning is furthered and demonstrated by the capacity to see the stories of others as valid, or at least to understand the logic upon which they were constructed, and by the ability to revise one’s own stories in order both to craft and to represent one’s evolving relationship with and understanding of the world.
©2008 NYC Leadership Academy