Why Earthquakes Don't Work

Earthquakes are good at some things.  They are good at causing massive change to topography.  They are also good at breaking dishes and directing traffic to CNN or Yahoo News.  Earthquakes may even be good at finding a newfound respect for a doorframe you had previously ignored as 'nothing special'.  Yes, there are some things earthquakes are quite good at, but when it comes to learning, earthquakes don't cut it.

In this, I'm referring to crafting a massive change in perspective or knowledge that shakes up most of what the learner was previously aware of.  An earthquake method treats learning as something that involves destruction; destroying previously held notions, wiping clear previous ideas.  But in reality, learning works best as a gradual process, and an effective leader should emphasize what was previously learned to build upon the next piece of information rather than go for shock and surprise with the next reveal.

Surprises work well for earthquakes.  But when it comes to teaching, surprises don't work as effectively for leaders.  A leader who has an abrupt teaching style opens him or herself up to a loss of credibility; what the leader is hoping may come across as a clearing of the mind or leading to an 'a-ha' moment often appears as a lack of preparation.  Furthermore, surprises can frequently discourage the learner; people want to feel that what they have learned up until now has been worthwhile and hasn't been wasted time.  By using 'earthquake teaching' we're actively trying to cast doubt on previously held understandings.

What's more helpful in learning is to build on what's been done before.  If an earthquake is a metaphor for a style of teaching we want to avoid, think of a river carving a canyon as a style we want to emulate.  We must build on what has been learned in order to teach new knowledge.  When teaching, its important to identify the previously obtained knowledge and seek connections between that and the new.  Doing this highlights the fact that the leader and learner are actually building towards something based on knowledge already possessed by the learner.

By taking a gradual approach towards learning we give the learner more confidence and highlight past development, while also showing a potential roadmap for the future.  With earthquake teaching, we never know what will be affected, so we have no consistency in our development and no confidence in what will remain.  But when leaders approach learning as a gradual process their teams will continuously build a useful bank of interconnected knowledge that will continue to strengthen as he or she learns more and more.