Stages of learning

Learning is an innate process in human beings. It has been indispensable for survival. Science has been concerned and occupied with this process and helps us to understand how it works, the mechanisms and structures that compose it, in order to improve and reach our potential. People go through different stages of development, from infancy to old age, and each one has its specific needs and mechanisms to cope with learning.

In coaching, whether it is the development of a skill, a new attitude, a change in behavior, or anything else that needs to be integrated into us on an ongoing basis, it also goes through a learning process.

It requires an open and critical attitude on the part of the coachee, assessing what is to be learned, evaluating its usefulness, attributing new meanings to it. Do not try to adopt them unthinkingly because it will not last.

The coach for his part must take care to know his client, his needs and motivations. And also discover the resources and tools that the person already has, their success stories. In this way it is easier to connect the new knowledge with the previous one. You must create the right environment for them to explore new ways of constructing their reality and the exercises must always be tailored to the client, relevant to them.

An example

An example of the role of learning can be seen in what is the social progression of life for many people. We can say that we have a stage considered purely learning, which includes our formative, school and academic years. Where we must acquire above all the ability to learn how to learn.

After that stage we move on to the work phase. Where the most important thing is usually to earn money as it is associated with independence and freedom, to be the owner of our time. It is a stage with certain expectations, but it is often frustrated because the expected valuation is not found.

To excel in this stage of work today, it is not enough to be well informed and have a good preparation and an average performance. You need to be an expert in your field, truly competent, and this is only achieved with continuous meaningful learning and experience (practice).

If success is achieved, i.e. being valued not only monetarily but being recognized, we start to worry about our legacy. However, many people do not think about that, it is enough for them to have reached the previous stage or the conditions have not been given for them to think beyond that. It is about developing another type of value, less selfish if you will. Even so, the learning process is present, since everything learned has to be channeled creatively to make a real difference, either in a profession or at a social level.

As a last stage we can find that many people with this lifestyle dedicated to constant learning consider it necessary to help others who are just starting out. Guidance and advice. They have already achieved their goals, feel satisfied and have the time to support others who are going through experiences that they have already successfully overcome. An exchange through which they can continue to learn as well.

Stages of learning according to Maslow

Learning is a constant process. Every new thing you do brings you learning. The people you meet, the most mundane experiences, when you have to adapt to a change, when you acquire a skill, when you perform a new activity. The brain is designed to learn, but like everything else it has its process.

This learning process has several stages. One of the best known proposals is from the psychologist Abraham Maslow, where the learning of anything goes through 4 phases or stages:

• Unconscious incompetent: you don't know about the subject, you haven't done it before, you don't even realize that you need that knowledge.

• Conscious incompetent: you become aware that you need to learn about the subject, you pay interest and attention to it. We dedicate resources to the task.

• Consciously competent: you make a conscious effort to perform correctly. Practice is fundamental and thanks to this you already have good results.
• Unconsciously competent: you can already do the activity with your eyes closed, that is, it is completely internalized and you obtain a high performance.

We can see that going from one stage to the other not only improves the results but also the way we conduct ourselves, more confidence and better performance. We go from knowing nothing about the subject to being competent and incorporating that learning. A learning that we can apply in other areas or future experiences, and to transfer it to others as well.

If you set the goal of learning as a lifestyle, it will be easier and easier to learn new things, it will take less time. The brain optimizes the process, so you can use many of the resources and knowledge you have acquired, to apply it to