PARA LA A GRICULTURA Y V IDA R URAL EN LAS A MÉRICAS RM4/AMH8-2007

The competence cycle shows how we move through four stages from not knowing at all about a skill to it becoming second nature This could be anything from patterns and principles to listening and facilitation

• stage one – unconscious incompetence – ‘blissful ignorance’

When we first come across a skill we have no idea how to carry it out, it is all a mystery to us We see the finished product but have no idea of how to get there We may have heard the term ‘principles of nature’, but have no understanding of what that means

In stage one people can be complacent, static, defensive or in denial They may be in their comfort zone and happy in their place of ignorance They could be in a state of anticipation and expectation of something new

• stage two – conscious incompetence – ‘the door opens’

In this stage we are shown how to do something and become aware of what we don’t know

Moving to stage two may be overwhelming People can feel shocked, panicked or embarrassed and have a sense of urgency when they see how much there is to know There can be excitement and a hunger and eagerness to know more

• stage three – conscious competence – ‘awkward know-how’

We learn how to do a skill and can accomplish it ourselves with concentration This stage brings highs and lows with growing confidence punctuated with times of humbleness There can be satisfaction and frustration The concentration needed is tiring and we can be either self-conscious or arrogant

• stage four – unconscious competence – ‘second nature’

After practice the skill becomes second nature and we are able to do it without thinking about each individual step so much

When we have moved to stage four we can feel relieved, confident and relaxed We may forget the previous stages we have journeyed through and not value the

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skill, feeling bored and complacent and insensitive to the incompetence of others We may become stale in our skill and think we know it all and the passion for learning may go out or we may be buzzing with enthusiasm to share

When we learn another aspect of the skill we go round the cycle again We can be in more than one stage at a time We may have reached stage three with driving a car, but still be at stage one with parking The stages are more of a continuum that we move through rather than distinct steps

What is illustrated here is the connection between our emotional health and our ability to learn It is obvious that there are emotions here that would push us on and inspire us to continue learning and there are others that may make us give up We have been through this cycle numerous times in our life, from learning to walk and riding a bike, to science classes at school, from learning an instrument to our first job

These build our beliefs about ourselves as learners When we enter a new learning context these beliefs can trigger the same emotions, leading us to a positive or negative spiral of learning

This is an opportunity for us to practise pattern recognition on our habits of learning There may be one particular stage that we habitually stop at Some people may find that they don’t want to learn new things; they do not want to have that feeling of not knowing so they stay in stage one and are averse to new skills and experiences For others as soon as the door is opened in stage two they run in the opposite direction For some people it can be too tiring being in stage three and they don’t want to do the practice that it would take to move them to stage four Some people can get to stage four but then get bored and do not maintain or exercise the skills they have gained

Awareness that these are the emotions associated with each stage of learning and not necessarily down to our own weaknesses can be the first step in breaking unhelpful patterns Just knowing this to be a natural cycle helps to stay with the learning process

It will normally be a mix of emotions that are stirred within us We can now also look for the accompanying emotions that could drive us forward and not just focus on the ones that are pushing us away from the learning We can prepare ourselves in advance and look for support to help us through a particular stage We can accelerate the natural succession through the cycle by focusing on the positive emotions, practising and getting support By shifting to positive learning patterns we can cultivate a healthy mind and make it fertile for new growth

There is a further stage that not everyone will automatically progress to

• stage five – reflective competence – ‘the wise owl’

In this stage we can take in the whole cycle of learning like ‘the wise owl’ By consciously going into the stage we are able to reflect on our learning journey and empathise with others Taking time to reflect provides us with a useful pattern for any other skill we learn, the limits we had to overcome and the

helps that have supported our journey We can show self-appreciation for our efforts To most effectively pass on the skill we need to go to stage five, where we can break it into components for someone else to follow In this stage we can be creative with the skill and develop it for ourselves, not just learning from others, and maybe finding new ways to share and teach it