teaching the
Can Elearning Solutions Be Applied to The Study of Arts and Letters?
What we can learn is limited by the ambit of our experiences and of the media that we are exposed to. Usually, the best media that creates a deep imprint on us is good Literature. However in order to appreciate good literature, we must in turn have already seen what we have read at work in our own lives, even for just a glimmer of this sight is enough and literature will awaken and deepen that glimmer of insight. But if we have not at all seen any part of ourselves or our lives in the text, then the text will never come to life. And this is applicable to teaching as well. What is taught in any humanities classroom, especially if these things have something to do with the profundity of human experience (I am speaking primarily of literature, philosophy, psychology and the arts) but such human profundity of insight can be seen in every humanities subject such as history or sociology. The difference will always be in the slanted use of discourse to achieve whatever power struggle the teachers wish to establish will only translate well if the students have some concrete idea of what is being taught. Otherwise, they will only be able to memorize facts, if they succeed in that at all since the context will always make the facts easier to remember.
The trouble is that elearning solutions cannot help but remove the teacher from the picture. After all, it is the essence of elearning to be fast, easy, and done at one’s own pace. With a full-time teacher, the pace will have to be managed and if the teacher is any good, he or she will continually challenge the students’ thinking.
Perhaps elearning can be used as say a primer for reading support and assessment. But without the full insight of a responding human person, there can be no recitation or no reaction paper written in an elearning class for the arts and letters. The practical applications of quick and accessible training are just incompatible with the image of the Arts and it will probably always be that way until the end of time.
With the humanities, the teacher must always be present. The equation is simple, take away the human, then there is no humanities left at all. Of course courses such as literature can still be taught by computers, but the student will not be able to feel feedback from his or her insights. After all, the essay and reaction, analysis reports are essential to these subjects. And no computer built today is yet able to even process such things. Elearning solutions will always be effective in the corporate arena. It should also be used in the sciences and in math primarily. And finally, it can only act as supplementary or support to the subjects of Humanities.
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Business Coach Emphasizes Soft Skills to Improve Performance
Categorized as “soft skills,” the structure of the EQ powerhouse includes objective self-awareness, effective self-management, and the use of social/communication skills that help facilitate understanding and collaboration with others. In Working with Emotional Intelligence, author Daniel Goleman confirms the importance of EQ with an exhaustive review of research on top-ranked managers throughout the business world. Outcomes show conclusively that those with higher EQ consistently surpassed colleagues with deficits in “soft skills,” despite the presence of superior IQ and technical expertise among the latter.
Since these skills are not commonly addressed in formal education, their development is arbitrary for many. Fortunately, there are solutions. WealthBridge Connect, an elearning company that focuses on productivity solutions for businesses and entrepreneurs, focuses their training programs around EQ development in today’s workplace. Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer, Dr. J. Gregory Gillum, launched his personal journey of self-discovery through the coaching process, and it changed the course of his professional life. Recalling the moment of self-awareness, Gillum remembers looking at his business coach as he said, “I want to do what you do.” His coach responded, “Why don’t you?” Eight months later, Gillum became an entrepreneur in the coaching world. Prior to his role at WealthBridge Connect, Dr. Gillum served as the Chief Executive Officer of humanfusion, an award winning coaching and consulting firm that focused on leadership and management development.
Gillum’s mission as a business coach involves teaching the skills of EQ to individuals aspiring to realize their full potential. His ideas follow the findings of Goleman’s research: “If you can develop core competencies in this area, you will enhance your ability to rise in any organization.” Gillum’s unique approach to EQ training utilizes the integration of EQ into the four life domains, all of which are essential to success. Taken together, they encompass elements such as the organization of physical space, time management, effective focus, an objective awareness of strengths and limitations, and the cultivation of a sense of gratitude and accountability to the community and world at large. Gillum reports that as clients began to practice the disciplines within each domain, they experience a powerfully expanded sense of vision and possibility.
Gillum enthusiastically describes transformative outcomes with the coaching process. In addition to enhanced self-awareness and expanded vision, clients can anticipate dramatic increases in productivity. “I coached a group of realtors, and every top performer dramatically increased their productivity during the coaching process. One first-year real estate agent landed in the top 25 (of over 300) for her geographic area. She was astounded,” Gillum said. “I have had similar success with financial planners, small business owners and other entrepreneurs. Coaching has a dramatic impact on performance in any field.”
Gillum addresses the area of management with a technique he learned in the pharmaceutical industry called assimilation, an intervention designed for managers with work performance problems. The initial steps involve individual sessions with the manager and interviews with workplace associates who can provide additional perspective on the problem. The coaching strategy culminates in a powerful, live version of the 360 evaluation in which all parties involved in the problem assemble together. With the support of the coach, the manager must decide how to handle issues concerning employees and workplace issues. Gillum summarizes the benefits of this high-impact learning experience: “It creates public accountability and also requires everyone’s participation in getting to solutions. The manager’s performance improves, and the resulting ‘buy-in’ strengthens the sense of community.”
A critical part of the coaching experience is client behavioral assessment. To address this critical success factor, Gillum uses the Winslow Dynamics Profile (WDP), thought to be the gold standard of assessments by behavioral psychologists worldwide. WDP measures 24 critical traits, including the individual’s emotional intelligence. WealthBridge Connect is one of the few companies in the Midwest licensed to use the WDP.
Apart from his own passion for the work of WealthBridge Connect, Gillum is confident about the future of coaching. “Coaching is rapidly being legitimized in the business literature, as well as through personal and organizational validation with objective outcomes. Rapid changes in the workplace will necessitate the need for coaching as we move deeper into the information age, with knowledge workers becoming more in demand. The new work environment will require a visionary style of management, which gives employees permission to explore, question, and participate in the development of their own potential, and to contribute meaning and significance to the mission of their organizations.”
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Dr. Gillum is the Chief Learning Officer of WealthBridge Connect, Inc. As CLO, his primary role is managing the universe of information that WealthBridge members use to drive their business to new heights. He lives with his wife and two children on a farm in central Kentucky.
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