I still find, even with people who are good trainers, that the developmental, linear approach to learning, remains the predominant model… that the idea that people will piece together learning from a whole lot of different sources, and that we just need to provide opportunities for them to gain more pieces, and to have some sewing time and develop needlework skills, will build powerful learners – that this idea seems naive, wasteful, and unlikely to result in a quilt of any substance…

I find this surprising in a world where writers, researchers, and leaders in the field are not only discussing the power of different approaches to learning, but where they are demonstrating it, where technology gives us access to an array of fabric and patterns not even conceptualised a decade ago… there is a divide growing between those becoming expert at creating widely creative and yet practical quilts, and those sticking with starting in one corner and working to the other, time after time….

I think about how kids learn numbers and early maths – we don’t just show them the numbers and expect that they will get it after being shown once.  We don’t expect that they will get it after being shown the same way again and again – we show them different ways, we link concepts to their environment, we encourage them to find examples, we invest time and ideas and use multiple resources in a range of formats… so why do we think, when training adults, well they have covered that topic six months ago, we won’t do that again…. I am not saying we should cover a topic the same way again and again, I am suggesting that we cover different aspects of critical topics, and that we provide opportunities for people to piece their knowledge and skills together, ensuring that we provide the sewing class as well.