Who Is a Consultant? Who Is an Instructor? Part One

Introduction

When I began working in management systems in 1376, the concepts were so unfamiliar that fear filled me.

For six months I had no rest day or night. I read more than 50 books and questioned anyone better informed than me, until some of that darkness cleared.

Years have passed, yet it is no exaggeration that some concepts I encountered then still invite deeper exploration. I am still learning.

Important explanation

This article bases its reasoning and conclusions on a free interpretation of Bloom's classification of learning levels.

Introducing Bloom's taxonomy of learning levels

Benjamin Samuel Bloom was an American educational psychologist, born in 1913 and deceased in 1999. One of educational psychology's most influential figures, his best-known contribution was Bloom's taxonomy.

The model used as Bloom's appears to be the version developed and improved by Anderson and Krathwohl.

Bloom's learning levels

Remembering

The first level relies on memory and retaining acquired information: learners memorize something and recall it later.

This is the lowest and most superficial level of learning.

It can also be called the familiarity level.

Years ago, I jokingly called it the taxi-driver or barber level: their constant contact with many people and sometimes lengthy conversations on different subjects gave them broad familiarity.

Today I call it the Googler level. Fast internet, widely available devices and abundant online content mean many people possess knowledge as broad as their Google searches.

Those whose knowledge remains at familiarity are not limited to taxi drivers, barbers and Googlers. Look more carefully around you and you will find educated people with advanced academic titles whose learning goes no further.

The problem with this level becomes clear as the next levels are explained.

Understanding

Understanding is the second level, at which learners can fully comprehend and explain the subject.

They can explain it in their own words, give appropriate examples and, where applicable, at least answer why.

Example:

Subject: brushing teeth twice a day.

Initially, saying “You should brush at least twice a day” shows learning at the familiarity level.

Questions: why twice? Why not once or three times? When should I brush twice? Before or after breakfast? Why not after breakfast? Why before breakfast, when I have not eaten yet?

If learners can answer questions like these, they have advanced to understanding.

Applying

Application is a higher level: learners move beyond basic learning and can put what they learned into practice and test it themselves.

Example: you probably know people who understand driving theory and principles and even have licenses, yet cannot drive.

Analyzing

At this level, learners can analyze what they have learned and examine it from different perspectives.

Breaking a subject into its elements and distinguishing its components through analytical questions, drawing and analyzing diagrams and models, classifying information and categorizing elements and aspects can demonstrate this level.

Example: a skilled driver can go beyond driving to correctly analyze the vehicle, road, weather and other traffic. This helps prevent accidents.

Analysis gives learners breadth of vision and predictive ability.

Critiquing and evaluating

Critique and evaluation are among the highest learning levels.

They require complete understanding and the ability to analyze the subject.

Evaluation clearly requires a model or reference. Critiquing something means measuring the gap between what exists and what should or could exist.

This requires complete understanding of the reference or desired state, as well as the ability to measure the current state from available evidence, even in differing forms.

Example:

A professional film critic can assess and critique different elements regardless of genre. Whether a film is drama, action or comedy does not matter: the critic knows the characteristics of good screenwriting, cinematography or acting and can assess them, even quantify them numerically.

Creating (synthesizing)

Bloom's highest level concerns creation: learners understand and master a subject sufficiently to produce new works, forms and ideas. This level encompasses all previous levels. With a comprehensive grasp of aspects, applications, interpretations and critiques, learners can create something new in the field.

Example: after familiarity, understanding and application, a tailor can sew from an existing pattern. Until reaching creation, however, they cannot produce an innovative garment or customize clothing for a particular body and specified use, such as a particular sport.

Conclusions and summary

Based on the learning levels explained above and the author's interpretation:

A consultant must know and operate at the creating level in the field in which they intend to advise.

They must tailor their learning to the client's size, conditions and characteristics without losing principles or clinging to and mechanically repeating them.

A consultant is not an amateur clothing seller holding a ready-made outfit and trying to put it on everyone. They are a clothing designer: they know materials, body characteristics, ergonomics and uses, incorporate their effects in design, examine existing products' strengths and weaknesses, and know how to address weaknesses and use strengths appropriately, and so on.

We can also conclude that understanding is the minimum level required to teach a subject, while critique and evaluation is the best level.

Everyone has at least one experience of an instructor at the application level who had practical subject experience. Such instructors can offer truly different, more practical teaching.

Practice, however, does not seem to match this. This undoubtedly damages the credibility of these titles and professions and reduces trust in them.

How can someone who has not progressed beyond familiarity and struggles to understand the subject claim to consult?

Can merely Googling a subject or translating content qualify someone to teach it?

How worrying is a world of oceans only a millimeter deep.

Postscript

• Later articles will address other aspects of this subject.

Sources

• Dr. Reza Nasiri's website: http://drnasirisavadkoohi.ir/
• Amoozmag website: https://www.amoozmag.com/