Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning: Kegan's Theory and Practice

This report examines Robert Kegan's theory of the evolution of consciousness, focusing on its implications for teaching and learning. Kegan's theory posits five orders of consciousness, each representing a progressively more complex way of knowing and organizing experience. The report details each order, from the infant's objectless world to the self-transforming mind, and discusses the developmental challenges and support needed for individuals to progress through these stages. It explores how Kegan's ideas can inform educational practices, emphasizing the importance of understanding students' developmental levels to create effective learning environments. The report also highlights the demands of modern life and the importance of educators adapting their strategies to meet the evolving needs of learners. Furthermore, it includes practical tips for trainers, emphasizing the need to understand learners' needs, manage expectations, and vary content delivery to enhance engagement and retention.

Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning
Kegan's Theory of the Evolution of Consciousness to Develop Learning
Kegan (Robert) introduced his theory of self-evolution in 1982 in his book, The Evolving
Self. In his later book, In over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life (1994),
he presented a revised version of his theory and further discussion of the implications of
his work for society. Kegan (1982) noted that Piaget's work served as inspiration for his
own. Pointing out that Piaget had attended very little to emotion or to the process and
experience of development, Kegan sought to address these omissions, drawing on the
work of object-relation theorists such as Kernberg (1966), who explored how
interpretations of self-other relationships evolved over time, and psychosocial theorists,
particularly Erikson. Kegan especially valued "building strong intellectual bridges"
(Scharmer, 2000, n.p.) to educational practice, leadership, and organizational
development.
Kegan's Theory
The focus of Kegan's (1994) theory is the "evolution of consciousness, the personal
unfolding of ways of learning and organizing experience that are not simply replaced as
we grow but subsumed into more complex systems of mind" (p. 9). Growth involves
movement through five progressively more complex ways of knowing, which Kegan
referred to as stages of development in 1982, orders of consciousness in 1994, and
forms of mind in 2000. The process of growth involves an evolution of meaning that is
marked by continual shifts from periods of stability to periods of instability, leading to
ongoing reconstruction of the relationship of persons with their environments (Kegan,
1982). Each succeeding order consists of cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal
components.
Kegan (1982, 1994) saw the process of development as an effort to resolve the tension
between a desire for differentiation and an equally powerful desire to be immersed in
one's surroundings (Kegan, 1994). The evolutionary truces evident at each
developmental stage of Kegan's (1982) model are "temporary solution[s] to the lifelong
tension between the yearnings for inclusion and distinctness" (p. 107). While initially

stating that his ways of knowing alternated between favoring autonomy at one stage
and favoring embeddedness at the next (Kegan, 1982), he later modified his view,
stating that "each order of consciousness can favor either of the two fundamental
longings" (Kegan, 1994, p. 221) and that neither position is better than the other. He
suggested that increased differentiation could mean finding new ways to stay
connected. Paradoxically, as people make meaning in a more differentiated way, they
also develop the capacity to become closer to others.
Kegan (1982) was clear that the process of growth can be painful since it involves
changing one's way of functioning in the world. Borrowing from Winnicott (1965), Kegan
(1982) introduced the idea of the "holding environment" (p. 116) to assist individuals
with these changes. The holding environment has two functions: supporting individuals
in their current stage of development and encouraging movement to the next
evolutionary truce. Kegan (1994) equated a holding environment to an "evolutionary
bridge, a context for crossing over' (p. 43) from one order of consciousness to the next,
more developed order.
Descriptions of Kegan's levels of consciousness follow. They have had different names in
different iterations of his theory. We provide the numerical orders used in the 1994
version, as well as the names used for the later orders in the 2000 version. In addition to
describing each order, we provide Kegan's (1982) suggestions regarding ways to
challenge and support development to the next order.
Order 0. Kegan (1982) described newborn infants as "living in an objectless world, a
world in which everything sensed is taken to be an extension of the infant" (p. 78). As a
result, when the infant cannot see or experience something, it does not exist. By the
time infants are eighteen months old, they begin to recognize the existence of objects
outside themselves, propelling them into the next stage. Parents must remain steadfast
as the child pushes against them to determine where the boundaries are between its
self and the environment.
Order 1. Children develop order 1 meaning making at about age two, when they realize
that they have control over their reflexes (Kegan, 1982) and become aware of objects in

their environment as independent from themselves (Kegan, 1994). Their thinking tends
to be "fantastic and illogical, their feelings impulsive and fluid, [and] their social-relating
egocentric" (p. 29) in that they are attached to whatever or whoever is present at the
moment. Parents should support their children's fantasies while challenging them to
take responsibility for themselves and their feelings as they begin to perceive the world
realistically and differentiate themselves from others while moving into order 2.
Order 2: Instrumental Mind. Individuals in order 2 are able to construct "durable
categories"-classifications of objects, people, or ideas with specific characteristics
(Kegan, 1994). As a result, their thinking becomes more logical and organized, their
feeling are more enduring, and they relate to others as separate and unique beings.
Kegan and others (2001) noted that at this time, "rules, sets of directions, and dualisms
give shape and structure to one's daily activity" (pp. 4-5). In this order, individuals
develop a sense of who they are and what they want. "Competition and compromise"
(Kegan, 1982, p. 163) are characteristic themes of the second order and are often played
out within peer group settings. Support at this stage requires confirmation of the person
the child has become. Challenge to develop further involves encouragement to take into
consideration the expectations, needs, and desires of others.
Rodney in the opening scenario, appears to make meaning using the second order of
consciousness. As he considers attending college, he is mostly concerned about his own
needs and desires, he is competitive with his brother, and he does not take into
consideration the effect that his actions will have on his family.
Order 3: Socialized Mind. Cross-categorical thinking-the ability to relate one durable
category to another-is evident in the third order of consciousness. As a result, thinking is
more abstract, individuals are aware of their feelings and the internal processes
associated with them, and they can make commitments to communities of people and
ideas (Kegan, 1994). Kegan and his colleagues (2001) noted that in this order of
consciousness, "other people are experienced ... as sources of internal validation,
orientation, or authority" (p. 5). How the individual is perceived by others is of critical
importance since acceptance by others is crucial in this order. Support is found in
mutually rewarding relationships and shared experiences, while challenge takes the
form of resisting codependence and encouraging individuals to make their own
decisions and establish independent lives.

In the opening scenario, order 3 meaning making is evident in Symone's thinking and
actions. She takes direction from those around her-in the past her father and husband
and now her minister. She needs someone to tell her what to think and do.
Order 4: Self-Authoring Mind. Cross-categorical constructing-the ability to generalize
across abstractions, which could also be labeled systems thinking-is evident in the
fourth order of consciousness (Kegan, 1994). In this order, self-authorship is the focus.
Individuals "have the capacity to take responsibility for and ownership of their internal
authority" (Kegan & others, 2001, p. 5) and establish their own sets of values and
ideologies (Kegan, 1994). Relationships become a part of one's world rather than the
reason for one's existence. Support at this stage is evident in acknowledgment of the
individual's independence and self-regulation. Individuals are encouraged to develop
further when significant others refuse to accept relationships that are not intimate and
mutually rewarding.
Laticia seems to be using order 4 meaning making. She has decided on her own that she
wants to attend college, despite discouragement from those around her. She is
confident in her abilities and seems to have a self-authored sense of the future direction
she wishes to pursue: becoming a teacher.
Order 5: Self-Transforming Mind. In this order of consciousness, which is infrequently
reached and never reached before the age of forty (Kegan, 1994), individuals see
beyond themselves, others, and systems of which they are a part to form an
understanding of how all people and systems interconnect (Kegan, 2000). They
recognize their "commonalities and interdependence with others" (Kegan, 1982, p.
239). Relationships can be truly intimate in this order, with nurturance and affiliation as
the key characteristics. Kegan (1982) noted that only rarely do work environments
provide these conditions and that long-lasting adult love relationships do not necessarily
do so either.
The Demands of Modern life. Kegan (1982) argued that modern life, particularly within
the contexts of the family and the work environment, places enormous stress on

individuals. Kegan's (1994) book, In over Our Heads, focused on the demands of modern
society, or the "hidden curriculum" (p. 9). He argued that expectations of adult life-
parenting, partnering, and working-require fourth-order meaning making, and many
adults have not attained that level.
Kegan (1994) went on to hypothesize that postmodern life requires an ever more
complex way of knowing, that of the fifth order, which very few people ever reach. He
suggested that rather than demand that people think in a way that is impossible for
them to do, helping people reach self-authorship, the necessary first step on the path to
fifth-order meaning making, would be more realistic.
Essentials for training
Based on that theory, Kegan wrote number of essentials (120 tips) for trainers. Even the
best trainers need to train too. Here’s 50 tips of them to help you improve training style.
1. Understand your attendee’s need.
Before you start your session, ask delegates to describe their roles, key challenges and
their current knowledge level.
This will enable you to pitch your content at the correct level so it caters to all your
attendee’s needs.
2. Manage delegate learning expectations from the outset.
At the beginning of the training sessions, outline the main goals and objectives of the
training session. This will ensure that expectations are set appropriately, which will help
to optimise learner engagement during the day.
3. Segment your course.
Divide you course into sections with rough timings, so learners have a schedule and
know what content to expect and when, thereby promoting learner readiness.

4. Summarise at the end of every section.
It’s good practice to divide your course into sections, (as mentioned above), and to
summarise at the end of every section to aid understanding and retention.
5. Use non-verbal cues to monitor the attention level of your audience.
Looking out the window, fiddling with the phone, glased expressions etc.. are signs that
you may be losing your audience.
6. Focus on purpose not on audience
Focusing on what audience think, believe or preferred to listen may distort your
concentration.
Focusing on the purpose of training itself, it will reflect on their attention later when
achieve the training objectives
7. Make sure you are not overwhelming your audience.
Frowns, confused looks can all be indicators that your audience don’t understand or
can’t keep up with the content.
8. Re-energise your audience regularly as they will tire, by taking impromptu breaks,
doing a pick-me-up exercise, or engaging them in conversation etc…
9. Pace your learning content.
Don’t introduce complex learning subjects too early on.
Give the learner’s time to acclimatize.
Similarly avoid introducing challenging content at the end when delegates are tiring.

10. Your presentation slides should be an outline not detailed script, otherwise your
delegates will be compelled to read the slides in detail and won’t be listening to you.
11. Use repetition to enhance learning.
Not all content is created equal.
Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself to emphasise particularly high-value nuggets of
information.
12. Mix it up.
Hours of monotonous bullet point slides will eventually tire out even the most attentive
of learners.
Vary your content and delivery to include images, case-studies, micro-learning videos,
exercises, Q&A to spice things up and keep learner’s engaged.
Re-purpose any e-learning content that you have created and either send it to your
delegate’s phones or play it within the training room.
13. Mingle with participants, before you start speaking, and after, as this will help to
build a rapport and goodwill between you and your audience boosting their patience
and engagement levels.
14. 10 to 1 Golden Ratio.
Good quality learning presentations requires 10 hours research and content preparation
for every training room hour.
15. Build in slack time.
10 minutes of practice room presentation time will most likely equate to 20 minutes
when done live so build in plenty of slack time.

16. Pace your presentation.
To avoid over-run, learn to pace yourself.
When practicing put the estimated time on the corner of each slide and practice
maintaining the right pace.
17. Check your breathing.
Nervous energy can cause presenters to race through presentations and end too early.
Monitor your breathing and if you are breathless you are probably speaking to fast.
18. Take a break every hour.
Learner attention levels really starts to drop off after an hour of concentration and so
break every hour to maximise learner engagement.
19. Be punctual, especially after breaks.
If you start late, or start late after breaks you set the tone for tardiness and learners will
soon follow suit and start returning from breaks late.
20. Don’t over-run.
Finishing late is sure to frustrate your audience, and shows a lack of respect for their
time.
Include optional content that can be cut/truncated to get you back on schedule.
21. Keep activity time punchy.
Give learners less time then they might comfortably need to complete activities and
you’ll create a surge of energy and creativity.

3 minutes rather than 15 minutes brainstorming storm is sure to spark a sense of
urgency and enthusiasm.
22. Hang around at the end.
Don’t rush out.
This is a golden opportunity for overflow questions that couldn’t be asked during the
session, or which learners did not want to ask publicly.
23. Refer to delegates by name.
You’ll establish a greater rapport with delegates by referring to them by their first
names.
25. Use memory aids.
If delegates aren’t wearing name badges you may forget their names.
Create a named seating plan to refer to which will help you remember names and
personalise interactions.
26. Be comfortable, saying, ‘I don’t know’.
It’s the quickest, the most honest and most grace-saving way out of a question-you-
can’t-answer situation.
You can’t be expected to know it all.
27. Use Exercises.
Win the battle for audience attention by using exercises, (group, individual, paper or
computer), to stimulate, educate or reinforce learning.

28. Take-away material.
Printed leave-behind material is a must for reinforcing attendee learning
29. Avoid monologues.
Try and encourage audience feedback and questioning to create a lively and engaging
two-way dialogue.
30. Inject Humour.
There is no need for a stand-up routine, but humour can help to alleviate tension or
spice up dry topics.
31. Optimise the learning environment.
Stuffy, ill-lit, overcrowded rooms will send your audience to sleep.
Spend time ensuring light levels, temperature and spacing is optimised.
32. Audiences love treats.
Intermittent snacks and food along the way can help to lift your attendees and keep
them engaged.
33. Use the power of stand-up.
Remaining seated throughout an entire course will diminish you.Don’t miss the
opportunity to stand up and in the process convey authority and dynamism.
34. Be flexible enough to modify and adapt the course (within reason), to suit the
gradually unfolding needs of the delegates.

35. Just like with job interviews, arrive at least 5 minutes in advance to acclimatise
because starting off appearing flustered can be very distracting for your audience.
36. Vary your tone.
A monotone voice will bore you audience.
Think ‘manytones’!
37. Tell stories.
Anecdotes and real-life stores are an entertaining way to educate and inform.
38. Move around the room as you talk to create a sense of dynamism about you, but
maintain eye contact.
39. Vary the pace of your presentation between 170 words a minute to 310 words per
minute.
40. Address trainees by name, e.g. “that’s a good point John”, or “as Joanne said
earlier…”.
It helps you to remember names and makes it more personal.
41. Ask questions to maintain audience interest, e.g. “shall we break or push on till
lunch?”
42. Use the B button.
It blanks the screen and brings the focus on the speaker.

43. Use hand gestures to convey passion.
All the best public speakers do this.
44. Be enthusiastic from the outset.
It’s contagious in a good way.
45. Just one more thing.
Throw in a surprise extra, such as slide 20 of a 19 slide show.
46. Establish ground rules.
Mobile phones off etc, return from breaks on time.
47. Relate training backs to jobs wherever possible to boost relevance and engagement.
48. Demonstrate a new skill first and then let them practice with exercises to help
embed learning.
49. Make people feel at ease with some icebreakers at the start of the session.
50. Know your audience demographics and industry backgrounds to help tailor your
approach.
Research