David Ausubel explained that if he had to reduce educational psychology to one principle, he would do it as follows: “The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly” (D. P. Ausubel, 1968, Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View)

It is one of these ideas that seems evident and yet finds itself easily forgotten.

The principle is used in a variety of learning models. The theory of experiential learning, developed by David Kolb, for example, connects all learning with the real-life experience the person has had.

Transactional Analysis will use the idea of a frame of reference to describe another facet of this idea. It highlights how our experience will be perceived using the lens of our frame of reference. It will not matter if it is a belief, a fact, a bias, or a principle that supports our perception of the situation. All are the result of some learning and are there to serve us according to the situation. They are tools humans use to address the uncertainty of not knowing and the desire to feel in control. That is to learn as best we can.

In coaching, this regularly becomes relevant.

It starts with something as simple as the fact that my behavior and what I’m saying will never be understood exactly as I mean. The person I’m working with will always judge what I’m doing and saying through their own lens. That is, they understand what is happening based on what they have learned until then and what constitutes their frame of reference.

In this, my task is to help them discover where they are with their learning and how they can continue to develop it. But to do so, I need to connect with what they are learning through our conversation. I can’t assume that it is what I’m sharing or thinking.

Coaching makes me more attentive to this possibility. But it’s relevant far beyond coaching.