Meet the team: 5 questions on learning

We asked ourselves five questions about our journey within the adult learning field. Here are our answers:

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1. What marked your first step into the field of adult learning? How did you end up choosing this field?

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Helena: Education wasn't my initial plan. After elementary school, I aimed to study psychology for counselling. Little did I know, my path shifted when I conducted my first trainer session in 2013. I realised psychology encompassed more than counselling; it involved understanding learning and teaching. I embarked on projects to revolutionise how we perceive and engage in learning—from obligation to passion.

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Jaanika: I recall my first interview for Andragogy at Tallinn University. They questioned why, as a young person, I was interested in adult learning. My response was shaped by an essay I wrote during my high school exams titled "Life is a school that will never be graduated from." It turned out to foreshadow my professional journey.

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2. What sparked your passion for shaking up conventional adult learning methods?

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‍Helena: My drive stemmed from a desire to move beyond traditional lecture-practice formats. Emotions are pivotal in learning; I aimed to create welcoming, safe, and stimulating environments.

Transitioning from the third sector, where non-formal education thrived, I saw a gap in public and private sectors.

I heard: “Let’s not do it in a boring, just-listening-way, but a bit more interactive!,” so many times that I understood that I have been living in a totally different world while working within youth field! 

I have a bachelor degree in psychology and social work. Later, I have developed my competences with EBS Executive coaching, NLP and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and human-centred system thinking. All this has created a very nice combination of skills that support me to understand people’s needs and find ways to respond to that.  
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‍Jaanika: I think it has actually been a very normal, step-by-step-process of learning the norm and then gaining the wisdom to disrupt it for something better.

My journey through the Master's studies in Andragogy and Cognitive Semiotics deepened my understanding of learning as a cognitive but also social process.

During the same time, visual thinking and facilitation became my forte, aiding in the design of accessible learning solutions.

Mixing the studies with my work experiences mostly as training & development specialist and manager has given me quite a mix of insights and knowledge to turn into new approaches in learning design projects at Mindshifters.

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3. What fascinates you about learning?

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Helena: The challenging process itself!

‍It is not easy, most of the time it is very uncomfortable. It requires me to admit that I do not know. And that can be very difficult from time to time. On the other hand, there is nothing I love more than a good challenge. And learning something new is a never-ending challenge. It creates so many questions and we know that our brain does not like unanswered questions. So it keeps asking and searching!

‍Besides asking questions, creating learning opportunities is something that allows me to be creative. It requires me to think outside of the box and come up with solutions that would make people smile, offer them a feeling of success, and, at the same time give them the opportunity to create new pathways and learn something new. So, who wouldn’t like learning?

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Jaanika: Learning is omnipresent and uncomfortable, signalling growth.

Although we are taught to connect learning with our kindergarten or school system and some phases in our adult life when it’s formally required (like onboarding at a new job or doing a career shift), it is actually omnipresent!

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Consider:

• Travelling or moving to a new country
• Learning a new language (ps. organisational culture is also kind of a language!)
• Starting up a hobby
• Building/creating family
• Getting to know how our past influences our present and future
• etc

For me, the indication of learning is actually discomfort. It requires reshaping beliefs and actions while staying adaptable—a complex yet transformative journey.

4. Which unique perspectives or skills do you each bring to Mindshifters?

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Helena: I excel in holistic, systemic thinking—a strength that guides my approach to understanding and responding to diverse learner needs. With over a decade in non-formal education, my toolbox is filled with creative methods and games that energize and engage learners.

You can create a whole method by using playing cards, sticky notes or some other material. I have use paper cups, ping pong balls, chairs, clothespin and LEGOs to not only have fun, but also to make learning meaningful and lasting.

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Jaanika: I love the process of creating something visible. And therefore (hopefully) more understandable.

Visualising helps me to emphasize holistic perspectives, ensuring our learning solutions are deeply rooted in learner and organizational needs. More often than not, L&D practitioners want to jump straight to program outlines, topics, trainers and all the initially important things but failing to leave all that aside and ask: what does this current situation and people involved need the most?

Learner-centric design can look quite different between companies, sectors, topics or target groups but one thing remains the same: only through understanding learner’s (and organisation’s, if applicable) needs can we create truly impactful learning spaces.

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5. How do you envision the future of adult learning, and how is Mindshifters preparing for it?

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Helena: I believe that adult education is going more and more into the direction of action-based learning and gamification.

I hope that in the future, we do not have only those big fat books or instructions that we need to read to learn something, but we also have the option to take a truly interactive online course, have in-company mastermind groups and we see learning as something positive, enriching and empowering.

I hope that adult education moves into the direction where we truly see the value in learning and use it actively to move forward. In five years, we will definitely have more online tools that we can use in our phones to have short, 10-minute learning sessions that would not only make us feel better or smarter, but also benefit our overall success and wellbeing.

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I believe that Mindshifters will be one of the first in the field to approach adult learning in an innovative way and support the transition from traditional to empowering. I believe that with our human-centred system view, interactive and playful methods, and positive and encouraging vibe, we will create an environment where companies and organisations will see that learning does not have to be something that we need to push through.

It can be something that employees and members want to take part in. It can be something we all enjoy!

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Jaanika: I have three concepts emerging when I think about this questions

First: learning is becoming more personalised. It is clear that AI has become a go-to learning-buddy for many people and it is already offering a very personalised approach. Ask ANYTHING and it will tell you. Just make sure you double-check the answers that really matter.

We have also entered an era where our attention spans are short. I believe it to be a normal accustomization to the world that is shooting you with new information from any angle. Our brains have quite a strong filter but the more stuff it needs to sort, the less it can spend time with each of them. This is also applied in learning. People want more bite-sized, chunked-through information that would be easily digestible because there is already a lot on the plate. Hence microlearning and its upcoming forms.

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Last but not least: I believe community-driven approaches will define the future of adult education.

The impact of community has been a long-proven prevention and support mechanism for (mental) health and wellbeing, but also fundamental for social learning. As the world has become more digital, the real connections have to be there to balance it out.

Mindshifters is poised to lead this evolution, creating impactful learning environments that meet the dynamic needs of learners in a digital age.

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Did these thoughts resonate with you? 
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