This past week has been filled with learning and education. I graduated, and then I spent three amazing days at the ASTD International Conference & Exposition here in Chicago. At the conference I absorbed the latest and greatest in Learning & Development (L&D) from the best and brightest in L&D. I spent a lot of time reflecting on what I was learning, what I knew, and incorporating all of it into my personal world-view of L&D.

What did I realize from all of this reflection, you ask?  All I need to know about L&D I learned as a kid. In this series of postings, I’m calling it The Sandbox, I’ll explore this concept from many different angles:

• The newest and shiniest toy isn’t always the best. Sometimes a box, a stick, and some imagination are all you need to keep yourself occupied for hours.
• Collaboration is good, but if you’ve got a big group of kids, you learn to do what the oldest kids say, and to find fun and value in that.
• Let’s not forget the grown-ups that were in our lives: the ignore-er of kids, the condescend-er to children, the kid-hater, and the cool grown-up that wasn’t a friend, but understood you nonetheless.
• There were games, but also times for quietness and reflection.
• And there were the personalities of the kids you played with. There were the quiet ones, the bossy ones, the criers, the bullies, the fun ones, the smart ones, and the strange ones.

I’m going to cover each of these angles – toys, big kids, grown-ups, games, personalities – and relate them to my view of L&D. I’m sure as I go through this I’ll think of others. I’m hoping that you will suggest other ideas, and share your input with me.