Shu-Ha-Ri - A philosophy for learning
26 Feb 2015I’m cheating with this one a little bit, as I wrote this a while ago for a company idea. But, I have found that the concept of Shu-Ha-Ri is a fantastic way to describe the stages of learning. I’ve also found that internalizing the different phases has given me the patience to exist comfortably as a beginner while knowing that I will eventually progress beyond that.
##Shu-Ha-Ri Shu-Ha-Ri is a concept that stems from Aikido and describes the stages of learning a skill before achieving mastery. It can be loosely compared to the European apprentice-journeyman-master phases.
###Shu Shu, loosely translates to “maintain.” Shu students are novices who should focus on imitation and following a clearly defined path to a goal. Comprehension of the entire problem space isn’t completely possible at this stage as it would only confuse the beginner who simply wants to accomplish a goal correctly.
In my experience, this is the stage where I am solely focused on mastering basic skills. I find a variety of choice to be overwhelming as I don’t have the understanding necessary to easily distinguish the pros and cons of my options.
If I was teaching a Shu stage student how to center clay on the pottery wheel, I would describe a very specific technique to practice. I would teach them one way to do it, describe the concepts in play, and demonstrate exactly how to position their hands, but I would not show them a variety of techniques. I would want the student to be able to consistently reach the goal, a centered ball of clay, using only one technique before moving on.
When teaching and doing at this stage, a clear path to a goal is necessary. There is very little space in the student’s mind for nuance and experimentation. The most important thing here is imitation to achieve a desired goal. This provides a student with the technical and theoretical foundation necessary for further exploration.
###Ha Ha, or “break”, is when the student has a solid foundation and can begin learning alternate ways to reach their goals. These different techniques take into account nuances that a Shu student wasn’t prepared to deal with. The Ha student can start bending the rules learned in the Shu stage, and can begin to synthesize these variations into a comprehensive whole.
In the Ha stage, I have a basic grasp on fundamentals and have the capacity to explore the differences between techniques I already know and new ones I am learning. This exploration of alternate paths to potentially similar goals, helps me discover and push the boundaries and “rules” of whatever it is I’m doing (often with a healthy dose of failure).
When teaching a Ha student how to center clay, I would be more interested in the nuances of their specific throwing situation (Are they throwing a large or small size, are they trying to wedge as they center, are they trying to center as quickly as possible?), and I would tailor my lesson to account for those nuances. There are many different techniques with different strengths and weaknesses, and this is the time for to explore that variety and assimilate those differences into the student’s practice.
###Ri Ri, “transcend”, is when the student has become a master of their craft and is no longer thinking about the right or wrong way to do things. They simply execute. They have combined all of the techniques they have learned into a cohesive skill-set that fits their individual style perfectly.
In the Ri stage, I have found glimpses of flow in the work that I’m doing. I can simply execute towards a goal without caring how exactly I’m doing it. I love those rare moments when I can get lost in the work at hand and don’t need to think about specific techniques.
Discussions between people in the Ri stage can sound surprisingly vague. At this stage, specific techniques may be referenced obliquely or more as a reference point for a philosophical or theoretical way of viewing the problem and path to a goal.
I discovered the concept of Shuhari while reading some of Martin Fowler’s posts about coding. I have learned or taught myself a number of skills, and his description of Shuhari as learning framework rang true. I hope that by sharing it you will benefit from it as I have.
Being aware of Shu-Ha-ri helps me as a teacher and student. It’s important to approach and teach students at their level as Ri answers to a Shu student are generally vague and unhelpful, and teaching Shu techniques to people in the Ri stage is generally unnecessary and boring. Being able to assess my own level of mastery allows me to question my teachers at level that makes sense for me and knowing the level of my students allows me to teach in a way that they will be able to digest.