In the big puzzle of workplace change, the learning factor is a varied piece of the human element.
“We want to make you smart about learning”
About Tracy
Tracy Defoe is a kata coach, an adult educator, consultant, and researcher specializing in workplace learning.
How did Tracy, a workplace education consultant in Canada, become a Kata Geek?
When she went to workplaces to develop programs to improve communication across language groups and cultures, Tracy puzzled over the challenges of participation at work. When she saw the poor learning and training choices too often made by organizations, she developed her vision of being smarter about learning, and helping other to be smarter about learning too.
Drawing on experience as an English language instructor, she focussed on teaching concepts. Tracy built a program called TeamTime™ entirely around questions like Which way is our company headed? How does adult learning work? and Who are your customers and what do they want? Front line leaders were the teachers of these concepts, and to help them deliver as needed, anytime, she developed and still delivers a series of workshops called Building Participation in Lean Teams. When Toyota Kata was first published, “that woman in Canada who is telling managers to ask questions and not give answers,” got invited to a Toyota Kata meet up. The Toyota Kata community is all about learning and welcome; an enthusiastic kata geek was launched that day.
These days Tracy is focussed on teaching and coaching with the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata. Encouraging and developing a community of scientific thinkers and kata geeks for everyone everywhere is on her vision board. She still takes on assignments to fix boring training or flip in-person workshops for remote delivery or write proposals. Tracy has taught communication, writing, teamwork and cross-cultural communication as well as teaching methods to adults in colleges, universities, and the workplace. Tracy is also an advocate for plain language and clear design.
Three workplace learning programs Tracy has headed up have received Excellence Awards. she has a Master of Arts in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of British Columbia where she started her career in English as a Second Language education. Her Bachelor of Arts, also from UBC, is in French. Book? Reading Work: Literacies in the New Workplace. Tracy Defoe is the President and Chief Education Organizer of TLFI The Learning Factor Inc.
TRACY DEFOE • PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EDUCATION ORGANIZER
About Tracy
Tracy Defoe is an adult educator, coach, consultant, and researcher specializing in workplace learning.
How did Tracy, a workplace education consultant in Canada, become a Kata Geek?
When she went to workplaces to develop programs to improve communication across language groups and cultures, Tracy puzzled over the challenges of participation at work. When she saw the poor learning and training choices too often made by organizations, she developed her vision of being smarter about learning, and helping other to be smarter about learning too.
Drawing on experience as an English language instructor, she focussed on teaching concepts. Tracy built a program called TeamTime™ entirely around questions like Which way is our company headed? How does adult learning work? and Who are your customers and what do they want? Front line leaders were the teachers of these concepts, and to help them deliver as needed, anytime, she developed and still delivers a series of workshops called Building Participation in Lean Teams. When Toyota Kata was first published, “that woman in Canada who is telling managers to ask questions and not give answers,” got invited to a Toyota Kata meet up. The Toyota Kata community is all about learning and welcome; an enthusiastic kata geek was launched that day.
These days Tracy is focussed on teaching and coaching with the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata. Encouraging and developing a community of scientific thinkers and kata geeks for everyone everywhere is on her vision board. She still takes on assignments to fix boring training or flip in-person workshops for remote delivery or write proposals. Tracy has taught communication, writing, teamwork and cross-cultural communication as well as teaching methods to adults in colleges, universities, and the workplace. Tracy is also an advocate for plain language and clear design.
Three workplace learning programs Tracy has headed up have received Excellence Awards. she has a Master of Arts in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of British Columbia where she started her career in English as a Second Language education. Her Bachelor of Arts, also from UBC, is in French. Book? Reading Work: Literacies in the New Workplace. Tracy Defoe is the President and Chief Education Organizer of TLFI The Learning Factor Inc.
TRACY DEFOE • PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EDUCATION ORGANIZER
Contact us
We want to make you smarter about learning, especially about coaching and deliberate practice of proven routines.
Why ask for our help? Every organization has learning puzzles. We have a big tool box and lots of experience to help you understand and address learning at work. We can help you make learning faster, easier, and most important, sticky.