Developing Adaptive Expertise for Navigating New Terrain: An Essential Element of Success in Learning and the Workplace

This third brief in the series invites us to consider the nature of expertise in helping marginalized and vulnerable workers thrive in a rapidly changing world of work. In times of constant change, information relevant to any problem is fluid. To navigate this pace, people must learn how to find and reorganize information, let go of what is no longer useful, and apply knowledge across different situations. Deep understanding in a specific domain remains important for grasping nuance and complexity, yet it is equally essential to learn about new areas and use knowledge in flexible ways.

This brief introduces the idea of adaptive expertise, the capacity to think flexibly, adjust to varied contexts, and develop new understanding. Like a spider weaving a web, adaptive expertise enables people to build on what they know while reaching into new areas and making new connections. Unlike classical expertise, which emphasizes depth within a single field, adaptive expertise supports flexible thinking and effective performance in a changing environment. Drawing from research in cognitive, neural, and learning sciences, and building on the view of learners as active and purposeful from the earlier briefs, this brief identifies six tendencies of Next Level Learners that promote adaptive expertise. These tendencies enable efficient learning, awareness of context, and transfer of knowledge. Adaptive expertise reinforces an asset based approach to workforce development by valuing existing knowledge and skills rather than the notion of starting over.