Step 3: Adult-Centered Implementation
Adult-Centered Teaching-Learning Process - Vary Training Techniques to Appeal to Different Learning Styles
As you develop course materials and plan the details of the program’s implementation, an important consideration is the delivery of the training and the techniques you will use with the learners. People learn in different ways. Some are more Visual learners who need to see or watch; these learners do well with transparencies, flip charts, demonstrations, videos and Power Point presentations. Auditory learners do best when listening or speaking; for them, lectures, group discussions and brainstorming are effective methods. Tactile/Kinesthetic learners need to experience something and do it themselves in order to learn something well. These people learn best through role-playing, simulation, and practice demonstrations (National Highway Institute, 2000). This categorization of learning styles is called the VAK model. Other learning style models include David Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory and Peter Honey and Alan Mumford’s theory, which both describe four learning types: Activist, Reflector, Theorist and Pragmatist. Other models include the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which identifies sixteen personality types and learning styles associated with these types, and Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory (for a good summary of learning styles, see Indiana State University’s Center for Teaching and Learning website at http://www.indstate.edu/cirt/).
There are instruments and questionnaires on the market associated with each of these different learning style theories that can assess what kind of learner each individual is. These instruments can be helpful in giving adult learners some understanding about how they learn best, and the results can also help give the instructor information that can guide lesson and activity planning for a group. However, it would be time and cost prohibitive, not to mention cumbersome for large groups, to assess each individual adult learner and then customize lessons for each learner based on learning style.
A more practical approach is to be sensitive to the different learning styles that the learners may have and to vary training techniques and delivery methods to ensure that different needs are met. This means to use a mix of visual aids and presentations; group discussions; and simulation or other hands-on activities.
It may also be helpful to find ways to use small groups to facilitate learning. Susan Imel (1998) asserts that small groups in adult literacy programs promote teamwork and encourage cooperation and a participatory environment for learning. In addition, small groups help to provide peer support for learning and can more accurately reflect the context in which adults will use their skills later (Imel, Kerka, and Pritz 1994 as cited by Imel, 1998).
Tips for Using Small Groups
Divide the class into small groups of five or six students.
- Provide any necessary supplemental material, such as reference manuals, graphs, or checklists.
- Establish any ground rules you may have for the exercise. Instruct each group to designate a spokesperson who will write the group's methodology on the flip chart. Make sure the spokesperson solicits input from all members.
- Introduce the discussion period and the topic for the exercise. Then, pose the first open-ended question. For example: "Let's take the next 15 minutes and discuss the best way to monitor the construction of highway pavement. The monitoring process can start with a Communication and Planning meeting. What do you think of this approach?"
- Ensure that you and your co-instructor move about the room, answer any questions, and provide a positive presence. You may pose other support questions at this time.
- At the end of the discussion period, ask the designated group representatives to present their answers on a flip chart. Give them flip chart paper beforehand. This saves time.
- Lead a discussion to summarize all points. (National Highway Institute, 2000)