ADULT LEARNING

We are not training children and

adults learn differently than kids
 THE FOCUS OF LEARNING IS
TO PRODUCE
 Change
 This change must be long-lasting
 The change can be in behavior, attitude or
thinking - or some combination of the three
 Learning Principles
 Contiguity – training must occur with what you
want them to do – example: if they need to
identify an object on sight – do not train them on
how the object ‘feels’ to the touch.
 Repetition - repeating events in an association
increases the strength of the association.
 Reinforcement - a behavior followed by a
pleasurable consequence is likely to be repeated.
 Learning Principles (cont’d)
 Social-cultural learning principles – these
are many and varied, but very important to
learning.
– Example – in some cultures ‘feedback’ is not
accepted.
Robert Gagne was a ‘giant’ in
the field of instructional
design.
 Gagne on how to improve
training effectiveness
 Task analysis - analyze the task and break it
into distinct components
 Component task achievement – train so that
each component must be fully achieved
before the task can be done correctly
 Task sequencing - arrange the components
in the correct order
 INSTRUCTIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
MODEL –ANOTHER APPROACH
TO TRAINING
 Steps to training are:
– Describe the Learning Goal
– Analyze Initial State of the learner
– Identify the Conditions that allow the learner to
learn
– Assess and Monitor progress
 TRAINABILITY IS A FUNCTION OF

motivation * ability * perceptions of

the work environment
If motivation = 0, trainability = 0
 MOTIVATION

 To maximize motivation trainers need to:

– Involve trainees in decisions about training
– Be sure to leave the perceptions that training
leads to benefits
 But there also must be
– Support at work
– Lack of obstacles at work
 TRAINING DESIGN
 Training design should focus on two major
areas:
– Conditions of practice
– Factors that impact retention
CONDITIONS OF PRACTICE
 Active practice – involve the trainees
 Massed versus spaced (distributive) practice
– Do we practice in one session or over time
 Whole versus part learning
 Overlearning – teaching beyond competence
(for example, CPR)
 Feedback – did they do it right or wrong
 Task sequencing – do it in the right order.
 Remember
 Practice does not make perfect performance
 Perfect practice makes perfect performance
 Doing something a lot of times simply
means you have done it a lot of times – but
are you doing it right.
 TRAINING RETENTION IS HIGH IF:
 The material is meaningful
 You have mastered the basic material
 There is similarity between training & work
 There is a lack of interference
– Before - old knowledge
– After - changes at the work setting
 ADULT LEARNING
 Adults are self directed
 They come with a lot of knowledge and
experience
 They are ready to learn tasks that are
relevant
 They are motivated to learn and expect to
apply immediately what they learn
THE END