How do Adults Learn?
Reach the broadest audience possible by appealing to 4-5 distinct adult learning styles
- 4-5 Learning Styles (depending on the learning model)
- Most People are a Mixture of Learning Styles
- Create Courses/Media That Appeal to All Learning Styles
- Let the Student Choose What Works
Let’s start with a disclaimer
First of all, I suspect most people reading this blog are dedicated, professional trainers, many with years of experience. You may already be aware of adult learning styles through formal education; if so, think of this piece as a refresher – a poke and a prod to encourage you to rededicate learning and development efforts to embrace all adult learning styles. Then there are many who may be reading about adult learning styles for the first time and, upon reflecting on their own work, recognize they have intuitively discovered this truth about adult learning and have created effective courseware as a result.
I find that far too often, however, I approach learning and development projects through the lens of my own learning experiences and what works best for me, but not necessarily what works best for others. It is in this spirit that I am kicking off this series, as a reminder to myself to ensure learning and development projects encompass all the important ways adults learn. It is my hope this topic will resonate with other trainers and help spark imagination and creativity while developing the next training program.
What do we know?
First, we know there are four to five distinct learning styles that define the learning experience depending on which academic paper your read and depending on how you slice it. Secondly, most people are a hybrid of learning styles – a little bit of this style and a lot of that style. Thirdly, adults are intuitively drawn to the learning style that fits them best; no need to diagnose learning styles in your students because they'll do it on their own.
Learning Styles
A simple search using Google or Bing will produce an endless list of training theory articles, some old and some cutting edge. You will find many valuable theories embodied in online papers, if you have a discerning eye. The adult learning model I am presenting in this blog series has been around for at least 30 years and was pioneered by cognitive psychology departments in several Midwestern universities. Even among these pioneers, you will find variations of this particular model. Bearing that in mind, I have created my own variation of these learning styles, which I will describe briefly:
- Conceptual Learning
Learners who respond to this style want to know the big picture. Why do I need to know this? What is the end game? Where do I start? Conceptual Learning answers the who, what, when, why and how of learning. And those who respond to this style demand answers before they can open their minds and begin absorbing the particulars of learning instruction.
- Visual Learning
In many learning models, Visual Learning is regarded as a subset of Conceptual Learning, as they share much in common. The phrase “a picture tells a thousand words” perfectly captures the utility of visual learning. Sometimes a screenshot mapping out major features is enough to jump start a student into using a new desktop application. A simple flow chart can help explain a process and the ultimate goal behind a training session.
- Transference Learning
Transference Learning equates an already mastered skill, concept or knowledge with the new. In this way you may be able to provide students with a shortcut to help them proceed directly to the core of the learning experience. Transference learning may consist of directly equating something known with something new; for example, how to use a new phone system by comparing it to the old, e.g., “…the Hold button is now called Conference and is located on the upper right corner of the keypad…” Transference learning can also drift into the metaphorical. For example, noting that controls on a browser based application resemble the controls on a VCR.
- Didactic Learning
For those learners who respond to the concrete, the exact, Didactic Learning will provide them with a solid starting point for understanding something entirely new. When you think of didactic learning, think of a recipe card, which provides a list of ingredients, amounts and the specific order required to make a tasty dish. Very often, you will notice didactic learning being the use of prescriptive lists – 1, 2, 3.
- Creative Learning
Possibly the most difficult learning style for trainers to accommodate as it is often resource intensive and hard to predict where the learner will land. When I think of Creative Learning, I think “self-directed” learning. Those who respond to this learning style prefer to lead rather than follow and they have a high tolerance for learning from their own mistakes. People who figuratively paint themselves into a corner are examples of creative learners. And despite the messiness of the process, people learn!
Mix it Up! Include all Learning Styles
This is the most important thought I would like to convey: work toward engaging the broadest audience possible by appealing to all adult learning styles. Furthermore, most people are hybrid learners, embodying two or more of the learning styles listed here. Give your students an array of learning tools and they will intuitively respond to the ones that best fit their needs.
What’s Next?
If you are like me, you will want to know more about each of these learning styles. In the blog posts to follow, I will address each learning style in depth and provide you with some dos and don’ts that have worked for me in developing course material that adheres to adult learning styles. I will also write about how to serve up diverse training pieces to create a coherent training program.
As I progress through my career I am constantly learning new tricks and new concepts to improve the courseware I develop. I trust I will learn from your comments as well, so I encourage your thoughts.
More to come!
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