Who is Malcolm Knowles?

Malcolm Knowles is considered the father of adult learning theory. Because pedagogy is defined as the art and science of teaching children, European adult educators coined the word andragogy to identify the growing body of knowledge about adult learning. It was Dr. Knowles’s highly readable book, The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species, published in 1973, that took the topic from theoretical to practical. Table 2-1 compares the differences between andragogy and pedagogy. Trainers and adult educators began to implement practical applications based on Dr. Knowles’ six assumptions.

The following list summarizes Malcolm Knowles’ six assumptions and adds a practical application from a trainer’s perspective. Although there is some duplication of ideas, I have presented all six assumptions as Knowles identified them. Some authors distill the six to five, four, and even three.

• Adults have a need to know why they should learn something before investing time in a learning event. Trainers must ensure that the learners know the purpose for training right from the start.
• Adults enter any learning situation with an image of themselves as self-directing, responsible grown-ups. Trainers must help adults identify their needs and direct their own learning experience.
• Adults come to a learning opportunity with a wealth of experience and a great deal to contribute. Trainers are successful when they identify ways to build on and make use of adults’ hard-earned experience.
• Adults have a strong readiness to learn those things that help them cope with daily life effectively. Training that relates directly to situations adults face is viewed as relevant.
• Adults are willing to devote energy to learning those things that they believe help them perform a task or solve a problem. Trainers who determine needs and interests and develop content in response to these needs are most helpful to adult learners.
• Adults are more responsive to internal motivators such as increased self-esteem than external motivators such as higher salaries. Trainers can ensure that this internal motivation is not blocked by barriers such as a poor self-concept or time constraints by creating a safe learning climate.

Applying adult learning theory to training

I don’t know whether Malcolm Knowles had this in mind when he presented his adult learning theory to the world, but it seems that he is talking about responsibility. Furthermore, whether you’re the trainer or the learner, you have responsibility to ensure that the training is successful, that learning occurs, that change takes place, and that improved performance is transferred to the workplace.

Three types of learning: KSAs

Trainers address three types of learning: knowledge (K), skills (S), and influencing attitude (A). Trainers frequently shorten this to the KSA acronym. (If you want the research to support this, it is called Bloom’s Taxonomy.)

Knowledge (Bloom called this cognitive) involves the development of intellectual skills. Examples of knowledge include understanding the principles of accounting, knowing the stages of childhood, understanding how interest rates affect the economy, or knowing how to get a book published.

Skills (Bloom called this psychomotor) refer to physical movement, coordination, and the use of the motor-skills area. Examples of skills you may learn include the ability to use a 3D printer, operate a backhoe, supervise staff, listen effectively, or kick a soccer ball.

Attitude (Bloom called this affective) refers to how you deal with things emotionally, such as feelings, motivation, and enthusiasm. Although attitude is not “taught,” training may affect it. Trainers cannot change attitudes, but they frequently have the opportunity to influence attitudes.

Trainers sometimes discuss whether it is the learner’s skill or will that prevents topnotch performance following a training session. This refers to the fact that an employee may have learned the skill but is unwilling to use it. Therefore, the real reason an employee may not be using what was learned may not be skill-based at all. It may be that the employee won’t use the skill that was learned.

Knowing that there are three types of learning means that you need to use different methods to address each. I discuss this in more depth in Chapter 5 when I address design.

Brain-based learning: It’s a no-brainer

Research into how the brain works best has received lots of publicity recently. Brain imaging has given researchers the ability to see the brain as learning occurs. Even though cognitive neuroscience appears to be a hot topic, it is really confirming what Malcolm Knowles, Howard Gardner, Robert Gagne, and others told us decades ago: Adult learning principles are important.

What practical information have we learned from cognitive neuroscience that can help us as trainers? Here is just a sample:

• A learning atmosphere can affect learning.
• Chunking information into two to four smaller bites allows the brain to process the information in the hippocampus (the brain’s holding tank) better.
• Movement gives the brain a cognitive boost.
• Participation such as writing, talking, activities, or involvement of any kind enhances learning.

  Recent research by a couple of Princeton University and University of California professors found that college students who take notes on paper learn significantly more compared to their laptop-tapping peers. The research found that laptop users type almost everything they hear, but they do not process the meaning of it. When students take notes by hand, they can’t write every word so they listen, summarize, and gain meaning through the process.

• Pictures, stories, metaphors, or other images increase learning and memory.

You will find ideas to implement these concepts in this book.

Many people have theories about how humans learn best. David Kolb, for example, presents four learning styles: the converger, the diverger, the assimilator, and the accommodator. Another theory was developed by W. E. (Ned) Herrmann. His research shows brain specialization in four quadrants and that each quadrant has its own preferred way of learning. Ned’s daughter Ann Herrmann-Nehdi continues to expand her father’s work. Current authors David Rock, Patricia Wolfe, Eric Jensen, and David Sousa write about how the brain learns.

Brain science resonates strongly with the learning and development community. Over 50,000 neuroscientists publish studies every year, and the studies sometimes contradict each other. It is a complex field, and we still have lots of exciting things to uncover about cognitive neuroscience. In the meantime, we all need to stay in touch with new research and implement what we learn in our online and traditional classrooms.

Other considerations for learning

How do you gain information? Hearing? Seeing? Do you also touch? Smell and taste, too? You bet you do. We all gain information through our five senses. The highest percent of information usually comes through seeing and hearing.

You’ve probably also heard about learning styles, the concept that individuals learn differently based on the mode the content is presented: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Perhaps you’ve used one of the instruments by David Kolb or others to determine your participants’ learning styles. Unfortunately, there is no solid evidence that individuals have a preferred learning style. I know this may come as a surprise to you, because the approach boasts widespread popularity. In 2008, four professors from four different U.S. universities concluded that there is a lack of evidence to support the concept.

Does this mean you should forget about how people learn? Definitely not. Most people use a combination of all three modalities, and you will encounter a variety of learners in every training session. So what does a trainer do? Do what all good trainers do:

• Accept that people learn in different ways.
• Use different methods that facilitate learning for different preferences.
• And finally, when designing or delivering training, strive to create a variety of approaches that utilize techniques and activities from all learning preferences.

You can also augment your design and delivery to ensure that you incorporate each of the main ways we learn:

• Visually, you would include pictures, diagrams, graphics, illustrations, props, or flowcharts. Provide written directions when possible. Help participants visualize a process using video, demonstrations, or role plays to “show” how.
• Auditorally, you can ensure that your spoken directions are clear and use discussions, debates, panels, interviews, and other verbal methods for transferring knowledge. Plan for buzz groups, small group discussion, teach-backs, and presentations that allow participants to talk through the information.
• Kinesthetically, you could provide physically active learning opportunities or experiential hands-on learning activities. Provide things for participants to touch and “play with,” such as Play Doh, tactile toys, koosh balls, and crayons. Take frequent breaks and allow informal movement during the session that doesn’t disturb other participants. Build in activities such as making models, role playing, scavenger hunts, relay races, and other active review and practice methods.

Create a safe haven for learning

It would be great if everything you did as a trainer went just the way it is supposed to, but it won’t. Trust me. Some learners may arrive thinking that training is punishment. Others may arrive with memories of past learning experiences in mind, such as a boring webinar or failing tests. Yet others may arrive bringing their daily burdens with them. You can build trust with your learners and create a safe haven for learning for everyone by using some of these ideas in your traditional or virtual classroom:

• Be prepared early enough so that you can welcome participants as they arrive, learn their names, and allow time for them to learn something about others.
• Share the learning objectives early, prior to the session, if possible.
• Let participants know how they will benefit from the information — it’s the old WIIFM (what’s in it for me).
• Demonstrate your respect for each individual.
• Ensure confidentiality and encourage participants to chat with you in private if necessary.
• Remember that your participants always come first. Respect their time, their opinions, and their expertise.
• We all like to hear our names, so use your learners’ names early and with sincere reinforcement throughout the training to build rapport. Use cues to help you remember names.

Create a comfortable environment

I prefer to arrive early enough so that I am organized and can welcome the learners as my guests. As a trainer, be sensitive to the mood of your classroom — created by both the physical aspects as well as each participant’s demeanor. To create a comfortable environment, consider these before your next training session:

Encourage participation

I believe that creating active and ample participation is the most important thing you can do to enhance learning. You find this thread running through the entire book. Here are a couple of thoughts to get you started whether you are in a virtual or traditional classroom:

• Use small break-out groups to overcome any reluctance to share ideas or concerns. In a virtual classroom, this means using break-out rooms.
• Call on specific participants no matter what kind of class you are facilitating.
• Use body language in a traditional classroom to encourage participation; positive nods, smiles, eye contact all show that you’re interested in others’ ideas. In a virtual classroom, you can still encourage participation with an enthusiastic voice and verbal reinforcement. In some instances, you may want to use a webcam for short periods of time.
• Ask questions — a show of hands is a good way to start out, and in a virtual setting you have a feature called a poll.
• Encourage participants to ask questions. In a virtual setting, encourage them to use chat.
• Share something of yourself to begin a trusted exchange of ideas.
• Learn and apply techniques to get learners to open up. You discover numerous ideas later in this book.

Facilitate more than you deliver

There are few times when straight delivery or lecture is required. Perhaps when rules or laws must be imparted word for word, when safety is an issue, or when your learners have no knowledge of the subject. But for the most part facilitating experiential activities and discussions lead to the same end, enhancing learning for everyone.

• Create discussion. Not just between you and the learners, but among the learners. Encourage the use of chat and breakout rooms in a virtual setting.
• Get opinions and ideas out in the open before you deliver your message. You may be surprised at how much “training” the learners can do for you. A virtual classroom can be an advantage here because polls are usually anonymous.
• Share personal experiences and stories to build rapport and trust.
• Provide opportunities for participants to evaluate their own learning throughout the session. A self-scoring quiz, perhaps or online a multiple choice or true/false quiz in a poll where all responses are combined.
• Create experiential learning activities in which the learners discover the learning on their own.

Who’s who?

You’ve probably noticed that I use both trainer and facilitator in this book. What’s in a name? Even though our profession has debated over the years about what to call ourselves, what you do is much more important than what you call yourself. This book was not written to resolve the issue of the best title, but to ensure that you do the best job to help others learn and develop. So what’s in a name? First, examine those who deliver the training:

• Facilitators: Title given adults who ensure learners are taking an active role in their learning; sometimes interchangeable with trainers but more often used when little knowledge or skill is dispensed. Often used for describing a person who conducts team-building or strategic-planning sessions.
• Trainers: Title given to adults who are the learning catalysts so other adults may learn new skills and knowledge, and of course, interchangeable with facilitators. A good trainer is a facilitator.
• Presenters: Title given adults who deliver speeches at conferences or to larger groups; minimal emphasis on two-way communication.
• Instructors: Title used for teachers in academia. May also be used for specific skill sets, such as tennis instructors or flight instructors.
• Teachers: Title most often given those who are instructing children; pedagogical.

How about those who are receiving the training?

• Learners: A neutral term that can be used for anyone gaining information.
• Participants: A general term used by facilitators and trainers to refer to anyone in a learning or intervention session; a learner.
• Trainees: Synonymous with participants; most recently has been replaced by “learners” or “participants.”
• Students: Used for young children; pedagogical.

To project respect for your learners, avoid using the word “student” when discussing them. Learners or participants best define the adults you’re training.

You will find that I use facilitator or trainer and learner or participant most often.

What’s what?

The activity that occurs between the two whos in the preceding section may be called any of these:

• Facilitating: May be interchanged with the term “training.” Usually refers to taking less of a leading role and being more of a catalyst.

• Training: The activity conducted by adults who are learning new skills. Knowledge is generally put to immediate use. Hands-on practice is included.

  I was once given a great bit of advice that I pass on to you. To be the most successful trainer/facilitator, don’t be a sage on stage, but be a guide on the side.

• Instructing: Allows participants to generalize beyond what has been taught. Minimal hands-on practice. Sounds too much like a college class to me.
• Educating: Imparting knowledge generally in a broader context with delayed implementation. Little hands-on practice.

The results of the activity just discussed may be called some of these:

• Learning: Gaining knowledge and skills to make change.
• Knowledge: Gaining cognitive competence and information assimilation.
• Skill development: Gaining psychomotor competence.
• Attitude: Willingness to change based on new knowledge.
• Performance: Implementing the knowledge and skills that have been gained.

You may find other labels for these roles and what occurs, and as the profession grows and changes you’re likely to find even more. What you call yourself is not nearly as important as the significant work you accomplish: Helping adults learn so they can improve their performance.

Again, why do adults learn? Because everyone wants or needs to learn. We are all trainers, all learners. Carl Rogers said, “The degree to which I can create relationships which facilitate the growth of others as separate persons is a measure of the growth I have achieved in myself.”