Knowledge used to be the sole domain of the individual, highly educated expert. Professors with a Ph.D. or carefully researched books were the best resources to learn new information.
However, time constraints and easy access to knowledge have demanded changes to this paradigm. Indeed, the Internet and social media have dramatically changed what it means to “know” something, and initiatives like Wikipedia are reshaping where we turn for “expert” information. In addition, social collaboration and meaning making are allowing for knowledge to be the domain of a collective group rather than an individual.
Our industry is not exempt from this development. As trainers, we spend our days educating adults, but very few of us have a background or foundation in adult learning theory. Most of us came to training as subject matter experts. In other words, we were the smartest person at the job and one day somebody decided that we ought to be able to train others.
Many trainers are successful in their roles without having a formal background in adult learning theory and education. However, one of the things that struck me when I was getting my doctorate in adult learning theory was how many times I said, “Oh! That’s why we do that.”
Enter the Essentials of Adult Learning Theory program. This ATD certificate series provides you with the background necessary to do your job well and with confidence—knowing that your actions and decisions are based on decades of research and proven results.
The Essential series is divided into three topics.
Theory of Adult Learning
In this session, we talk about the theories and the theorists that are the foundation for our profession. We also analyze the difference between education, training, and learning. Are they different? And if so, what is the difference? A comparison between how children learn and how instruction in best designed for them, as opposed to how adults learn and how instruction is best designed for them, is the cornerstone of this session.
Adult Learning in Practice in the Workplace
With a solid foundation in the best ways to approach learning for adults, our second session focuses on the unique realities of educating adults in the workplace. Typically, we want to achieve four workplace learning outcomes:
- knowledge
- skill
- critical thinking
- changed behavior.
The fourth outcome—changed behavior—is the hardest to achieve through training. This session gives tips, techniques, and best practices for successfully creating and delivering workplace learning that works. Certain essentials for successful adult learning—such as experiential learning, the opportunity to observe and reflect, learning by asking questions, and answering questions in a specific way to ensure learning—are all explored.
Outside the Boundaries of Adult Learning
Given that our training populations are often globally dispersed or technologically enabled, this session focuses on the ability to successfully implement adult learning practices under challenging workplace conditions. We explore informal learning, social learning, and asynchronous and synchronous learning—the realities of today’s workplace-learning delivery mechanisms. This session discusses how we, as trainers, can adapt our skills or use these new delivery mechanisms, which may or may not align with adult learning theory.
Bottom Line
The Essentials of Adult Learning Theory series will provide the foundation in theory, and necessary skills and thought processes of today to enable you to create successful workplace training programs for your organization.
Learn everything you need to know about adult learning principles with ATD’s new Adult Learning On Demand Certificate. Enroll today and start your program immediately!
