How learners learn versus how trainers teach

      I recently spent time asking successful professionals about their most memorable and effective learning experiences. My goal was to find out what works best when it comes to adult education. I also asked those people what do's and don'ts they have for corporate trainers.

      What I discovered was that adults are remarkably similar in how they learn best, and it isn't usually in formal training settings. The most unforgettable and transformational learning experiences occur through personal experience, group support, or mentoring. That's astounding, considering that most — more than 70 percent — of all training is still of the instructor-led classroom variety.

      So, why is there such a disconnect between what works for adults and what's typically offered by training departments? Seeking an answer, I met with Jim Davis, author of Effective Training Strategies. He says, "I think it's because many, if not most, trainers aren't grounded in adult learning theory," says Davis "Few trainers, the world over, come to their work with much knowledge about learning."

      Without an understanding of how adults learn, too many trainers have taught people the way they were taught as children — by talking at their students from the front of a classroom. That approach may work well for kids, but it's not effective for teaching busy, impatient, demanding adults. As the training profession struggles to improve its image and effectiveness, Davis believes that more trainers have to ground themselves in adult learning theory. But not all trainers — especially those who ended up as trainers by corporate fiat or other indirect route — have education in adult learning principles.

      Training can be converted to the type of learning that CEOs want, but only if all trainers take the time to understand the basic principles of how adults learn most effectively.


How adults really learn

      There are many well-established learning theories on which to base effective training strategies. Many are captured in Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide, by Sharan Merriam and Rosemary Caffarella. And the experiences of the professionals I interviewed support the theories in that book. There are differences in people's learning styles, naturally. There are goal-oriented learners, activity-oriented learners, and learning-oriented learners. But there are many, many more commonalities. The more of them you understand, the more effective the training.

      The responses to my straw poll of learners reveal several major themes related to adult learning:

      The importance of context. When I asked people what made training most effective for them, they answered that it "had to be real." It had to take into account their perspectives and experiences, and have relevant and direct application to their work.

      Learning theorists use the word context to describe a focus on reality. Context is the physical, emotional, and intellectual environment that surrounds an experience and gives it meaning. If, for example, people are working in an environment of distrust and low morale and they attend a course on motivation, the course isn't likely to have much lasting impact if the context of their work environment isn't considered during course design and incorporated into the training. After all, the cause of low morale may not be a lack of motivation (and so the training is misdirected and will likely have no effect). The lack of motivation could be due to a lack of information, poor working conditions, low wages, or a number of other factors. When trainers start designing courses by focusing on context instead of content, amazing things can happen.

      Last October, I was invited by Educational Discoveries, a Boulder, Colorado-based learning company, to participate in its Accounting Game course — a daylong seminar designed to teach basic accounting principles. Knowing that many adults are intimidated by math and finance (the context), EDI's designers created a program filled with humor and music, in which participants start their own lemonade stand. The day began with a rousing game. By encouraging participants to have fun, the instructors reduced their anxiety, which might have inhibited their learning.

      The Accounting Game was successful in teaching basic accounting because it took into account the context of learners' experience with mathematical principles. As the Accounting Game experience suggests, context not only refers to the perspectives and needs that people bring with them to training, but also refers to the training environment.

Learning by experience

      It may sound cliché, but when it comes to adult learning, experience is the best teacher.

"The 'Here, you try it' method is most effective for me because I learn by doing something, not reading about it, watching it, or hearing about it," says Paige Miller, senior editor of Business Finance.

      "Hands-on is how I learn best," says an employee at Lucent Technologies. "In every situation, regardless if I succeeded or failed, when I did it myself, I gained the most learning."

      Adults learning best through personal experience is nothing new. In 1938, John Dewey wrote in Experience and Education that "all genuine education comes about through experience." However, he was quick to emphasize that not all experience educates. What makes the difference? "The ability to reflect upon and carefully evaluate the experience."

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