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Basic Principles of Adult Learning


1. Meaningful Material


Participants understand (and therefore learn) material only when it is related to their existing experience.


Guidelines

  1. Pitch your session at the participants level, not yours.


  2. Present the topic in definite form or sequence.


  3. Use plenty of examples, illustrations, analogies and anecdotes.


  4. Always move from the known to the unknown: that is, begin with what the student already knows or has experienced.


  5. Make your material as concrete as possible, avoid abstractions.


  6. Find out what your participants already know or have experienced before.





2. Active Learning


Participants learn more quickly and effectively when they are actively involved in the learning process.


Guidelines

  1. Ask questions to stimulate


  2. Plan for exercises and tests in sessions


  3. Use projects and assignments to supplement lessons


  4. Use discussion methods from time to time


  5. Provide plenty of practical work





3. Primacy and Recency


Participants can recall well those things they learn first and last in sequence.


Guidelines

  1. Give a preview of the session


  2. Summarise the important points of the session at the end


  3. Prepare carefully what you are going to say and do during the first few minutes of the session


  4. Remind participants from time to time of the sequence in which they have learned a topic





4. Feedback


Learning proceeds more effectively when both instructor and participant give feedback to each other.


Guidelines

  1. Encourage participants to ask questions


  2. Test frequently


  3. Discuss and correct errors; do not criticise them


  4. Give participants knowledge of results as quickly as possible





5. Over Learning


Forgetting is reduced significantly by frequent attempts at recall of learned material.


Guidelines

  1. Ask frequent questions


  2. Provide exercises which force participants to recall previous learning


  3. At the start of each session, ask participants to summarise briefly the previous session


  4. Include review periods in your timetable


  5. Train your participants to use overlearning during their private study


  6. Supply summaries of session material





6. Reinforcement


Learning which is rewarded is more likely to be retained.


Guidelines

  1. When a participant gives the right answer – tell them so


  2. Provide for early success in learning a new topic


  3. Assist participants and turn mistakes into learning experiences





7. Multiple Sense Learning


Presentation methods, which use two or more senses, are more effective than using only one sense.


Guidelines

  1. Combine telling, showing and doing – don’t rely on one only


  2. Provide as many audio-visual aids as possible


  3. Make certain that you and your aids can be, and are easily seen and heard


  4. If you have a model as one of your aids, let the participants handle it as well as see it and hear you talk about it


  5. Allow for practice and skills rehearsal





Many of these principles overlap one another eg. Active Learning and Overlearning.

For a good understanding of learning you need to develop a clear picture of the relationships which hold these principles together.



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