Learning with Style
An innovative experiential learning workshop to help trainers energise people who prefer their own way of learning
And isn’t that all of us?
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How is the student who is most vocal during class discussions performing on written assignments?
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Is the reluctant participant learning anything?
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How can we involve the shy class member?
But there are so many theories of adult learning which one works?
Not surprisingly, the principles of adult learning have been the subject of thorough research in academic circles. But how can the theory be applied?
John Sleigh has applied the principles of adult learning to experiential training design for clients who may not have an educated workforce, but they had better be knowledgeable.
I always suspect that those who view any activity as non-educational simply lack sufficient interest. Perfectly OK by me, by the way. You can't structure learning. It is only possible to provide the tools and opportunity.
We learn that which we are passionate about. We simply memorise the rest
Dr. Gail Barnes, Delta State University
For safety staff on the railways, your life may rely on their understanding—John developed refresher training for RailCorp;
For miners at the coal face, the penalty for misunderstanding may be death—John has created induction programs and safety management systems for several safe and highly productive underground coal mines;
For customer service agents in call centres, security staff monitoring closed circuit TV and emergency service personnel—their understanding of their role and your needs is paramount. These are just some of John’s clients.
In this session, John will not present any new theories—he will show how the information you already know and understand can be applied in the classroom.— in a dynamic and interactive way.
Can we design our sessions around the basics of motivation?
We have all heard about Maslow, but does his model apply in the training room?
McGregor talked about theory X and theory Y managers—which approach is best for training?
Herzberg differentiated between Motivators and Hygiene factors. What hygiene factors could be creating a barrier to learning.
When these concepts are interposed on the research of Kolb, Hermann, Gardner, Honey, Mumford and many others the outcome is a lively session that will include activities that you can take away and improve on.
The reason we want to build on participants' experience is that if you don't, YOU will (be a good teacher and) 'take charge' of the content and structure of their learning experience.
You will assume you know what the learners need to know and totally disregard their knowledge and skills. By doing this, you will discount them and their experience.
The outcome will be that you will lose them in the first few minutes never to make contact again.
Dr. Roger W. Manning, Odessa University
Here are just some of the activities that John has designed for you to use:
- Teach the nuances of power in negotiation by deciding who gets the only cab in sight;
- Explain project management principles by scheduling the morning activities of a busy family;
- Ask a simple question to show that just because we know something, it doesn’t mean that we can recall it when we need to;
- Explain paradigms by showing how to do the seemingly impossible.
Be prepared to participate
— THEN learning is inevitable.
Presentation Options
As a keynote speech (45 minutes)
The principles are illustrated with practical examples appropriate to the audience.
This approach is often suited for a staff meeting or conference, where other issues are being dealt with, new priorities being established or a motivational lift is required. Participants may be given copies of the program booklet to use as a self study guide.
This approach is not suited as a quick fix method, where people come from and return to their jobs adjacent to the presentation. Adult learners need to learn in context, and the time required to establish a learning environment makes this unsuitable for delivery on a normal working day. The atmosphere at a conference or staff meeting may make this a practical learning option, however we would need to agree that the agenda is appropriate.
This alternative is most suitable as a keynote presentation at a major learning event, such as a conference, management retreat or as part of a refresher training program.
As a Workshop (3 hours) or
In addition to the introduction of the principles, participants work in teams to develop strategies appropriate to their environment to deal with some of the situations that are frequently encountered in the organisation.
Samples of the activities are available from our web site, but for each organisation, the actual activities are tailored to suit the real needs.
As a seminar (6 hours)
In this form the contents of the workshop are expanded to include more client specific scenarios and action planning. The seminar allows greater opportunity to assist participants to experiment with learning activities and to plan to adapt them to their own application.
It’s your choice
The flexible delivery options are provided to allow you to make best use of the time that is available.
The fees for each program are approximately the same. This is because the presentation time is only part of the time that John gives to each program.
It may be practicable to present two workshops in a single day at the same location, in which case the fee charged would only be for one seminar.
Program Materials
Each participant in the program receives a bound booklet, which is used as program materials during the course, but is also useful for private study afterwards.