INTENTIONAL LEARNING
ADULT LEARNING — Adults learn differently than children
When we were younger we were able to pick up concepts and absorb information effortlessly. This does not mean that adults are slower learners; rather, we simply depend on a different method of learning.
Our adult minds function like a computer, when new information comes in, we first store it in the buffer, a place for temporary memory. Then the hard disk, or long-term memory, is checked to see if similar information is already stored there. If not, the index, a mental filing system is flagged to relate the new information to existing knowledge in an orderly file. Our primary role as facilitators of learning is to help the adult learner “index” correctly and efficiently.
In an adult learning environment, we need to consider several elements to improve learning effectiveness.
Adults require value for learning before they store information in their long-term memory (their hard disk,) and it must prove useful and true. Adults learn from experience. Adults have short attention spans, even shorter than young children. Adults are judgmental of concepts and processes and they constantly evaluate any material presented to them, which becomes a barrier for learning. Adults do not memorize, instead they prefer to concentrate on concepts and learning will take place as they practice the concepts presented. Adults think that they cannot retain a lot of information at any given time. And adults need to relate new information to previous knowledge because they index all information.
At the core of our purpose is to “provide learning experiences which improve business and human performance.” In our learning design, the participant gets an opportunity to practice the concepts and processes presented. The learning process is one of exploration, practice, reflection, personal mastery and growth.
The output that we look for is for a set of leadership competencies to flourish. When the appropriate circumstances arise, the learner is likely to use them as a result of the change experience that he/she has gone through. While not everyone is a leader in an organization, everyone is a leader in his/her life.
This experience occurs when a synchronization and harmonious alignment of behavioral, emotional and cognitive change takes place, and as a result, have the power to transform lives. This change experience yields new learning that is congruent and integrated. In addition, to these three areas of learning we go through three levels of development — awareness, knowledge and wisdom.
LEARNING IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN TRAINING
One can train someone how to do tasks because the skills they require are often one-dimensional. However, people skills are multi-dimensional. They address issues such as relationships and attitudes that require an ongoing learning process instead of a single training event.
Our practice, which focuses on leadership skills, uses a process of learning to get participants to shift the way they think about what they do. Participants embark on an experience that touches on the behavioral, emotional and intellectual areas of learning. It moves the participant through levels of awareness, knowledge and wisdom. This “Active Learning” process requires a commitment as well as an investment of time from the individual as well as the organization.
Active Learning is a tool that engages people by tapping into their existing knowledge base and prior experiences. By using what they already know in combination with what the program will offer causes understanding and motivation to grow from the inside out.
Learning challenges people to develop awareness and gain insights. It encourages people to evaluate their actions and their way of thinking and develops the ability to apply new skills in different life arenas. Training does none of these.
Active Learning, which includes experiential learning and discovering “Ah-ha’s,” is the key to break through the barriers that are keeping today’s organizations in a holding pattern. The learning experiences that The Intentional Leadership Institute provides helps companies create better, more productive corporate cultures, loyalty and service along with viable results that are measurable on the balance sheet.