Adult Learning Principles

1
Adult Learning Principles

• Adults bring valid experience to the learning
  situation
• Adults have immediate needs and objectives
• Adults need evidence of usefulness.

2
Adult Learning Principles

• Adults need to understand how information will
  impact the current,or their future situation.
• Adults can identify their own learning needs.
• Adults are responsible for their own learning

3
Adult Learning Principles

• Adults appreciate an informal,non-threatening
  learning environment.
• Adults may have negative experiences related to
  goals/situations.
• Adults must have a clear understanding of what is
  expected of them.

4
Adult Learning Principles

• Adults retain information when practice and
  application is available shortly after
  information is acquired.
• Adults want specific feedback on their
  understanding/performance.
• Adults may have short attention/retention ability
  d/t information overload

5
Adult Learning Principles

• Adults work best at their own pace.
• Adults learn through active involvement i.e.
  discussion/experience
• Adults learn best by using multiple senses
• read 10 see and hear 50
• hear 20 say 70
• see 30 see,hear,do and say 90

6
Adult Learning Principles

• Adults maintain interest and retain information
  better when learning with a variety of
  teaching/learning methods.
• Source
• Based on the work of Malcolm Knowles

7
Brain-based Learning Principles

• People have natural low and high energy cycles
  during the day
• Minimal dehydration can lead to lethargy and
  impaired learning. The brain requires 8-12
  glasses of water a day for optimal functioning.
• Start up the brains learning mode by providing
  mental or motor stimulation that promotes
  creativity through new experiences.(clay)

8
Brain-based Learning

• Requiring only one answer is less effective in
  learning than promoting problem
  solving,exploration,creativity and multiple
  answers.(case-based learning)
• Movement and learning are processed in the same
  part of the brain,and more effective learning has
  been found to be connected to movement.

9
Brain-based Learning Principles

• Stress and negatives can be barriers to learning
• At the beginning of a session try to provide a
  few moments of transition to refocus and relax.
• Music fosters learning and retention. Classical
  stimulates creativity and rock speeds up the
  completion of the task.

10
Brain-based Learning

• The brain loses focus when things stay the
  same,such as monotone voice, too much lecture
  etc. Try to modulate your voice and vary
  learning methodologies.
• Genuine attention can only be held at a high
  level for about 10 minutes. Move around the room
  if you are lecturing!
• Give breaks every 45-60 minutes.

11
Brain-based learning

• Memory,attention and meaning increase when
  learning is linked to emotion. Storytelling,poetry
  and role play help connect emotion and thinking.
  Too much emotion can lead to learning shutdown
• Humor and enthusiasm stimulate learning as well
  as debates and critical thinking activities.

12
Brain-based learning

• Participants are more excited by meaning and
  relevance than the amount of information/content
  in a session.
• ELNEC 2000

13
Summary

• Participants tend to recall things that are
  unique,new,presented first,connected to
  emotions,relevant to their life/work, repeated in
  various ways,reviewed frequently,practiced,involve
  movement,spaced with time for processing and
  reflection,presented in parts and then in wholes,
  and presented with enthusiasm.(Jensen,1998)

14
Experiential Learning Cycle

• Refer to handout
• Adapted from the End of Life Nursing Consortium
  Curriculum 2000 AACN COH