Much of adult learning occurs in a corporate environment involving a variety of training processes.
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In addition to applying the various learning styles, trainers need to have a working skill set to meet the demands of fast-paced, changing environments.
New trends involve instructional designers and facilitators becoming long-term assets to training departments.
Expectations are for trainers not only to possess delivery skills, but also to design experience and application of learning theories relating to adult training. The most significant trend that continues to make an impact on facilitators is the demand for the incorporation of technology into the content and delivery of professional development.
The professional development toolkit for modern day trainers includes:
- The basics of design and delivery — needs assessment, developing objectives, creating an agenda, selecting appropriate activities, providing for transfer, and designing and conducting evaluation activities.
- An understanding of diverse clients and their different learning styles.
- The ability to read the context, assess needs, and select or create appropriate mini-learning sessions that are often delivered as just-in-time learning
- The use of reflective practice skills to make sense of their situation, tailoring learning solutions to their own and other local learning needs, developing and nurturing collaborative communities of practice
- The ability to develop activities that increasingly involve active experiential learning.
- The ability to use more than one delivery system, particularly online and eLearning.
- The use of learner-centered instruction, especially self-directed learning, means trainers will need to create better ways to include opportunities for reflection, clarification, and guidance.
- What then are the strengths and weaknesses of the principles of adult learning?
The following can be highlighted as some of the strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths:
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- Andragogy is very self-directed and allows the learner to take control of his or her learning.
- Once a learner is aware that he/she is part of the learning, they are bound to fully participate and make the learning process meaningful.
- The outcome will be beneficial to both parties.
- Andragogy is very broad based and the method can be implemented in a variety of educational situations.
- The diversity of the approach is crucial as it allow a wider view of issues and prepares the adult learner for the world of work.
Weaknesses:
- Although the principles behind andragogy are very applicable in most adult learning situations it is not necessarily limited to implementation within adult learning.
- Historically, andragogy has been hard to classify.
- It has been referred to as “a theory of adult education, theory of adult learning, theory of technology of adult learning, method of adult education, technique of adult education, and a set of assumptions.”
This results in lack of proper understanding of the principle by different authorities.
However, it must be noted that knowledge of the principles of adult education (andragogy) is crucial for every training and development practitioner as it makes them understand how to deal with this group of learners.
