Literacy Plan Critique

Introduction

Take a moment and pick the one best

learning situation in your life so far. Now

reflect on that learning situation and

decide what factors made that experience

great for you.

Did your factors include being fully

engaged in the learning? How about an

enthusiastic and passionate teacher? A

teacher who really listened to what you

had to contribute? Did you mention

being challenged in a safe, respectful

environment? And learning by actually

doing it? Even if you didn’t, as you reflect

on that experience, you will most likely

find that those factors were included in

that learning situation that you enjoyed

so much.

What are you going to do to create a

memorable learning experience for your

Mini Course participants?

What follows is some information to think

about as you decide how to present

your Mini Course. This information is

not provided as a prescription. It is

offered as the best available information

we could find and share to help you

create a learner, and learning, centered

educational experience for your

participants. If you have any questions

about the research, principles and

techniques that follow, please ask your

Program Planner.

Research on Effective Adult Education

There has been much research on what

contributes to an effective learning

environment for adults. Malcolm Knowles

was perhaps the most famous researcher

in this area. In his groundbreaking

work in the 1950’s and 60’s Dr. Knowles

determined that learning in adults was

most effective when the environment

included factors of:

• Respect

• Safety

• Immediacy

• Relevance

• Engagement

In other words adults learn best when

they feel that they are being respected,

their prior experience is acknowledged

and respected, they feel safe in the

environment, can see the immediate

applicability of the learning to something

that is relevant to their lives, and engaged

in the learning process - are learning

by doing. Dr. Knowles research further

showed that adults remember:

• 20% of what they hear.

• 40% of what they see and hear.

• 80% of that they do!

Learners need to do something with the

new information they are receiving in order

to effectively integrate it into their lives

and retain the information for future use.

Other researchers have found that to

effectively learn something we must use

the whole body in the learning. Our

brain must process the new knowledge

(cognitive learning), our heart must

explore how we feel about this new

learning (affective learning) and our

muscles must do something with the

learning (psychomotor or kinesthetic

learning). To truly know something our

learning must involve all three domains.

For example a course on investments

might introduce mutual funds as a form of

investment by defining a mutual fund and

listing the types of funds available (cognitive

piece), then table groups could share with

each other their experiences, successes and

fears with funds (affective segment), and

finish up with a problem solving exercise

(psychomotor) that requires them to apply

what they have learned to the problem

and move from table to table to compare

strategies and plans.

Many others in the field of adult education

have taken this research and expanded

upon it. Dr. Jane Vella, drawing upon

twenty-plus years of experience in

teaching adults around the world, and

on her work with the famous Brazilian

educator Paulo Freire, has developed a set

of twelve principles to guide instructors in

the design and practice of their teaching.

A summary of these principles is found on

the next page.

12 Principles for Effective Adult Teaching & Learning

• Needs Assessment - the participation

of the learners in naming and

informing what is to be learned.

• Safety - in the environment and the

process for both the participants and

the instructor.

• Sound Relationship - between the

teacher and the learners for learning

and development.

• Sequence and Reinforcement - from

What Makes for Effective Adult Learning A Wisconsin Union Mini Course Instructor Resource

What Makes for Effective Adult Learning (continued) A Wisconsin Union Mini Course Instructor Resource

simple concepts to complex, from

group supported learning to solo

efforts and reflection, then repetition

of facts, skills and attitudes in diverse,

engaging and interesting ways.

• Praxis - action (learning) with

reflection (thought after doing).

• Respect - for the learner, their life

experiences, AND as subjects of their

own learning.

• Cognitive, Affective & Psychomotor -

involving ideas, feelings and actions,

or the head, the heart, and the hands.

• Immediacy - of the learning, seeing

that is it instantly useable, using it

right away.

• Roles - clearly defined and developed

for both learner and teacher. The

teacher as a facilitator of learning, not

a “professor” of knowledge.

• Teamwork - using small groups.

Learners in dialog with each other,

not just with the instructor.

• Engagement - of the learners in what

they are learning.

• Accountability - How does the

learner know that they know?

Adapted from: Learning To Listen,

Learning To Teach: The Power Of

Dialogue in Educating Adults, Jane Vella,

194 pages, Josey-Bass, 1994.

Dr. Vella maintains that designing and

offering learning sessions that adhere to

these principles will engage the learners

in a dialog about the learning. If the

design includes learning by doing with

time for reflection and integration into the

learner’s life experiences then the teacher

helps insure that the learners “know they

know” the subject at hand.

Techniques for Creating Dialog

Central to Dr. Vella’s principles of

effective learning is creating dialog in

your “classroom.” This is dialog not only

between you and your participants, but

also between the participants themselves.

Listed below are some possible

techniques that can be used to create this

kind of dialog:

The Warm-Up

More than an icebreaker, a warm-up is an

introductory learning task related to the

topic at hand. It helps set the stage for

greater learning throughout the session.

A typical warm-up might ask people to

reflect on a previous experience or activity

and share their thoughts with a partner.

Working in pairs first creates safety and

time to talk in private conversation before

having to open up to the entire group.

The group can then be “sampled” for

those things that they wish to share.

The Learning Task

A learning task is an open question, or

problem, put to a group or individual,

with the resources needed to create

an answer. Learning tasks should be

properly sequenced so that they build

on one another and do not assume prior

knowledge. A variety of learning tasks

keeps your course fresh and can provide

reinforcement of the learning.

Sampling

Ask participants to share verbally their

conclusions/discussion with the large

group after having worked in a small

group or pair. A quick sample of two or

three is usually sufficient. More can be

taken (time permitting, of course) if the

information is important and people are

willing to share.

Modeling

Never ask your participants to do

something that you have not done

yourself. Provide an example, or model,

of what you expect them to do in a

learning task. Your model should be

real, and related to the actual learning.

This insures that people understand the

directions and provides an opportunity to

ask questions before they begin the task.

Affirmations

Actively affirm all contributions given by

your class members. This can be done

verbally and through body language.

Your learners need to know that they were

heard and that what they say is valued.

Acknowledging their contributions

with a “Thank you,” a smile and nod,

or by echoing back what they have

said provides that affirmation. Your

participants are much more likely to

contribute their own thoughts and ideas if

they know the Instructor values them.

SNOW Cards

Use large sized post-its (Sticky Notes On

the Wall) for participants to record their

discoveries or conclusions. Have them

post their snow cards on a flip chart or

board, saying out loud what they have

written. This captures the information

generated and gets people to write, and

What Makes for Effective Adult Learning (continued) A Wisconsin Union Mini Course Instructor Resource

say, what they came up with. Remember

the research showed that we remember

more of what we both say and do!

Teamwork/Small Group Work

Have people work in pairs or small groups

of three or four. This creates a greater

sense of safety (only having to talk to one

or two other people vs. the whole class)

and allows people time to think. Results

of the small group work can be sampled

verbally or by using snow cards. On

important points/topics allow time for

everyone who wants to speak, but do not

require that everyone speak.

Read, Circle, Share

Have participants read a short (less than

one page) passage of text. Beforehand

give them the direction to circle or

underline those things that stand out or

strike them in the passage. The group is

then sampled for the things that people

picked out as they read. Important points

can be reinforced and learners are given a

chance to share what is important to them.

Open Questions

Asking questions that cannot be

answered with a simple “yes” or “no”

requires greater thought and reflection

by your participants. “Do you have any

questions?” becomes “What questions

do you have?”. “Is everything clear?”

turns into “What else would you like to

explore about this topic?”. Allow for

silence when using open questions -

people need time to think!

Critical Incident/Case Study

Providing a scenario or short case study

followed by a short series of open

questions or some form of analysis offers

the opportunity for strong reinforcement

of previous topics and opportunity for

application to the learners own life.

The scenario must be close enough to

be relevant yet distant enough for the

audience to feel comfortable dealing with

the issue(s) presented.

The Question Bin

Hang a piece of flip chart paper on the

wall with the headline “The Question

Bin”. When people ask questions that

are relevant, but not exactly timely, have

them write the question on a snow card

and post it in the bin. Then before a

break or at the end of the session take

time to visit the questions in the bin.

People are welcome to put questions up

at any time, and reminded to take down

their question should it eventually get

answered in the course of the workshop.

Bouncing The Question

When appropriate, put a question from a

participant back to the audience. Allow

them to answer the question based

on what they have learned so far. You

can incorporate your own responses

as people answer and the discussion

progresses. This is a great way for people

to reflect on what they have learned and

reinforce it by saying it out loud.

Web Chart

Ask your participants what connections

they see between the various items

posted or written on a chart or

chalkboard. Have them actually draw

lines making the connections and

explain why they see a connection. The

finished “web” graphically shows the

interconnectedness of the various topics/

items on the chart.

Bumper Stickers

Have participants/pairs create a bumper

sticker demonstrating a point or

important factor. Provide bumper sticker

sized paper and markers for people to

use. Encourage creativity and limit the

time they have to create the bumper

sticker (Allowing only 3 to 5 minutes

creates a lot of energy!).

Gallery Walk

After having pairs/small groups create

a graphic representation of a concept

or idea (like the bumper sticker) have

them post their work on the wall. As a

group walk around and review everyone’s

work. Have each pair/group explain their

drawing. Provides both visual learning,

verbal reinforcement and a psychomotor

activity.

Put It To Music

Have pairs or small groups create (and

perform!) a song that synthesizes the

learning so far. This should only be

used with a group that is already very

comfortable with each other. The songs

should be short (3 to 5 lines) and sung to

popular/known melodies. Make sure you

model an example for the group (making

a fool of yourself first! - never ask a group

to do something you would not do

yourself). Again, like the bumper sticker,

limit the work time (5 minutes maximum!).

What Makes for Effective Adult Learning (continued) A Wisconsin Union Mini Course Instructor Resource

Transitions

A transition summarizes what was just

covered and connects it to the next topic.

It helps the learner review what has been

covered and know where the learning is

going.

Synthesis Task

A synthesis task allows participants

to pull things together and reflect on

what they have learned. It provides

good reinforcement and opportunity to

represent important points in a new way.

A case study, a video clip, a short summary

reading, or a list of open questions can all

be made into synthesis tasks.

Feedback - Force Field Analysis

One easy and safe way to get verbal

feedback on your course is to use a force

field analysis approach. At the end of the

session ask two questions:

• What did you like about today’s

presentation?

• What suggestions do you have for

improving this presentation?

Deal with each question separately, in

the order listed above. If people offer

suggestions for improvement during the

first question politely ask them to hold

the thought until the second question

is posed. When participants do offer

suggestions acknowledge them with a

“thank you” and reserve judgement. You

do not need to justify your course in front

of the entire class or offer excuses. This

is an effective and safe way for you to

get oral feedback that all benefit from

hearing. A written feedback form should

also be used for those who want to make

private comments.

Conclusion

To insure a quality experience in your Mini

Course think about how you will make

the learning effective in your course. You

can steel the ideas and techniques listed

above if you have an appropriate spot

for using them in your course plans - or

create your own, keeping in mind the

principles outlined from Dr. Vella above.

What will you do to help people

remember the important points you want

to make? In what ways will you draw out

people’s previous experience and help

them apply this new learning to their own

lives?

How will your learners know they know

what you are teaching?

What techniques will you use to engage

your learners in a dialogue about the

learning? How will you insure that people

learn using not only their minds but

their feelings and muscles too? What

opportunities do you provide for safely

learning by doing?