American Association of Service Coordinators National Conference
Final Learning Transfer Project
Amber Dejmal
Colorado State University
Abstract
This is a reflection of the learning transfer project done in my EDAE 668 Cognitive
Theory and Learning Transfer course. This reflection incorporates information about the
American Association of Service Coordinators national conference, why I chose the topic, how I
completed the project with learning transfer in mind, why I chose the techniques I did,
challenges and barriers I faced during the process, and what I learned as a result of the project.
Introduction
The American Association of Service Coordinators provides a national conference for
service coordinators across the country once a year. Thousands of service coordinators attend in
order to fill their training credits they are mandated to get. Service coordinators must have 32
hours of training the first year and 12 hours each subsequent year they are a service coordinator
(Cohen, 2010; HUD, 2013). Service coordinators need additional training to match residents’
needs to specific interventions and identify appropriate care providers (Cohen, 2010). Thus by
presenting a session on increasing resident/service coordinator engagement could fill one of the
required trainings service coordinator need. Many service coordinators grants allow for them to
go to a conference each year. Thus conducting the sessions will be a great way to provide many
service coordinators with adequate training to meet their mandatory training requirements.
A service coordinator has a very important role in the lives of low income residents.
Developing sessions for these conferences would be beneficial, not only to the service
coordinator, but to the residents as well. My goal is to create a four hour intensive session and
submit the material for the 2014 American Association of Service Coordinators National
Conference in Houston, Texas. The session is called, Increasing Resident/Service Coordination
Engagement in Your Community and it will be decided on by a panel of conference committee
members. If my session is accepted I will gladly present the session to service coordinators
across the country. My hope is that the learners will be able to utilize tools to help them engage
in more effective ways with their diverse residents so that there residents can have an improved
quality of life and stay in out of institutions such as nursing homes.
Why you selected the topic you did for presentation of content
I selected the topic for the presentation content because I surveyed the AASC Colorado
Chapter meeting to find out what content the learners wanted to see at next year’s conference the
most. The survey results showed that 81% of the service coordinators in Colorado wanted to
attend a session on increasing resident/service coordinator engagement in their buildings. The
results led me to determine that out of 25 different topics in the survey, the majority of the
service coordinators would like to get tools to help them better engage with their residents, thus I
would create a session to provide that information to the service coordinators.
How your final paper or project was completed with learning transfer in mind
Learning transfer is the ability to learn in one situation and then use what you learned in
other situations (Sousa, 2011). My final project was completed with learning transfer in mind.
Each objective I created for the session uses tools from Sousa’s book on How the Brain Learns
on how to increase the probability of learning transfer. Each objective and the assessment of that
objective were carefully planned using Sousa’s general guidelines for increasing learning
transfer.
Why you chose the techniques that you did
This section includes the materials used during the session such as a Prezi presentation,
YouTube video, discussion questions, case study example, worksheets, beach ball game, and the
post conference tool kit. Each material was carefully planned using techniques such as the use of
visual and verbal material, cooperative learning, positive emotional associations, chunking
information, closure, experiential learning, and scaffolding. Each material was chosen for the
session to increase learning transfer.
Clark and Paivio, (1991) proposed a dual-coding theory of memory that hypothesizes that
information is retained in long-term memory in two forms, visual and verbal. Sternberg (2003)
emphasizes that both visual and verbal information are processed through different channels and
the more channels we have to get the information the better chances we have of recalling the
information. The dual-coding theory shows that information represented both visually and
verbally is recalled better than information represented only one way. According to Sousa (2011)
the use of both the verbal and the visual processing will allow for the learners to become more
involved the learning process and help them make sense and meaning of the new learning to
increase transfer. Thus I will incorporate the use of visual and verbal materials during the session
through a Prezi presentation, a YouTube video, handouts, and a short lecture to aid in transfer.
Cooperative learning is where learners work together in heterogeneous groups to
accomplish a specific task (Sousa, 2011). Cooperative learning promotes an active learning
technique which allows for interaction accountability of the learners (Johnson & Johnson, 1994;
Slavin 1991). I will use small group discussions in the session as a cooperative learning tool to
promote transfer and increase critical thinking and reasoning skills (Johnson & Johnson, 1989).
According to Sousa (2011) discussion groups have a 50% retention rate after 24 hours while
listening to a lecture has a 5% rate of retention. By having the learners involved in discussion
groups after the content is given the learners will have a higher percentage that retention occurs.
The newer information on cooperative learning done also about how creating rich environments,
such as using cooperative learning, increases learning transfer (Kaminski, Foley & Kaiser, 2013).
A case study will be used to promote positive emotional associations. Emotions are an
integral part of learning, retention and recall. As Sousa (2011) discusses the amygdale of the
brain encodes strong emotions for long term storage. The case study will be used to get the
attention of the learners and help them make connections to prior learning while the emotional
aspect of the video will allow for greater retention and recall. According to Sousa (2012) if I am
successful in tying in positive emotions into the session then the learners will recall the emotions
they felt during the session and remember the content in which they made an emotional
investment long after the session is over. Jensen (1998) explained that emotions give people a
more stimulated and active brain which helps us recall things.
A fill in the blank worksheet will be provided for the learners to fill in after they watch
the YouTube video on barriers. I will explain to the learners that they need to remember the
barriers in groups or chunk the barriers so they can fill in the blanks when the video is over. By
having the learners chunk the barriers of engagement they will increase the number of items in
their working memory so they can recall the barriers when the video is over. Higham (1997)
describes that by having the learners chunk the information together they can add new
information within the chunk to create more powerful connections so the learner can recall the
information at a later time.
A beach ball game will be used as part of terminal closure to tie everything that was
learned together at the end of the session. The game will consist of having the learners pass a
beach ball around the group and answer one of the questions written on the beach ball. It will
give learners time to process the information as well as incorporate meaning and sense so that the
chances of the learner taking what was learned and retaining it in long-term storage is higher.
The game will also incorporate novelty into the session which assists in arousing or refocusing
the learner’s attention. Sousa (2011) explains that by using movement during the game the
learners a chance to engage their senses, enhance episodic memory, and provide kinesthetic
learning to aid in the processing of new information.
I will also ask the learners the design a program and its objectives. I want to give the
learner the opportunity to use experiential learning in order to make meaning from the
experience of creating a new program. It will be a good tool for me to see if the new knowledge
was achieved and if the learner can apply the new knowledge. According to Sousa immediate use
of the learning has a 90% chance of retention after 24 hours. By giving the learners the time to
apply and create their own program they will be using the information they just learner and it
will result in a higher probability that retention will occur.
Scaffolding will be used to build upon the information during the session. The learner
will get a depth of information on increasing engagement, not just a breadth of information. The
goal is to have the learners reach the top of Bloom’s taxonomy by the end of the session. I will
be able to assess if learners reached the top of the taxonomy by assessing whether or not they
could apply the new information they learned and create a new program for their own building
on how to overcome barriers and increase engagement.
Challenges or barriers that you faced during this process
There were two challenges I had when thinking about the session and how to provide
learning transfer materials. The main challenges I faced during this process is that my learning
event is only a four hour conference session. With many conference sessions there are guidelines
to follow that the organization has in place. When designing this event I had to keep in mind the
AASC guidelines and how to increase learning transfer in a four hour session. Each activity had
to be carefully planned so that the learners would gain the most in short a short amount of time.
Another challenge was that I will not get to see the learners after the session is over so I had to
think of a creative way to make sure they got the information to access at a later date. In order
for them to have access of the information I will create a Weebly website with a blog section.
There they will be able to get the information later and be able to contact me or post something
on the blog for another service coordinator. Both of these things made the process challenging,
but I was able to overcome the challenges.
What you learned through the completion of the project
I learned a few things about learning transfer from the completion of this project. I
learned that in a short four hour intensive conference session can and should incorporate ways to
increase learning transfer during the session and if possible after the session. I also learned that it
is important to consider many things before designing a session, including the audience, what the
audience already knows, the materials that support transfer and clear learning goals and
objectives that can be assessed. Although I am only mentioning two things I learned, in fact I
learned so much more than just those two things during the assignment.
Conclusion
This session called Increasing Resident/Service Coordinator Engagement is one that will
benefit service coordinator national wide. The session will provide tools for service coordinators
to use to increase engagement in their own buildings. The session promotes learning transfer
through utilizing a multitude of different activities from Sousa’s book, How the Brain Learns.
This book describes as ways to increase the chance that the learner can take the information
learned and apply it in a future situation. I feel that by intentionally incorporating many different
learning transfer techniques into a learning event will help learners to store, recall and retrieve
information.
References
Clark, J. M., & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology
Review, 3(3), 149-210.
Cohen, R. (2010). Connecting residents of subsidized housing with mainstream supportive
services: Challenges and recommendations. Center for Housing Policy.
Foley, J.M., & Kaiser, L.M.R. (2013). New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.
137, 5-15. doi: 10.1002/ace.20040.
Higham, P. A. (1997). Chunks are not enough: The insufficiency of feature frequency-based
explanations of artificial grammar learning. Canadian Journal of Experimental
Psychology, 51, 126 – 137.
HUD (2013) Semi-Annual Performance Report. Office on Housing: Housing and Urban
Development (HUD). <http://www.portal.hud.gov>.
Jensen, E. (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind. Association for Supervision & Curriculum
Development.
Johnson W.D., Johnson T. R. (1989). Cooperation and Competition: Theory and Research.
Interaction Book Company.
Kaiser, L., M., R., Kaminski, K., & Foley, M. J. (2013). Learning transfer in adult education.
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. Volume 137.
Slavin, R. E. (1991). Synthesis of research on cooperative learning. Educational Leadership,
48(5), 71-82.
Sousa, D. A. (2011). How the brain learns. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 4th Edition.
Sternberg, R. J. (2003). Cognitive theory. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. 3rd Edition.