Adult Learning Assignment
Prepared for:
Jeff Kawalilak – Instructor
Chiu School of Business
HRES2401 RT2
Student First and Last Name: Loveleen Kaur
Due: February 4, 2021
HRES2401 Employee Learning and Development – Jeff Kawalilak
Significant Learning Moment
I believe that we learn something new each day because World and life has so much to teach us. We learn
new skill; we learn about the culture and values and in fact we learn how to live the life to the fullest.
One of the significant learning experiences of my life is the one I am experiencing right now i.e.,
studying. I am rolled in the Business Administration Diploma at BVC. I think this experience is
significant because my future career is most probably dependent on it. Anyways, future is unpredictable,
so, let us reflect on the past learning experience that I think has been significant and also is the reason I
am here in Canada today.
I am from India and my mother language is Punjabi. At school level, it was mandatory for us to speak in
English. The teachers used to nudge but we as kids used to prefer speaking in the language, we were
comfortable in and in which it was easier to express our thoughts. Later, as I grew, I understood that
English is a global language and I needed to learn it for getting better job opportunities. A major part of
the learning took place at school (formal setting) and most important role was played by my english
teacher and then my classmates. Learning english was the significant experience for me because it has
helped me to easily interact with people in an english speaking nation like Canada and is also helping me
to write this assignment.
Formal, Informal, and Incidental Learning
Although I believe that Formal, informal, and incidental learning, all play a role in the adult
learning, I personally prefer the formal learning because it has someone who pushes me to learn and I can
know where I stand with the help of assessments. The most common example is I preferred learning at the
school where a topic is first taught by the instructor and then the knowledge is tested via exams or
assignments. The other example is of work life. My first job ever is my current job at a toy store as a
HRES2401 Employee Learning and Development – Jeff Kawalilak
cashier. Prior to this, I did not know how to operate the till machine until I got the training by an
experienced cashier. The assessment over there was the success in competing the sales transaction. She
taught me the whole procedure starting from greeting the customers, proceeding the transactions, asking
to join the loyalty program. The job is assessed on the basis of successful completion of transactions and
number of customers who agree to join the loyalty program.
The next example of formal learning is to learn play volleyball. At high school, it was mandatory for us to
play at least one sport out of volleyball, cricket, basketball, and football. I decided to learn volleyball. The
proper coaching was given by our coach and at the end of the school year, grade was given on the basis of
my performance in the whole year.
Transformational Learning
The experience of the transformational learning in my life had been when I had to choose a
particular field of studies in my high school. At school, we had the option of opting either science or
commerce and I had decided that I would go for science because since childhood, I wanted to become a
doctor and treat sick people.
Prior to selecting the field of study, our school would organize the consultancy program where successful
people who had opted different programs would come to school and would make us aware about different
opportunities we had related to a particular study. At one such consultancy, our guest speaker was a
C.E.O of a local yet reputed company. While he was sharing his journey, the field he opted, and how this
field can help us in the future, I realized, I actually wanted to work in a corporate world.
The disorienting dilemma causing this transformation was attending that consultancy program where I
found my true passion and decided to go for commerce. It was a transformational experience and a
realization that I wanted to become something different from what I thought I would. It was that moment
HRES2401 Employee Learning and Development – Jeff Kawalilak
because of which I have enrolled myself in the Business Administration Diploma instead of any healthrelated program today.
Malcolm Knowles Adult Learning Principles
All of the six adult learning principles identified by Malcolm Knowles influences some learning
procedure but I think some of those have greater impact on my learning than others. The first one is the
need to know the reason I am learning about a particular topic and about the outcome of that learning. For
example, I got myself enrolled in the business administration diploma because I wanted to work in the
corporate world. I try to find how the topics taught in a particular course is going to help me out there in
the real corporate world. I need to know whether the learning provided in the class will be relevant or
helpful for me in my job search and, on the job, or not.
The second principle that influences my learning is motivation. Motivation allows me to be
consistent in the learning procedure. For example, in my high school, I wanted to achieve 90 plus
percentage. To achieve that goal, I remember waking up at 4 a.m. and studying. The internal desire helped
me to achieve that goal and I scored second highest percentage in the whole class.
The third principle that aids my learning is experience. I always get interested when I learn about
the thing that I already have the idea of. For example, when I am not fully focused on what the instructor
is teaching and if at that time instructor brings the topic that I have the experience about or at least I am
familiar with the topic, the curiosity to know more about the topic brings my attention back.
Kolb’s Learning Preferences
According to Kolb, there are four learning preferences. I prefer to learn differently depending on
the topic or skill I am learning but my most preferred learning style is thinking and doing that is
converging. I first think about the task, gather all the information or the fact that I need and then put it into
HRES2401 Employee Learning and Development – Jeff Kawalilak
practicality. There are various learning experiences in my life that reflects my learning preferences. One
of my hobbies is to write poetry. Although, there are no particular steps to be followed while writing
poems, I like to write it in a step-by-step process. I have met many people who write what comes in their
mind. I, on the other hand like to first research the topic, I am writing the poem on, listen to the podcasts
or read articles, think about the topic from my own perspective and then pen it down.
The second example is cooking. Instead of trial-and-error method, I prefer to know and understand each
step of the recipe while trying to prepare a new dish. Unlike accommodating learning preference, I first
watch the cooking videos or call my mother to ask about a particular recipe, jot down all the ingredients,
their quantity, cooking time and then give it a try.
Same principle applies when I learnt to play a new game or sport. I first need to know all the rules
of the games and then play it. For instance, when I first started playing volleyball, I first gathered all the
information about the game like number of players, different serving styles, different passing styles etc. I
understood the movement of hands and body before actually serving or returning the ball.
Reflective Practice
As I reflect back to this paper, I think the formal setting is the most appropriate setting
for learning. However, as a facilitator, I would use a mixture of formal and informal learning. Although,
as the name suggests, incidental learning is the accidental learning, I would encourage my students to
learn from the day-to-day aexperiences.
My transformational learning was when I attended the consultation program. If I would be a facilitator, I
can provide my learners with some sort of consultancy or guidance if they are confused about their career.
As a HR Practitioner, I can make employees aware about the future career opportunities they have while
working in the company.
HRES2401 Employee Learning and Development – Jeff Kawalilak
Talking about Malcolm’s principle, I mentioned earlier about the principles that have impact my learning,
and these principles are going to help me learning something in the future. As a facilitator, I will ask my
students about the reason why they have decided to learn a particular course and will tell them that
awareness of that reason is important because it will help them in their learning procedure.
Kolb’s learning preference taught me that each learner is different and have different learning preferences.
Personally, I prefer convergent learning style but as a facilitator, I would provide training to my trainees
using different methods, depending on the topic of the training and the time allotted to it.
HRES2401 Employee Learning and Development – Jeff Kawalilak