Shifting from TEACHING to
LEARNING approaches
Marion Muehlen, EPIET Scientific Coordinator,
ECDC Public Health Training Section, Stockholm, Sweden
Acknowledgement
Based on material and lectures from
• Angela Giusti
Public Health Researcher, MSc Adult Education
National Institute of Health, Rome – angela.giusti@iss.it
• Sonsoles Guerra Liaño & Biagio Pedalino
Objectives
• Recognize different thinking and learning styles
• Apply the brain dominance tool to learning contexts
• Describe the characteristics of the adult learner
• Experience different styles in a working group
• Design a training unit for a specific target group
• Employ strategies that promote active participation and
involvement of adult learners in training units
Warm up excercise
Who are we? Who are the participants?
The Herrmann’s whole brain model
Source: Whole Brain Model, by Ned Herrmann
WHOLE BRAIN ACTIVITY
What are the Four Brain Quadrants?
Analyze
Facts, logic, statistics, data
What?
Rationale for listening, taking
action, making decisions
Organize
Details, arranged systematically
(linearly, sequentially)
How?
Safety, reliability, history
Personalize
Emotional connection between
speaker and listener
Who?
(strong motivational factor)
Strategize
Big picture, future vision
Why?
Explores possibilities, sets longterm goals
Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) and Whole Brain Thinking Model)
Relationship Between Brain Dominance
and Competencies
BRAIN DOMINANCE
INTEREST
PREFERENCE
weak
low
MOTIVATION
STRONG
COMPETENCE
HIGH
Source: Whole Brain Model, by Ned Herrmann
ADULT LEARNING PRINCIPLES
Adult learners are goal oriented
Are practical and problem-centered
• Provide overviews, summaries, examples
• Use stories to link theory to practice
• Discuss/plan for direct application of new information
• Use collaborative, authentic problem-solving activities
• Anticipate problems applying the new ideas to their
setting (trainer => offer suggestions)
• Less theory, more practice
What does this mean for the trainer?
Promote their positive self-esteem
• Provide low-risk activities in small group settings
• Build individual success incrementally
• Become more effective and confident through guided
practice and establishing routines
• Readiness to learn depends on motivation
Allow for choice and self-direction
• Ask what they know already about the topic
• Ask what they would like to know about the topic
• Compare desired behaviors (goals) & actual behaviors
• Allow for options so you can easily shift if needed
• The unknown Unknowns:
use learners perception of needs vs. research on
needs vs. organizational needs to guide your planning
Experience is a motorway for the
learning process
Integrate existing knowledge
with new ideas
• Capitalize on what is already know from prior experience
• Create activities that use their experience and knowledge
• Listen and collect data about participant needs before,
during and after the event
• Adjust time and build in options for topics to fit their needs
• Suggest follow-up ideas and next steps for support and
implementation after the session
• Provide for the possible need to unlearn old habits or
confront inaccurate beliefs
Show respect for the learner
• Breaks, snacks, coffee, comfort
• Use everybody’s time effectively and efficiently
• Provide a quality, well organized, experience
• Avoid jargon and don't "talk down" to participants
• Validate and affirm their knowledge, contributions
and successes
• Request feedback on your work, assumptions, or ideas
• Provide input opportunities
• Choice of words (different cultural backgrounds)
Challenges in Adult Learning
• Lack of confidence in learning capacity
• Fear of looking weak in the group
• Want to avoid making mistakes
• Reduced speed of learning (but more “in depth”)
• More resistant to change
• Highly conservative
• Difficulty accepting views of others
• Wide inter-individual differences
Based on “The adult Learner”, by Malcom S. Knowles et al, 2005
TOOTHPICK TREES ACTIVITY
Toothpick tree activity
6 Groups (= 3min presentation groups)
Material provided:
1 pen
2 sheets of paper
9 toothpicks
Instructions:
It has to be a collaborative design
SILENCE,
but laughing is allowed
Free role distribution within the group
Instructions
 Using the toothpicks, try to make as many trees as you
can without repetitions
A tree is defined as having
(at least) 1 trunk and (at least) 3 branches
Toothpicks CANNOT be broken to produce more trees!
Instructions
 Draw each new tree on the sheet of paper
ONLY trees that have been created with the toothpicks
can be drawn on the sheet of paper
You have 5 minutes!
Think in the group for 5´:
Name a “reporter” and answer these questions:
1. How many trees did you draw?
2. What happend during the activity?
3. What did you observe?
4. Did you develop a group strategy?
5. Any lesson learnt for the next
group activity?
More questions:
1. How did you feel in the group?
2. What was your reaction to the task?
3. Which was your role?
4. How did you assign the roles?
5. How did you feel about the person who was slow at
seeing the solutions? If you were that person, how did
you feel?
6. Was there a climate that helped or hindered?
How was the climate?
7. Other observations, comments, learning points?
Teaching and learning:
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Teaching and learning methods
Coaching
Cine forum
Debriefing
Case study
Counselling
Brainstorming
Guided discussion
Group discussion
Field experience
Guided practice
Demonstration
Metaplan
Lecture
Modeling
Role playing
Microteaching
Problem solving
Reading information
Problem-based learning
Project work (ind. or group)
Skill practice (ind. or group)
Theatre of the oppressed
Research (ind. or group)
Self-case study
Theatre forum
Simulation
More info about teaching methods www.go2itech.org/HTML/TT06/toolkit.html
Learning environments
Learning environments
Five levels of training impact and evaluation
1 Are the trainees satisfied?
2 What have the trainees learned?
3 What do trainees do differently in the workplace?
4 What is the effect on the output of the trainee’s team or
department?
5 How has the training contributed to achieving public
health objectives?
The facilitator’s role
The facilitator proposes a range of methods and activities to promote
an effective learning process, that includes:
1.
Creating a supportive environment
2.
Creating a mechanism for a continuing shared training/learning
process (objectives, methods, activities, evaluation)
3.
Meeting trainee’s individual learning needs
4.
Making course content relevant and coherent with expressed needs
5.
Using a variety of teaching methods and providing learning
opportunities, consistent with objectives and group needs
6.
Using bi-directional sensitive feedback to correct and reinforce
7.
Making a continuous participated assessment of the learning process
and acting consequently
From health goals to learning
objectives
The Training Planning in Public Health
Monitoring
Process and Outcome
Evaluation
Performance
Evaluation
Traning Realization
Problem analysis
Evaluation plan setting
Supervision
Project cycle
in public health
HEALTH GOALS
definition
Training cycle
Strategies choice
Realization
Expected results and
activities definition
Resources provision
Learning objectives
definition
Learning needs
analysis
Participants and
tasks description
Timetable
Learning strategies
and methods definition
Performance goals
definition
THANK YOU!