How Adults Really Learn
Linda Larson Carr, PhD
Academic Specialist
Office of Learning & Teaching
UA College of Medicine
Phoenix Campus
Next
Clinical Teaching
session is …
Thursday, February 17
“Dealing with Non-Succeeding
Learners: Lessons Learned”
Welcome!
• Please introduce yourself.
• What aspect of learning do you find
most intriguing?
OR
• What question would you like
answered?
Objectives
• Explain the principles of adult learning and
the differences between pedagogy and
andragogy.
• Identify and explain four critical elements of
learning that must be addressed to ensure
that students learn effectively and efficiently.
• Describe relevant educational models for
adult learners.
Challenges
re. Learning?
What is
Learning?
Average
Retention
Rates of
Instructional
Methods
Characteristics
of
Learners
Pedagogy vs
Andragogy
What is learning?
“Learn to Play Tennis” Exercise
Average Retention
Rate after 24 hours
Lecture
(5%)
Reading
(10%)
Audiovisual (20%)
Demonstration (30%)
Discussion Group (50%)
Practice By Doing (75%)
Teach Others / Immediate Use of Learning (90%)
Bethel, Maine: National Training Laboratories (1960s)
Pedagogy vs. Andragogy
PEDAGOGY
ANDRAGOGY
• The art and science
of teaching children
• The art and science
of helping adults
learn
• Term introduced in
1968 by Knowles
Characteristics of Learners
ADULT LEARNERS
YOUTH LEARNERS
•
•
•
•
• Subject-oriented
• Future-oriented
• Often depend on adults
for direction
• More accepting
• Often train for unclear
future
• Often dependent on
others
Problem-centered
Results-oriented
Self-directed
Often skeptical about
new information
• Seek relevancy
• Accepts responsibility
for own learning
What are the
pressures to find
new and efficient
ways of learning?
Challenges of Clinical Teaching
• Too little time available
• Conflicting time pressures on
teachers and learners
• Lack of teacher observation
of learner’s work
• Lack of teacher probing learner’s
knowledge and reasoning
“Academic medicine is in crisis across
the world. Medicine's capacity to
research, think, and teach is collapsing
just at the time when science, social
trends, and globalisation are offering
great opportunities—and threats.
BMJ 2003;327:1001-1002
(1 November), Editorial
What do we need to
know about
adult learning?
Goals
for
Learning
Implications
for
Teaching
How the
Brain
Works
What is
Learning?
How to
Enhance
Learning
Goals for Higher Education
Goals for higher education
now transcend transmitting
knowledge to helping
students develop cognitive
structures, skills, strategies,
and motivation for continued
learning and problem solving.
(McKeachie, et al., 1986)
How Do We Understand
Learning Today?
• Humans actively create their knowledge
• Knowledge is not passively received
• Previous knowledge shapes new
knowledge
• New knowledge shapes subsequent
knowledge
(Joint Task Force on Student Learning, 1998, Powerful Partnerships:
A Shared Responsibility for Learning, http://www.aahe.org)
Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not
learn much just by sitting in class listening to
teachers, memorizing prepackaged assignments,
and spitting out answers.
They must talk about what they are learning, write
about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to
their daily lives. They must make what they learn
part of themselves.
- Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson
“Seven Principles for Good Practice,” AAHE
Bulletin 39:3-7, March 1987
Learning is enhanced when
learners are asked to …
• State the information in their own words
• Give examples of it
• Recognize it in various guises and
circumstances
• See connections between it and other facts
or ideas
• Foresee some of its consequence
• State its opposite or converse
Metacognition
• Definition: thinking
about thinking.
• Planning, monitoring, and
evaluating thinking
processes.
• Good learners engage in
more metacognitive
activities than poor
learners.
“…The most important single
factor influencing learning is
what the learner already
knows. Ascertain this and
teach him accordingly.”
(D. Ausubel, 1968)
Barriers to Learning
• Low self esteem
• Unwillingness to ask for
help
• Lack of confidence
• Low/uncertain motivation
• Inattentiveness or lack of
attendance/participation
• Under-developed study
skills
• Poor listening skills
• Anxiety or fear of
insecurity
• Inadequate knowledge
• Low expectations of
self
• Domestic, financial or
personal worries
• Physical, mental, or
health conditions
• Specific learning
difficulties
Implications?
>
• Need to shift the focus from Teaching to
Learning
• Need to use techniques that help students
create meaning
• Both faculty and students become
LEARNERS
How the Brain Works
Teaching to the Brain
• Emotions are a key in learning.
• An enriched learning environment is
primary. We must expect more.
• Problem solving must be a way of
classroom life.
• The “big picture” is important.
• Finally, work to eliminate threats.
(“The Teaching Professor,” June/July 1999)
How to Enhance Learning?
(Entwistle, 1992)
STUDENT Characteristics
DEPARTMENT Influences
DEEP APPROACH
- Previous knowledge of topics
- Perceived relevance of info
- Intrinsic interest in subject
- Study skills
- Matching content to previous
knowledge
- Good teaching
- Opportunities for individual
choice
- Study skills training & support
SURFACE APPROACH
- Fear of failure
- Anxiety
- Reliance on memorization
- Extrinsic motivation
- Short- answer & MCQs
- Heavy workload & overloaded
curricula
- Spoon-feeding through
handouts
- Lack of relevance or choice
26
Epidemiology of Mislearning
(L Shulman)
• Amnesia
• Fantasia
• Inertia
Support in
learning plans
Identify/devise
strategies for
using resources
Evaluate
own
learning
Formulate
own
learning
objectives
Adult
Learning
Theory
(Knowles)
Diagnose
own needs
Establish an
effective
learning
climate
Mutual planning
of methods/
content
A closer look …
applying educational theory
in practice
Self
directed
learning
Self
efficacy
Reflective
practice
Constructivism
Self directed learning
• Organizing teaching and
learning so that learning is
within the learners’ control
• A goal towards which
learners strive so that they
become able to accept
responsibility for their own
learning
Self efficacy
• Bandura posits that people’s
judgments of their own ability to
deal with different situations is
central to their actions
• These judgments may or may
not be accurate
• 4 sources: performance
attainments, observations of
others, verbal persuasion, and
physiological state
Self efficacy –
roles for the teacher
• Modeling or demonstration
• Setting a clear goal or image of the desired
outcome
• Providing basic knowledge and skills needed
as the foundation for the task
• Providing guided practice with corrective
feedback
• Giving students the opportunity to reflect on
their learning
Constructivism
The primary idea of constructivism is
that learners “construct” their own
knowledge on the basis of what they
already know. This theory posits that
learning is active, rather than passive,
with learners making judgments about
when and how to modify their
knowledge.
Teacher’s role
is a
FACILITATOR
Active
learning
Is key
Learning
based
on prior
knowledge
Reflective practice
• Schon’s work based on a
study of many
professions
• Formal theory often not
useful to solve real life
problems
• Professionals automatic
ways of practicing
(“zones of mastery”)
Patient encounter
Zone
of
Expertise
Knowing
in action
Surprise
Reflection
in
action
Information
seeking
Solve
problem
Schőn’s Model of
Reflective Practice
Client encounter
Zone
of
Expertise
Knowing
in action
Surprise
Information
seeking
Enhancement
of practice
Information
seeking
Reflection
in
action
Solve
problem
Reflection
after the
event
A Tool for Reflecting on Practice
•Do I feel good about my management of this
case? If so, why:
•Do I feel uncomfortable about my management of
this case? If so, why:
•Do I need new information, skill or attitude to
manage this case better? If so, what specifically do
I need?
•Did I learn anything new while managing this
case? If so, what specifically did I learn?
My Learning Diary:
Record what’s new to you and
check off progress with learning in the right-hand column
NOTES
1.
“ What is the new message
here and how does it fit with
my existing knowledge or
experience?
2.
What questions do I have? “What
if” questions help me to “ make
sense” of the new concept
3.
Do I need more information to
answer my questions
4.
I need to validate my
understanding of this new
concept
5.
I need to visualize how I can use
this information in other areas of
my study or practice”
The
Context of
Clinical
Education
▼Rounds
- Journal clubs
- Tumor Boards
▼Information
sources
▼Team learning
▼Practice reflection
▼Mentors
▼Asynchronous
Communication
▼National links
with peers
▼Outcome data
-Patient surveys
- Utilization studies
- Practice reflection
- Corporate memory
Paradigms in Learning
(Penchion D. 1999. Editorial BMJ. May 8)
OLD Paradigm
NEW Paradigm
•
Finite amount of knowledge to be
absorbed
•
It is not possible to absorb all
knowledge on a subject
•
Experts are recognized by
knowing what they should know
•
Experts are recognized by knowing
what they don’t know and knowing
how to manage it
•
Learning starts by contacting an
authority
•
Learning starts in practice
(Balance E-B, tacit knowledge and
learning from mistakes)
•
Legitimizing uncertainty and
learning by questioning
•
Experts find solutions—they are on
TAP
•
•
Uncertainty is discouraged and
ignorance avoided
Experts have knowledge—they’re
on TOP
Small Group Activity
Apply principles of adult learning
Case 1: Orientation to a clerkship
Case 2: Patient safety training
Case 3: Transitional year training
Where do we go from here?
What does changing
the paradigm from
teaching to learning
imply about my role as
a teacher? My
learners’ roles?
Tonight’s Gallery of Learning
• New knowledge or
ways of knowing …
• New or renewed
interest in …
• Continued questions
about …
• The muddiest point:
• What will I keep the
same?
• What will I do more of ?
• What will I do less of?
• What I will stop doing?
• What I will do differently
and how will I do it?
• What I will add is …
In conclusion …
We may not fully understand how adults
learn, but what we do know is that the
capacity and potential of individuals is
breathtaking! Educators have the privilege
to develop that capacity and help learners
reach their potential by applying adult
learning theories, such as self directed
learning, self efficacy, constructivism, and
reflective practice.
Please complete
Participant Feedback Form.
Thank you!
Tell me and I’ll forget;
Show me and I may remember;
Involve me and I’ll understand.
Chinese Proverb