Running Head: OBJECTIVE 1A
Objective #1 A- Educational entry
McDaniel College
Lydia Radford
Training & Development
OBJECTIVE 1A
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The Human Resource department of an organization is multi-faceted. No longer is the
HR department where new hired employees simply complete paper work and receive instructions
on how to get to their job site. The HR department is responsible for all or some portion of
orientation, training and development, performance evaluations, career development, and life
coaching. This means that HR is present throughout the employment of the worker. The design
and implementation of programs to assist the employees in obtaining the necessary skills fall
under the duties of Human Resource. For the past five years I have served as the Mathematics
Chairperson, a position that included mentoring and training staff in my profession. These
experiences combined with the learning from the HRD course qualify me to offer this entry as an
educational entry.
Adequate training is a vital component for the success of any organization. Employees
must possess the knowledge, skills, and ability (KSA) to perform their assigned job; however the
HR department and management are jointly responsible for providing the training. Throughout
this program I learned that successful training involves the following steps: (a) performing a job
analysis: determining the KSA necessary to perform the job as assigned, (b) performing a needs
assessment: this process should compare the KSA of the employee against the KSA needed to
perform the task. Employees may be required to take a test, complete classes or receive
additional training to successfully perform the task, (c) establishing training objectives: during
this phase the HR department should state obtainable outcomes that the organization hopes will
be realized as a result of the training, (d) conducting the training program: the actual training
may be conducted in a variety of ways, (e) evaluate the training outcomes: this will involve an
evaluation between the expected outcomes of the organization and the employee’s ability to
reach the outcome(Byars & Rue, 2008 p.161). To successfully train employees, management
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must be familiar with all aspects of jobs in their unit and work beside HR to make sure that
employees have all of the tools necessary to satisfy job requirements.
In my role as Mathematics Chairperson I was asked by administrators to assist a fellow
educator who was having difficulty with lesson planning and implementation. I knew that this
teacher was “seasoned”, reluctant to change and was not comfortable having me assist her or
come into her classroom to observe her techniques. The administrators in my building and their
superiors had previously performed a job and a needs assessment and determined that the
teachers needed additional training. I was asked to provide mentoring and training to the teacher
to ensure that her students were receiving the best instruction possible. Using the information
gained through my coursework, in particular Levin’s change theory (Cummings & Worley, 2009
pp.23-24), I was able to eliminate her anxieties, effectively discuss and redirect her thinking in
the area of mathematics.
During the Research Methodology course I explored the difference between pedagogy,
“the art and science of teaching children” (Knowles, 1970) and andragogy, “the art and science
of helping adults learn” (Knowles 1970). I discovered that the approach to andragogy is
different because adults possess different motivators, one being their personal need to understand
why the learning is important (Bergen, 2009 p.41). Unlike children, adults will question if the
new skill satisfies one of their psychological or social needs and because adults have
experiences, the new learning must be geared towards problem solving rather than simply being
motivated by the need to learn.
When I meet with the coworker I reassured her that I was asked to assist her. I offered her
suggestions on how to revise her approach to mathematics giving her students more
opportunities to direct the lesson. Additionally I asked what she would like to see happening in
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her classroom and told her that I would be happy to assist her in the future. The Levin model
(Cummings & Worley, 2009 p.24) alerted me that the potential for resistance was probable and
Knowles theory of andragogy taught me that the motivation for learning is different in adults.
My coworker has come to me several times since my intervention to share some of her math
lessons, student work and expressed how she is enjoying implementing some of the ideas we
shared. My new understanding of the andragogy and the Levin model gave me strategies to
diffuse an intervention that could have been poorly received.
A variety of training techniques may be employed including on the job training and job
rotation (Byars & Rue, 2008 p.163), where employees float from one task to another until they
have achieved a level of competence. Other methods include apprenticeship programs and
mentoring programs where new employees receive training from more experienced workers in
the trade.
Some training is mandated by federal and state laws and failure to provide the training
could result in fines and sanctions. Some of these training programs are performed to satisfy
safety requirements. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1971(OSHA) mandates that
organizations must provide employees with a safe working environment. Failure to comply with
these regulations could result in penalties ranging from $7,000 to $500,000 (Byars & Rue, 2008
pp. 322-325). Organizational ethics, culture and behavior of the company or industry must be
conveyed to trainees so that industry improprieties are eliminated early in the learning process.
Successful training should do the following:
• help people understand ethical judgment philosophies and decision-making heuristics;
• address areas of ethical concern within their industry/profession;
• teach the organization’s ethical expectations and rules;
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• help people to understand their own ethical tendencies;
• take a realistic view, while also elaborating on difficulties in ethical decision making
(Sekerka, 2009 p.78).
With the present state of the economy, many HR departments have had training budgets cut or
are being asked to provide more training with less funding. Although proper training is
extremely important, companies have had to scale down their HR training and must now weigh
the cost of conducting training against the long term benefits of training.
With the maturation and retirement of the baby-boomer along with the increasing number
of Millenniums in the workforce, many organizations are concerned with the retention of
organizational knowledge and practices. Millenniums, unquestionable, learn in ways that are
different from the methods used for teaching Baby-boomers. The influx of technology, the desire
for instantaneous results and gratification mean that organizations must discover diverse and
innovative methods of delivering training. Trainers should employ different strategies to match
all of the different learning styles including visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic (Silver &
Hanson, 1998). Each of the above mentioned learning styles require different teaching
techniques. It is important that trainers be aware of the many different learning styles to ensure
that all participates remain engaged throughout the training. One common denominator in both
methodologies is that both children and adults must be motivated to learn. Again the
understanding of pedagogy vs. andragogy motivators has helped me deliver effectively training.
Virtual training, simulations, webcams and other forms of technology have also changed the
training game.
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As I transition into an HRD position I will transfer the teaching/training skills I have
acquired over the years to services the needs of a more diverse population (college/business).
This coursework has taught me the significance of effectively developing KSAs and performing
job and employee analysis and working to ensure that employees have the training necessary to
perform the job. Earlier in the program I questioned if the learning process was the same for
children and adults. I now understand that adults must be made aware of the relevance of the new
information for the training to be meaningful. From my research I now understand the
differences between pedagogical and andragogy methodologies as explained in my writing titled
Techniques of Adult Learning. I am also aware that HR professionals must be knowledgeable
about safety regulations and be able to determine if safety training is required to comply with
federal regulations... Coupling this new understanding of successful training methods and
strategies has better prepared me to be successful as a HRD professional.
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REFERENCES
Bergen, S. (2009). Best practices for training early childhood professionals. St Paul, MN:
Redleaf Press.
Byars, L. & Rue, L. (2008). Human Resource Management, (9th ed.) New York, NY. McGraw
Hill
Cummings, T., & Worley, C. (2009). Organizational development & change. Mason, Ohio:
South-Western Cengage Learning.
Hiemstrat, R., & Sisco, B. (1990). Moving from pedagogy to andragogy. Individualized
instruction, Retrieved from http://www-distance.syr.edu/andraggy.html
Sekerka, L. (2009) Organizational ethics: education and training: a review of best practices and
their application, International Journal of Training & Development, June, Vol. 13 Issue 2.
Retrieved July 2010
Silver, H. & Hanson, J.R., (1998). Learning styles & strategies. (3rd ed.). Woodbridge, NJ: The
Thoughtful Education Press
Werner, J, & DeSimone, R. (2006). Human resource development. Mason, OH: Thomson SouthWestern.