Principles of learningLet’s look at some of the principles of learning that particularly apply to workers and then examine their influence on adult learning. Our workplaces are potentially wonderful learning environments and on occasion they are in fact researchers have estimated that our work environment is responsible for about 75% of our total learning. But we also know the reverse is often true and that through a combination of factors in significant number of organisations learning is not prioritised, learning opportunities are missed, people feel they are too busy to focus on their own learning, cultures are change adverse and change resistant. After all learning is often not considered core or the “main job” for managers, it is more of a “nice to have” at best or at worse another employee cost to be managed. To get us started we will look at these 3 things: · What factors influence learning · Main blockages to learning in organisations · Ideas on effective learning behaviours.
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Use of Educational Toys in Promoting Learning
Before we consider workplace learning it is worth noting that our earliest learning expereinces have a profound impact on our learning as adults. There is growing evidence that many of the "mind maps" that lead to a greater learning flexibility and ability to take on new ideas are indeed formulated and nourished in early childhood. We all start with the same number of brain cells, but even by the age of 3 there are measurable and significant dufferences in the number and density of connections between those brain cells. More information on learning theory here
3 learning principles influencing workplace learning The table summarises the influence of these principles.
By understanding how the principles of learning act together to support or restrict adult learning you can plan what actions to take to suit your specific circumstances
more on workplace learning and the learning organisation
Blockages to Adult Learning Personality can make some very eager to learn. Just as some organisations are uncaring and unsupportive of learning, some managers are held back in their response to learning opportunities or even the recognition of those opportunities:
Following list of 9 blockages to learning based on work done by Temple and Boydell shows what holds some people back.
Individual task Use of Educational Toys in Promoting Learning
There is growing evidence that many of the "mind maps" that lead to a greater learning flexibility and ability to take on new ideas are indeed formulated and nourished in early choldhood. We all start with the same number of brain cells but even by the age of 3 there are measurable and significant dufferences in the number and density of connections between those brain cells. More on principles of learning here
Skills of Adult Learning Let’s look at this in 2 ways Listening at an active or deeper level Reflection on actions and experiences Taking risks, trying to do some different things Sharing thoughts and insights in order to deepen understanding Accepting help and being open to other ideas and ways of doing things Monitoring achievement and progress against intentions and a plan Effective learning behaviour Set standards of performance: know what you need to do well Review your achievements against those expectations Identify what you want and need to learn Understand the learning principles of adult learning Identify those opportunities Analyse influences and blockages and learning styles Develop a personal learning plan More information on learning styles here
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