-055 -Adult Learning Theory and Styles

Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery:
How Do You Learn?
Presented by: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes
Executive Director, AllCEUs

Continuing Education (CE) credits for addiction and mental health counselors, social workers and marriage and family therapists can be earned for this presentation at
https://www.allceus.com/member/cart/index/product/id/574/c/

Objectives
–    Learn why it is important to understand learning style
–    Identify the three components of learning
–    Explore the multiple facets of learning
–    Synthesize the components and facets of learning to understand how you most effectively learn
Why Do I Care?
–    You learn every day:
–    Reading/watching the news
–    Developing a new skill or hobby
–    Watching people and life
–    To change a behavior you need to:
–    Learn the function of the old behavior
–    Learn why the old behavior is not meeting your needs
–    Learn about alternate behaviors
–    Develop that knowledge into skills
Learning Theory
–    Client-Partnership Model
–    Client and coach identify learning goals and methods
–    New information is linked to prior learning
–    Client undergoes an unlearning process before new information is implemented
–    Information is given over time
–    Information is tailored to the needs of the individual
–    Learning is affective, cognitive, social and behavioral
Assumptions about Learners
–    Want to know why they should learn it (Motivation)
–    Intro story you can relate to…
–    Define how this will help you…
–    Are active, responsible, self-directed learners
–    Identify what you might be able to get out of this?
–    Identify how you can apply the material?
–    Bring experience to learning
–    Knowledge of primary and related topics (i.e. depression and treatment)
–    Biases primary and related topics (i.e. depression and treatment)
Assumptions cont…
–    Are ready to learn when the need arises
–    How can you make mandatory learning more relevant?
–    How can you increase rewards for learning?
–    Provide Task/Problem-Oriented Learning
–    Identify something you need to learn about in order to improve your recovery or happiness.
Context of Learning
–    Positive learning climate
–    How do you create that in your setting?
–    Does it differ for other people?
–    What are some examples of negative learning climates you have been in?
–    Personal characteristics
–    Self-efficacy
–    Expectations
–    Vulnerabilities/confounding issues (crisis, MH, detox)
Context cont…
–    Peers
–    Stage of readiness for change
–    Co-occurring issues
–    Culture
–    Community
–    Stigma/attitudes
–    Availability of peer support
–    Significant Other Expectations
–    Identified patient/why aren’t you fixed
–    It’s not me, it’s him

Motivating the Adult Learner
–    6 factors that motivate adult learning:
–    Social relationships:
–    To make new friends and socialize
–    To improve current relationships with friends and family
–    External expectations:
–    Job/School
–    Other authority’s requirement (Doctor, probation officer)
–    Social welfare:
–    To improve ability to serve the community
–    To improve the community
Motivating the Adult Learner
–    6 factors that motivate adult learning:
–    Personal Improvement:
–    Enhance health and wellbeing
–    Professional advancement
–    Stay abreast of competitors
–    Escape/Stimulation:
–    To relieve boredom
–    Change the routine
–    Cognitive interest: To learn for the sake of learning
Learning Components
–    Cognition
–    How people acquire knowledge
–    Seeing, hearing or doing
–    Conceptualization
–    How people process information
–    Abstract, specific, memory pathways
–    Affective
–    People’s motivation, decision-making styles, values and emotional preferences
–    How much does this information matter?

Cognition: Knowledge Acquisition
–    Active/Reflective (When you process)
–    Processing information in the moment
–    Taking information in and having an ah-ha moment when it is assimilated
–    Action without reflection = Trouble
–    Reflection without action = Inaction

Cognition: Knowledge Acquisition
–    Active/Reflective Learner Tips
–    Reflective learners
–    Think it through first
–    Prefer working alone
–    Active learners
–    Difficulty sitting quietly through lectures
–    Like group work
–    Need discussion or problem-solving activities
Cognition: Knowledge Acquisition
–    Auditory/hearing, visual/seeing, or kinesthetic/doing (How you receive)
–    Hearing: Lecture, discussion, podcasts, self-talk
–    Visual: Reading, seeing displays, taking notes
–    Kinesthetic: Doing it, role playing, paraphrasing to write or speak
Cognition: Knowledge Acquisition
–    To meet different learning needs, present material:
–    Visually (notes, graphs)
–    Verbally (talk about it)
–    Manipulatively (questions, group activities)
–    Ask questions and give examples throughout class
–    Take frequent “processing” breaks for the reflective learners
Knowledge Conceptualization
–    Sensing vs. Intuitive
–    Sensing people give attention to the details
–    Intuitive people are more concerned with the big picture
–    Global vs. Specific
–    Global learners need  an overview to prepare how they are going to conceptualize information
–    Specific learners just want to start learning and see where it takes them.
Sensing vs. Intuitive
–    Big picture vs. details
–    Find a balance
–    Present big picture and basics then let participants ask questions
Global vs. Sequential
–    Bottom Up or Top Down
–    Think puzzles: Box or no box?
–    Think DVDs: Read the back or no?
–    Present a general overview
–    Provide an outline/agenda for direction
–    Answer the question—“Why do I care?”
Caring (Affective)
–    Attitudinal or Emotional
–    Conceptualizing information using a true/false or a good/bad lens
–    People who tend to learn attitudinally tend to prefer facts and compelling objective arguments
–    People who learn emotionally prefer to learn what will make them feel best
Tips for Learning Success
–    Provide enough information
–    Work collectively
–    Emphasize immediate benefits.  Learning is not its own reward.
–    Small group activities provide learners an opportunity to share, reflect and generalize their learning experiences.
–    Promote autonomy and innovation

More Tips…
–    Stress order through consistency, fairness and respect
–    Promote involvement in group governance through shared values, needs and goals
–    Differentiate between the behavior and the person
–    Regularly assess attribution statements
–    Model positive attitude, empathy, acceptance
–    Reinforce the inherent worth of all participants
More Tips…
–    Develop collaborative and cooperative learning activities
–    Seize opportunities to teach conflict resolution, stress management
–    Teach how to accept and learn from mistakes
–    Demonstrate how to build on strengths
–    Help others view patients/family members positively to encourage future learning
Summary
–    Adult learners are more likely to retain relevant information
–    Learning is an emotional, cognitive, and situational process
–    Information should be presented
–    Beginning with an overview
–    Using as many senses as possible
–    Focusing on what motivates the person (facts or feelings)
–    Taking periodic breaks to apply the information
–    Highlighting why it matters
–    Ending with a personal application of the material