ADULT LEARNING
Adults learn differently in a environment. Learning is in the nature of a child,while mostly it isnt so in case of an adult. So the leadership pipeline has to be designed keeping these learning requirements in mind. Andragogy (adult learning is a theory that originated in 1950s in Europe. It was later pioneered and adopted as a theory of learning by Malcolm Knowles. It uses approaches to learning that are problem-based and collaborative rather than didactic, and also emphasises more equality between the teacher and learner(Knowles,1984).He identified six learning principles for Adult learning theory (Knowles, 1984). They are as follows
· Adults are internally motivated and self-directed
· Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences
· Adults are goal oriented
· Adults are relevancy oriented
· Adults are practical
· Adult learners like to be respected
Basic Principles of Adult Learning
1. Adults are autonomous and self-directed.
They like to direct their own learning,to be actively involved in learning and work around their specific interests and personal goals. Generally, they like to take on leadership roles(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
• Ask the employee their personal learning goals
• Trainers should discuss the progress of each employee with them.
• Helping the employee introspect on what learning they have gained and in setting new goals as a result of this exercise. Helping them modifying the goals, according to leadership pipeline passage.
• Providing them with a choice in the organisation, where opportunities exist
2. Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences.
This may include work-related activities, family responsibilities, and previous education(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Asking employees about their experiences in life(previous work experience, academic experience, hobbies, hometown ) and helping them connect their learning with them. E.g Senior employee training a younger employee ,will know the challenges a young employee faces
3. Adults are goal-oriented. Adult students become ready to learn when "they experience a need to learn it in order to cope more satisfyingly with real-life tasks or problems" (Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Knowing about employees personal goals
•Designing learning experiences which fit with those goals.
4. Adults are relevancy-oriented.
They need to see a reason for learning something. When they see the applicability,they also see the value in the experience(Knowles,1984). Theory needs to be related to practical experiences(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Explaining the relevance of leadership pipeline
•Giving adults choices in learning, wherever necessary so that they can choose that which they feel is relevant.
5. Adults are practical.
They like to be able to apply their knowledge(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Designing activities so that employees can build upon the practical experience that they already have.
• Providing them with opportunity to use the knowledge that they have gained with Contests, or role changes for a day.
6. Adult learners like to be respected.
They bring considerable life experiences to their clinical placements. They like to be treated as equals, to voice their own
opinions and to have a role in directing their own learning(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Treat employees in the leadership pipeline like a future leader.
• Make them feel like they are a part of the company and include them in company activities and even activities as a part of PR.
Adults learn continuously throughout life informally. The challenges that some adults face is of apprehending subject matter (Rajsky, 2002). Unlearning something is always hard. In passage one, an employee has to go from managing self to manage others. He/She has to unlearn his previous responsibilities and transform into a leader. The unlearning isn't about forgetting things on a permanent basis. Its about temporarily forgetting any preconceptions or old behavior. Only then can a person be open to new ideas or future vistas. So the challenge for the instructor lies in conveying information once-to all, the information must be easily understood, integrated and freely accepted by adults with various needs and abilities. That is the approach we have followed in designing the leadership pipeline.
References
1.Rajsky,Gregory. (2002). Adult learning. Products Finishing, 66(5), 90.
2.Knowles, M. S. (1984). Andragogy in action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Adults learn differently in a environment. Learning is in the nature of a child,while mostly it isnt so in case of an adult. So the leadership pipeline has to be designed keeping these learning requirements in mind. Andragogy (adult learning is a theory that originated in 1950s in Europe. It was later pioneered and adopted as a theory of learning by Malcolm Knowles. It uses approaches to learning that are problem-based and collaborative rather than didactic, and also emphasises more equality between the teacher and learner(Knowles,1984).He identified six learning principles for Adult learning theory (Knowles, 1984). They are as follows
· Adults are internally motivated and self-directed
· Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences
· Adults are goal oriented
· Adults are relevancy oriented
· Adults are practical
· Adult learners like to be respected
Basic Principles of Adult Learning
1. Adults are autonomous and self-directed.
They like to direct their own learning,to be actively involved in learning and work around their specific interests and personal goals. Generally, they like to take on leadership roles(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
• Ask the employee their personal learning goals
• Trainers should discuss the progress of each employee with them.
• Helping the employee introspect on what learning they have gained and in setting new goals as a result of this exercise. Helping them modifying the goals, according to leadership pipeline passage.
• Providing them with a choice in the organisation, where opportunities exist
2. Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences.
This may include work-related activities, family responsibilities, and previous education(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Asking employees about their experiences in life(previous work experience, academic experience, hobbies, hometown ) and helping them connect their learning with them. E.g Senior employee training a younger employee ,will know the challenges a young employee faces
3. Adults are goal-oriented. Adult students become ready to learn when "they experience a need to learn it in order to cope more satisfyingly with real-life tasks or problems" (Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Knowing about employees personal goals
•Designing learning experiences which fit with those goals.
4. Adults are relevancy-oriented.
They need to see a reason for learning something. When they see the applicability,they also see the value in the experience(Knowles,1984). Theory needs to be related to practical experiences(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Explaining the relevance of leadership pipeline
•Giving adults choices in learning, wherever necessary so that they can choose that which they feel is relevant.
5. Adults are practical.
They like to be able to apply their knowledge(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Designing activities so that employees can build upon the practical experience that they already have.
• Providing them with opportunity to use the knowledge that they have gained with Contests, or role changes for a day.
6. Adult learners like to be respected.
They bring considerable life experiences to their clinical placements. They like to be treated as equals, to voice their own
opinions and to have a role in directing their own learning(Knowles,1984).
Implications for leadership pipeline
•Treat employees in the leadership pipeline like a future leader.
• Make them feel like they are a part of the company and include them in company activities and even activities as a part of PR.
Adults learn continuously throughout life informally. The challenges that some adults face is of apprehending subject matter (Rajsky, 2002). Unlearning something is always hard. In passage one, an employee has to go from managing self to manage others. He/She has to unlearn his previous responsibilities and transform into a leader. The unlearning isn't about forgetting things on a permanent basis. Its about temporarily forgetting any preconceptions or old behavior. Only then can a person be open to new ideas or future vistas. So the challenge for the instructor lies in conveying information once-to all, the information must be easily understood, integrated and freely accepted by adults with various needs and abilities. That is the approach we have followed in designing the leadership pipeline.
References
1.Rajsky,Gregory. (2002). Adult learning. Products Finishing, 66(5), 90.
2.Knowles, M. S. (1984). Andragogy in action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.