Active methods in adult learning

Adult learners are equal to trainers in the learning process, bringing their own personal stories, experiences and expectations to any activity or training session.  The trainer should be aware that his/her role is not so much to provide relevant knowledge but to free the learners’ mind from the current thinking patterns and show them new possibilities. The role of a trainer is to give opportunities to adult participants to learn by acting and experiencing.

OBJECTIVES

After completing the course, participants will be able to:

• know the principles of adult education and learning through experience,
• know methods of working with adults, practical experience of selected techniques and reflection on their usefulness at work,
• implement and adapt (also through significant modification) training techniques and methods to the needs of the groups with which the participants work,
• exchange of experiences in an international group of adult education practitioners,
• develop a critical approach to the methodology used so far through meta-level analysis and peer review.

CONTENT

• trainer competences
• how the human brain learns – Neuroscience
• active methods in adults learning – David Kolb cycle, Malcolm Knowles rules
• difficult situations during training
• designing educational activities: goals, methods
• feedback
• tools and methods in adult learning (e.g. out of class learning, drama, peer learning)