Actually, there has been a lot of research on how adults learn. First, let’s consider what is an adult? Age is no guarantee of wisdom. To me, a person becomes an adult when and if they reach a point in life where/when they can relatively objectively examine the VABEs they were programmed with as defenseless children and decide which they want to Keep, which to Lose, and which to Add to their worldview. Most people never get there, that is, they live and die simply, like viral shells, replicating and perpetuating the VABEs they were taught as children. (See The Evolving Self by M. Csikszentmihalyi.) So while as people age, they may learn a trade or profession, they tend to live mindlessly (See Ellen Langer’s work Mindfulness )
Secondly, there are several books about how adults learn. Authors Malcolm Knowles and Ken Bain come to mind. I’ve adapted the bulk of Ken Bain’s observations in his book What the Best College Teachers Do in the slide below.
The next question might be the on-going challenge of people who pay for “adult education” like corporate training departments who hire consultants to teach their people or do it themselves to demonstrate any value in the “education” sessions. Is there a way to measure the impact of educational experiences?
Most organizations conduct post-experience surveys to gather participants’ subjective ratings/evaluations. Often those surveys include qualitative comments about the experiences as well. BUT, did their behavior actually change?
Given my opening comments above and informal surveys I’ve conducted in seminars worldwide from about 2,000 participants the odds are the answer is not really. And it has to do with VABEs.
Consider three levels of human behavior: visible behavior that can be captured on film (Level One), conscious thought which we may or may not reveal at Level One (Level Two), and our semi-conscious VABEs. (Level Three) I’ve asked thousands of people how much of human behavior at each level is HABITUAL, that is, mindlessly repetitive. (Again, see Langer) The answers consistently fell along the lines of 75%, 85% and 99% for Levels One, Two, and Three respectively. In their experience, these people from six continents argue that human behavior is largely habitual in nature, ESPECIALLY at the level of VABEs.
So why even try to teach adults? My answer is I’m looking for those 5–25% of people who are open to considering changing what they do. And I work/worked hard to challenge them to BE open to change and to reflect on their willingness and to identify and examine their VABEs throughout my week-long seminars. Most won’t change—I accepted that. And some will.
In the end, the question comes down to each individual—will YOU be willing to examine what you DO, how you THINK, and what you BELIEVE? People, adults, can change—it’s just that the odds are low.
IF the topic of the adult education has to do with physical skills like welding or coding or even interpersonal skills (more difficult), we can easily measure the impact of education--we measure skills beforehand and afterward. The VABEs that govern how people lead or how they relate to others or how they create strategies are much more difficult to change and to measure.
Secondly, there are several books about how adults learn. Authors Malcolm Knowles and Ken Bain come to mind. I’ve adapted the bulk of Ken Bain’s observations in his book What the Best College Teachers Do in the slide below.
The next question might be the on-going challenge of people who pay for “adult education” like corporate training departments who hire consultants to teach their people or do it themselves to demonstrate any value in the “education” sessions. Is there a way to measure the impact of educational experiences?
Most organizations conduct post-experience surveys to gather participants’ subjective ratings/evaluations. Often those surveys include qualitative comments about the experiences as well. BUT, did their behavior actually change?
Given my opening comments above and informal surveys I’ve conducted in seminars worldwide from about 2,000 participants the odds are the answer is not really. And it has to do with VABEs.
Consider three levels of human behavior: visible behavior that can be captured on film (Level One), conscious thought which we may or may not reveal at Level One (Level Two), and our semi-conscious VABEs. (Level Three) I’ve asked thousands of people how much of human behavior at each level is HABITUAL, that is, mindlessly repetitive. (Again, see Langer) The answers consistently fell along the lines of 75%, 85% and 99% for Levels One, Two, and Three respectively. In their experience, these people from six continents argue that human behavior is largely habitual in nature, ESPECIALLY at the level of VABEs.
So why even try to teach adults? My answer is I’m looking for those 5–25% of people who are open to considering changing what they do. And I work/worked hard to challenge them to BE open to change and to reflect on their willingness and to identify and examine their VABEs throughout my week-long seminars. Most won’t change—I accepted that. And some will.
In the end, the question comes down to each individual—will YOU be willing to examine what you DO, how you THINK, and what you BELIEVE? People, adults, can change—it’s just that the odds are low.
IF the topic of the adult education has to do with physical skills like welding or coding or even interpersonal skills (more difficult), we can easily measure the impact of education--we measure skills beforehand and afterward. The VABEs that govern how people lead or how they relate to others or how they create strategies are much more difficult to change and to measure.
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