Portable Sanitation Association International

Association Insight May 9 2018

Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/980009

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 1 of 9

WEEKLY EDITION MAY 9, 2018 Effectively Training Your Team…continued By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director Malcolm Knowles, author of The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species, says teaching adults differs in many (but not all) ways from teaching children. Here are six characteristics of adult learners that Knowles noted in his work: • Adults need to know why learning something is important before they learn it. • Adults have a concept of self and do not like others imposing their wills on them. • Adults have a wealth of knowledge and experience and want that knowledge to be recognized. • Adults open up to learning when they think that the learning will help them with real problems. • Adults want to know how the learning will help them immediately. • Adults learn in response to internal (versus external) motivations. Just mull these ideas over while you look at this diagram. It is known as "Dale's Cone of Experience," and depicts how learners retain more information by what they "do" as opposed to what they hear, read, or observe. Edgar Dale developed this model in the 20th century, and today his thoughts about "learning by doing" have been well validated. Putting it into practice. Here are some ideas from experts in instructional design on how to apply Knowles' beliefs about adult learners and the concepts in Dale's Cone to teach or train your adult employees. • Provide learners with practical instruction instead of theoretical concepts. In other words, (1) show them what to do, (2) explain why doing it that way is good and doing it some other way is bad. Then (3) have them actually do the task while the trainer watches and gives feedback. For example, on page 7 of this newsletter there is a story about a portable restroom that came loose on the highway. Showing your team members how to secure a load with two straps, having them practice, and using a story/photo like this one (if you don't have one of your own) helps the learner "get it" in a way that is more powerful than just saying, "We always use two straps." Adults view statements like, "We always use two straps," as a "Because I said so" rationale, and that doesn't promote good decision-making when the boss isn't looking. • Center your teaching or training on tools that minimize your employees' pain points. This can be either literal pain points or figurative ones. For example, many service technicians will drape the hose over their shoulder when pumping a unit. They feel it's less likely to trip them and gives them greater control. Yet having that vibrating hose with solid material flowing through it bouncing on their shoulder every day can lead to neck and shoulder pain, eventually causing permanent damage. Show – don't just tell - your service technicians how to achieve control and avoid tripping without the hose on their shoulder – and then have them practice. A bit of information about the neck and shoulder conditions that can result from a draped hose can also be helpful, especially if someone who has actually experienced it delivers the information. PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Articles in this issue

view archives of Portable Sanitation Association International - Association Insight May 9 2018