I’ve been working on organizing a 3-day training for Law Enforcement officers and advocates on the current issues in sexual and domestic violence. As I recruit faculty and talk to them about their role and their presentations, I’m constantly aware and respectful of the important responsibility in this task. We have some ambitious and important hopes for this training that boil down to a police force in my state that is more aware, more skilled, and better in tune with the needs of victims of crime and the behavior of perpetrators of crime.

I’m well aware of the life and death issues at stake. Teaching adults who are already good at their jobs and have already had life experiences is the task at hand. It starts with setting our own objectives based on a vision of transformation. It starts with understanding that training is indeed transformation.

So we begin by thinking about what does the well-trained law enforcement professional look like? Then we must put in place the lectures, exercises, resources, discussions that help move us all in this direction. I offer this short outline on adult learning theory. I hope it Kamagra will give you some ideas and tools that will help make your next training engaging and effective.

If you try any of these ideas, please let me know. As trainers and facilitators, we need each other to stay current, share our triumphs and our mistakes, get and receive feedback, and build our movements.

Training Adults Using Adult Learning Theory

1. One generation plants the trees, the next enjoys the shade. Training the trainer is about planting the trees.

2. Ask yourself what a well-trained and prepared staff member looks like, as an individual, a part of a team or program, and a member in the movement.

3. Your job as facilitator is defined by your role of making training easier. That is your primary job.

4. Use training tools including curriculum, best practices, handouts for advanced reading, and visuals. Keep a good variety.

5. Training creates change within the person being trained; it also infuses change into the organization. What change do you want to manifest?

6. Adults are autonomous and self-directed. Be sure you engage your trainee in their own learning, and allow time for questions and exploration. Be clear how the training materials will lead to their own growth and development.

7. Adults have a foundation of life experiences you can use in your training. Draw it out; encourage real world examples; encourage sharing and integration.

8. Adults are goal oriented and interested in relevance. The reason for learning must be made clear, and learning needs to be applied in real-life ways.

9. Adults are practical, and may have little tolerance for information that has no use. Be explicit on how the information being presented can be used, and make sure your exercises have a learning objective.

10. Tap into the many types of intelligence: linguistic, logical, spatial, musical, kinestetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, intercultural and intracultural.

As you develop your training, ask yourself “How have I applied these concepts of adult learning and intelligence to this program?” Doing so will help your trainees plant the trees of change for the next generation.

Author Bio: Marianne Winters is a leader in the movement to end and address sexualized violence and is passionate about a vision of a movement that is inclusive, current, responsive and proactive. She offers nonprofit marketing and design at Graphix for Change and is a consultant and trainer for www.praxisforchange.com

Category: Business/Non Profit Organizations
Keywords: adult training, adult learning theory