Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2014 - (Page 29)
TRAINING FOR
PERFORMANCE
iAm p r o v e A STICK?
m e n t:
CARROT OR
A little more than 40 years ago, Malcolm
Knowles introduced learning and development
professionals to a new framework for
developing and delivering adult learning. In
his book, "The Adult Learner," Knowles outlines
four basic assumptions about adult learners:
(a) adults are self-directing in their learning; (b)
adults bring deep experience to the learning
process; (c) adults are oriented to finding
immediate application for the new knowledge;
and (d) adults come into a learning project
ready and motivated to learn.
So why aren't the results better? The short
answer: a wrong assumption.
The promise of this new framework was that
by incorporating a different set of assumptions
and learning development principles, we could
see major gains and improvements in adult
learning. The problem is the expected gains
from adult learning theory have not been
realized thus far.
By
Lyall
J. Swim
In any given classroom, socialites can account
for 20 to 30 percent of the participants. Socialites
have a high need for carrot type motivators.
For socialites, the ultimate carrot motivation
in a learning setting is the social elements that
environment provides, not the actual learning.
These learners enter a classroom motivated by
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - FALL2014 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
While Knowles' first three assumptions have
generally proven to hold true, his fourth
assumption has not, especially for two types of
adult learners who can account for almost half
of an adult learning population: socialites and
prisoners.
IDENTIFYING SOCIALITES AND
PRISONERS
29
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2014