Week 1: Begin Blog Outline for Instructional Plan

What organizational problem/issue are you interested in designing a workshop/training for?

I believe a workshop on enhancing lessons would greatly benefit the educational experience for both the teacher and students.

Who are the learners that would attend?

All classroom teachers, kindergarten through grade 8, would attend this workshop. This would be around 25 teachers.

What are their "adult learner" characteristics?

I believe the classroom teachers have a readiness to learn this skill as the knowledge gained is relevant and will increase their effectiveness as a teacher. Therefore, these learners will "have a sense of responsibility for their learning goals" (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.74). I also believe our classroom teachers can generate "new and innovative ideas and problem-solving strategies" (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.75).

What learning elements/concepts (unique to adults) will you keep in mind when designing the workshop?

When designing a workshop for adults, I will consider the six steps identified by Knowles (1975), which include: "

1. Climate setting, that is, creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and support;
2. Diagnosing learning needs;
3. Formulating learning goals;
4. Identifying human and material resources for learning;
5. Choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies; and
6. Evaluating learning outcomes" (as cited in Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.63).

I will also consider Grows (1991, 1994) self-directed learning stages (as cited in Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.70). With having a diverse group of teaching experiences, it's important I support teachers based on the four stages identified by Grow. For example, this year we have five first-year teachers, while we have one teacher with 13 years of teaching experience. For the new teachers, I would identify the learner as dependent, and at times, interested confident. Whereas, the 13 year teacher is involved and engaged as self-directed leaners (Grows, 1991 and 1994, as cited in Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.70). 

Reference:

Merriam, S.B. and Bierema, L.L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass