Week 3: Continue Blog Outline for Instructional Plan (Learners' Life/Work Experiences)

How will the learner's life/work experience be relevant to the learning experience?

This adult learning experience directly relates to and impacts their personal and professional life. The learning experience will provide tools and resources that enhance their performance. One of the resources gained will be connecting them to each other. Additionally, the learning experience will include reflection, which will provide time the adults to connect previous life experiences to this new learning experience.

How will you extract/uncover the learner's relevant incoming experience?

Cranton and Hoggan (2012) identified several evaluation strategies, which include, “self-evaluation, interviews, narratives, observations, surveys, checklists, journals, metaphors analysts, conceptual mapping, and arts-based techniques” (as cited in Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.97).

For this particular adult learning experience, I will evaluate throughout the workshop and at the end of the workshop. Throughout the workshop, I will include time for people to share stories and have dialogue with self and others. Additionally, I will “model and enable students to examine and critically assess their assumptions” (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.95). At the end of the workshop, teacher teams will model their enhanced lesson to the whole group. After each lesson, the whole group will participate in dialogue and write down their reflections.

What aspects of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle and Learning Styles will be used in the workshop session?

The four stages in Kolb’s experiential learning cycle include, “concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation” (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.108). For this adult learning experience, I will utilize the four stages in the following manner:

1.     Concrete Experience: Teachers will participate independently, in small group and in whole group. This will allow for teachers to share life experiences – personal and professional.

2.     Reflective Observation: Teachers will observe and reflect with self and others.

3.     Abstract Conceptualization: Teachers will question their assumptions, based on what they observed and reflected on, with self and others.

4.     Active Experimentation: Teachers will use their new learning experience and observations to create an enhanced lesson. Additionally, they will reflect and respond on each other’s lessons.  

What obstacles, questions or concerns do you have, at this point?

I do not have questions or concerns at this point.

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