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(Unit 6) Topic 9: Exploring Adult Learning

3 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Why do I have to be here?

​Topic 9 Page 6

First and foremost, let’s tackle the reasons for professional development. ​ 

When you survey a group of early childhood professionals regarding early learning training regulations you tend to get a mixed bag of reactions. Some professionals have been in the field for many years and do not see a purpose in spending their time and money to participate in an online course or sit through a training. They are positive that they know what is best for the children in their care, and they may be right. Others are new to the field and question their decisions at every turn, sometimes convinced that they can do better and aren’t sure how to do that. Still, some are completely apathetic and are just meeting the hourly requirements because they feel forced to.    

​​Early care professionals come from many places both geographically and experientially. This ultimately means that the level of diversity you are encountering with your training courses is extremely varied. This has the potential to enrich the training experience for adult learners or derail it completely depending upon the specifics in your group.    

​Take Susan for example.
​Her quote reflects a level of defensiveness before the training even begins. She may have had bad experiences with professional development in the past, finding it boring or pointless. The Susans in the learning world often come in to a training situation with a bad attitude, a lot of eye rolling, and are not ready to invest in the learning opportunity. They seem to be so distracted by a “wrong” that they are thinking they’ve been dealt that they are unable to move past it to gain something from the training. Sometimes Susans may get the people around them on the same page, discrediting information presented, being skeptical at what is said, or commenting inappropriately. Simply put: Susan doesn’t want to be here and may present a major challenge to the trainer.    

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Meet Emma. ​
​Emma is a little green in the ways of early childhood education. She has completed her basic training but needs a lot of coaching and mentorship that is hard to come by in her center. Her director has signed her up for a training course to help with positive guidance techniques for toddlers in her care. She is genuinely interested in learning all that she can and looks forward to a long career in the ECE field. The Emmas of the learning world are hesitant but interested and may feel uncomfortable and out of place working on their first courses. Sometimes Emmas won’t engage until they feel comfortable or are embarrassed to share ideas and thoughts. Simply put: Emma is shy but looking forward to this experience and may need some coaxing from the trainer to really engage.  

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​Ming is an early childhood educator down to her bones!
​She loves taking her class on field trips, singing silly songs, and seeing the world through their eyes. She spends tons of time outside of work planning lessons, activities, and projects. The Mings in the learning world are eager and excited. They bring a level of enthusiasm to the training course that pumps up the trainer and usually brings others out of their shell. Mings are easily bored, though, even though they tend to keep a positive attitude. Simply put: Ming is like a sponge and wants to soak up all the information she can! The trainer must keep her engaged.   

These learners are vastly different and have the potential to make things go any number of ways. We will dissect these types of adult learners, what we as trainers do to elicit the best out of them, tackle the Herculean task of getting them out of their comfort zone, and deliver training that is beneficial to each and every one of them.

(Unit 6) Topic 9: Exploring Adult Learning​​​ * Navigation Menu