If I think about the changes the Internet has brought on the education and learning process, the first idea which comes into my mind is to Google a relevant keyword, looking up Wikipedia and use links to read an article. This was unimaginable two decades ago, depending on the part of the world where you lived.
If I think about the changes the Internet has brought on the education and learning process, the first idea which comes into my mind is to Google a relevant keyword, looking up Wikipedia and use links to read an article. This was unimaginable two decades ago, depending on the part of the world where you lived.
Just thinking about the approaches and teaching methods applied in my formal schooling, I remember it was a combination of luck and fortune to have teachers who realized the needs of each student and to tailor their teaching style accordingly. Each of us responded in different ways in the same classroom setting and with the same teacher.
Everything existing twenty years ago in how we respond to teaching and how we learn is valid today if we look at how our memory works, what are our preferred learning style and our different types of intelligence we possess. The only significant difference is that adult learning has different characteristics than childhood learning, and we have to be conscious of ourselves and choose the best learning options for our needs and circumstances.
International development is a field that requires continuous learning either because you will transition from one area of work to another, or you need to upgrade your skills, like using various digital technology tools in your work. However, the fact that many positions are based in field locations and sometimes hard to reach environments, face-to-face learning has been replaced with online learning on the majority of the cases. Online learning requires not only discipline and excellent time-management but assessing your own learning style to choose the course which will meet your learning objectives.
Below I present some of the fundamental principles you need to consider when deciding on learning online or going to a face-to-face training or workshop.
In 1984, Malcolm Shepherd Knowles, the American educator who introduced the concept “adult learning,” suggested 4 principles that are applied to adult learning. Later, he added the fifth principle to his theory.
- Adults have a well-defined self-image, as independent, self-directed human beings. Adults feel the need to take responsibility for their lives and decisions, and this is why they need to have control over their learning.
- Adults learn better from their and others` experiences (including mistakes). Adults have lived longer, seen, and done more, have the tendency to link their past experiences to anything new, and validate new concepts based on prior learning.
- Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction. Adult learning is voluntary. Therefore they usually want to be challenged and reflect on though-provoking materials, receiving proper feedback.
- Adults learn subjects that are relevant to their professional or personal life. Adult learners are usually practical, resent theory, need information that can be immediately applicable to their professional needs, and generally prefer practical knowledge that will improve their skills, facilitate their work and boost their confidence
- Adults focus their learning on resolving problems and not learning content.
Besides considering all the above factors, you have to think about your modality preferences for taking in information. Are you a visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or tactual learner? Each of us uses all four modalities when we learn but in different combinations of preference. The most significant proportion of the population tends to prefer visual learning. They are followed by the kinesthetic and tactual learners. At the end of the list are auditory learners. For example, if you want to learn something by listening to a podcast, it can be very beneficial for you if you have an auditory learning style. Still, if you are a visual learner, your learning outcomes might be not as good as you expected.
Having said all this, there are a few tips you could check when enrolling in an online course. Knowing your learning type is essential but try to find out if the course offers you:
- Real-World context, where you can connect with the subject matter from your own experience.
- Solving a problem that you can tie to your past experience and has relevance for your actual context.
- Collaborate with fellow participants, where you can exchange opinions, thoughts and come up with a joint solution.
- Listening and getting insights from others, hearing how others solved a problem, behaved in a situation, and reflect on your own ideas to develop and generate new understanding.
By choosing the best learning method for you and continuously improving your knowledge and skill set will help you not only successfully navigating in the world of international development, but it will enhance the resilience of your memory, regardless of age. Adults tend to learn slowly with age, but the depth of learning increases over time and leads to combining knowledge and skills beneficial to your self-esteem.
