Why Participant-Centered Education Rules

It has its roots in puritan beliefs that wisdom is evil and the less we know, the more innocent we are.

To succeed we must move out of the didactic traditional training box. We must refocus on people, how they learn best and their needs. We need to transition from expert-centered models to participant-centered models. This requires a fundamental shift in our current education programming and an unlearning of pedagogical models as applied to adult education. In the end, telling doesn’t equal learning. Nor does covering content mean content is learned. Thinking, doing and participating reign.

Here is my PPT from my presentation at ASAE’s Great Ideas Conference 2013 on Participant-Centered Education. The four essential components of instructional interactivity come from Michael Allen’s research and writings.

Why are so many conferences and associations still using an outdated model of education? What are the barriers to implementing participant-centered education?