Tag: adult learning principles


Considering The Learning Journey At Conferences

Many years ago I taught school during the day and high school dropouts preparing for their GED exam at night. It was a grueling schedule. Yet, it was extremely rewarding. On The Road To GED Every evening, after a long day of teaching, I spent another five hours on my second job at Students For … [Read more…]

What Do Yearbooks Have To Do With Presenters And Audiences?

During my three years in high school, I diligently worked on our school yearbook. I even served as assistant editor and editor of our yearbook. I enjoyed the design process including creating each two-page spread layout. I also spent many hours making sure that as many of my peers were pictured in candid shots as … [Read more…]

Moving Towards More Peeragogy Learning Experiences For Conferences And Associations

What if at your next education experience, the speaker gave all the expert-power to the audience? What if the participants were empowered to take more control of their learning, collaboration and dialogue? It’s happening in secondary schools, colleges, universities and some education experiences across the globe. It’s peeragogy or paragogy, also known as peer-based learning. … [Read more…]

Your Presentation Needs This Strategy To Succeed

There is one important strategy that your presentation must have in order to succeed. Without it, you are guaranteed a fail. Without it, you will not connect with your audience. Without it, your words will fall on deaf ears. Adults learn on a “need-to-know” basis! You have to explain why the listener needs-to-know your information. … [Read more…]

From M&Ms To Supernatural Learning: Attributes Of Effective Learning Strategies

I don’t believe in cookbooks for learning. I’ve seen too many well-intentioned instructors pick up someone else’s education recipe and create a flawed experience. It just falls flat. The Meal Needs More Than Just The Right Ingredients I do believe in sound ingredients that can be combined and recombined in many ways to create a … [Read more…]

Our Ability To Learn Has Deep Roots In Our Ability To Talk To Others

Listening is often the only thing attendees do in formal learning environments. Speakers talk. Audiences listen. They listen to keynote speakers at conferences. They listen to presenters in workshops. They listen to industry speakers in education sessions. They listen to staff in HR trainings. The truth is that all that listening amounts to very little … [Read more…]

From Boring To Beneficial Conference Education

Let’s face it. Most conference education is yawn-stirring, sleepy-eyed, ho-hum, day-old soggy Melba-toast tasting boring. It makes root-canals seem fun! Regardless, the human brain loves to learn. In spite of our age, culture, gender and race, our brains are designed to always be on the prowl for new things to discover and experience. The brain … [Read more…]

Conference Presenters Can Literally Change Attendees’ Minds

Conference attendees generally want to learn. Presenters generally want attendees to learn. Conference organizers and hosts generally want attendees to learn as well. So why does so little learning actually occur at a conference? Good Intentions Pave The Way To Learning Fail The conference organizers’ and presenters’ intentions are good. Unfortunately, their intentions go awry … [Read more…]

Why Conferences Should Try To Recapture The Campfire Experience

Many of us have been to summer camp. We sleep in bunks in cabins. Swim in lakes. Row canoes down the stream. Take adventure walks through the forest. Eat meals family-style in log cabin lodges. Make lots of crafts. Our day typically ends with everyone sitting around a campfire as we tell stories and sing … [Read more…]

Conference Share-A-Thons Are A Learning Illusion

It all started in preschool and kindergarten. Every week, our teacher would ask us to bring something to class for show-n-tell. We would bring our beloved stuffed animal or a coin from a foreign country or a favorite toy or whatever caught our eye on the way out the door to school. The purpose of … [Read more…]