Sections of this topic
Numerous Activities for Learning
© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting,
LLC.
Adapted from the Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision in Business
and Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision for Nonprofit Staff.
There are numerous types of activities which learners can conduct
to reach their learning objectives — arguably the best activity
is life itself. The learner can conduct one type of activity below
or several. The list actually comprises what might be called types,
modes and methods of learning and even some learning aids.
Note that conducting any of the following activities (or types
of activities) will not by themselves necessarily generate learning.
Ideally, the following are selecting during the systematic design
of a training and development experience, whether self-directed
or other-directed.
Sections of This Topic Include
Some Typical Ways of Learning
Miscellaneous Other Ways
Some Tangible Results that Can Be Used
to “Document” Learning
Also consider
Related Library Topics
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Activities for Learning and Development
In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs
that have posts related to Various Ideas for Learning Activities. Scan down
the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog
Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the
bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.
Library’s
Career Management Blog
Library’s
Human Resources Blog
Library’s
Leadership Blog
Library’s Supervision Blog
Library’s
Training and Development Blog
Different Activities for Learning
Training methods are either on-the-job, implemented outside
the organization or a combination of both.The following is a brief
overview of rather typical methods of development (in alphabetical
order):
Apprenticeships
For centuries, apprenticeships were the major approach to learning
a craft. The apprentice worked with a recognized master craftsperson.
Particularly during times of low unemployment, businesses are
eager to get any kind of help they can find. Seeking an apprenticeship
may be a very useful and effective way to eventually develop a
new skill.
Career Counseling
Hopefully, learners have the opportunity to work with their supervisors to
develop career plans which identify areas for improvement or advancement, how
those areas can be addressed and when. See Career Advancement.
Classrooms and Workshops
Workshops, seminars, convention sessions, etc. are useful, in particular, for
highly focused overviews of a particular subject or training about particular
procedures.
Coaching
Coaching is becoming a very popular means of development, and
often includes working one-on-one with the learner to conduct
a needs assessment, set major goals to accomplish, develop an
action plan, and support the learner to accomplish the plan. The
learner drives these activities and the coach provides continuing
feedback and support. See Coaching.
Continuing Professional Development
Many professions require verification of ongoing training to
retain certification, e.g., social workers, some fields of law,
nurses, etc. Professionals must stay up-to-date in the views and
practices necessary to lead and manage in today’s organizations.
There seems to be an increasing number of universities, colleges
and training centers associating continuing education units (CEU’s)
with their courses and workshops.
Continuous Learning
Continuous learning is learning how to learn. Typically, this involves developing
skills in reflection, which is the ability to continually inquire and think
about experience to draw conclusions and insights. It also involves the ability
to conceptualize the learning process. Continuous learning is often associated
with the concepts of systems thinking and organizational learning. Continuous
learning is NOT about continually taking courses — it’s about developing skills
in reflection and inquiry — it’s about learning how to learn so that your life
and work experiences become your own learning lab. Organizations and other environments
are changing rapidly. Therefore, it’s extremely important to continually be
aware of those changes, and to be reflecting on them and learning from them,
as well.
A
Basic Definition
How
Many Steps to Continuous Learning? None
Courses
Universities, colleges and training centers often have a large
number of courses in management, professional and personal development.
If the learner is looking to build a skill, then he or she must
actually apply new information from these courses — otherwise,
the learner is collecting information (hopefully, knowledge),
rather than building skills.
Distance Learning (eLearning, Virtual Learning)
Distance learning has become a mainstream approach in training and development.
This typically includes learning by getting information and / or guidance from
people who are not face-to-face with the learner, e.g., learning via satellite
broadcast, broadcast over the Internet, e-mail or postal mail correspondence,
etc. Some people consider online learning or elearning (e.g., information, tutorials,
etc., available on diskette, CD-ROM, over the Internet, etc.) to be distance
learning, as well.
Distance
Education: An Overview
Glossary
of Distance Education
Statistical Analysis Report: Distance Education in Higher Education
Institutions
E-Learning
and Distance Learning Pros and Cons
How
to Design An Elearning Course on a Budget
10
Steps to Award-Winning E-Learning Design Process
Teleseminars,
Stage Fright and More
Training
Blogs – Using the Web to Train the World
Is
Classroom Training Dying?
Using
Mobile Technologies in Education and Training
Are
Hybrid Online/Classroom Programs the Answer?
Flipping
Classrooms: New Look for Experiential Training
Making
Digital Training “An Affair to Remember”
Internships
Internships are offered usually by organizations to college
students wanting to find work experience during the summer months.
The internships offer precious, real-life job experience and the
organizations often get skilled, highly dedicated service. Many
times, interns go on to be hired by the organizations, as well.
Job Assignments
Job assignments are wonderful opportunities from which to learn.
We just aren’t used to thinking of them that way. To cultivate
learning, consider having employees write short reports, including
an overview of what they did, why they did it, what areas of knowledge
and skills were used, how the job might have been done better,
and what areas of knowledge and skills would be needed to improve
the job.
Job Rotations
This can be one of the most powerful forms of development, allowing learners
to experience a broad range of managerial settings, cultures and challenges.
Journaling
Journaling is regularly writing down one’s thoughts about past or current experiences
and thoughts. A person can significantly deepen and remember their learning
by using journaling. See Journaling.
Lectures
Lectures, or focused presentations by experts on subject matter,
are held in a wide variety of locations, not just in classrooms.
Professional associations often bring in speakers. Guest lectures
are often sponsored by local universities, colleges and training
centers, and announced to the public. Many times, the lectures
are repeated over local radio and television.
Management Development Programs
Local universities, colleges and training centers usually offer these programs.
Carefully review their program content and design to ensure that training includes
real-life learning activities during which learners can develop skills for the
workplace. See
Management Development.
Memorizing
Memorization is one of the most frequently used methods of learning and it
refers to activities which can help the student to learn by committing the new
information to memory. An example is repeating the definition of a term until
the student can define it correctly without referencing a written definition.
See Memorizing.
Mentoring
Hopefully, learners find experienced managers in the workplace
who are willing to take learners “under their wing”
and provide ongoing coaching and mentoring. See Mentoring.
Note-Taking
Note taking is perhaps the most frequently used method of learning during lectures.
It involves writing the most important information conveyed by the speaker.
Experienced note takers can efficiently separate what is most important to write
down and what is not.
Off-the-Job Training
Off the job training occurs when an employee works after hours
to learn. See Training Methods: On Job Training and off the Job Training Methods.
Online Training
There are an increasing number of approaches to online learning. See Online
Learning. Sources of online training include learning from computer diskette,
CD-ROM, the Internet or Web-based training, etc.
Effective
Use of Mobile Apps – New Technology in Training
A
Day in the Life – Hybrid Education
Hybrid
or “Blended” Education – After Week One
On-the-Job Training
This form helps particularly to develop the occupational skills necessary to
manage an organization, e.g., to fully understand the organization’s products
and services and how they are developed and carried out. Also see
On
the Job Training (Definition)
What
is On the Job Training?
On
the Job Training
Coaching
Skills for On-the-Job Trainers
Other-Directed Learning
This includes having someone other than the learner identify the training goal,
methods to achieve the goal, and approaches to evaluating the training and progress
toward achieving the training goal. See Ways
to Look at Training and Development Processes: Informal/Formal and Self-Directed/Other-Directed.
Orientation to New Jobs or Roles
A carefully developed procedure for orienting new employees is very helpful
for getting employees “off on the right foot” when starting their
jobs. See Employee
Orientation.
Peer-Based Methods
This includes formats where peers focus on helping each other learn, e.g.,
by exchanging ongoing feedback, questions, supportive challenges, materials,
etc. See Peer
Learning .
Portfolios
Portfolios are a collection of various results from a learning and development
experience, for example, essays, presentations, art work and journals that effectively
convey the nature and extent of learning from the experience. See
Portfolios
— and Learning and Development Tool.
Professional Organizations
A wide variety of professional organizations often offer courses,
seminars, workshops and sessions from conventions.
Reflection
Reflection is thinking about ones past and/or current experiences in life in order
to learn from them. Reflection can be done in a scheduled and orderly way or it
can occur in a spontaneous and unfolder manner. See Reflecting.
Self-Directed Learning
Highly motivated learners can usually gain a great deal of knowledge and skills
by identifying their own learning objectives, how to meet those objectives and
how to verify they’ve met the objectives, as well. See Strong
Value of Self-Directed Learning in the Workplace.
Storytelling
Storytelling used to be viewed only as means for entertainment. However, we
coming to understand that it also is very powerful means for enlightenment,
when listeners are guided to reflect on the stories and to identify themes and
patterns that emerge — and tell us about ourselves, our lives and our work.
See Storytelling.
Taking Tests
Although tests usually used to verify and evaluate new learning, the experience
of taking the test can be powerful means to deepen the learning about the subject
matter in the test, because the student has to recall the new information and
affirm it by writing it down in the test. See Taking-Tests.
Tutorials
Tutorials includes guidance to proceed through learning some technique or procedure,
e.g., a tutorial on using a computer software package. There are an increasing
number of online tutorials (tutorials available on diskette, CD-ROM, over the
Internet, etc.).
Miscellaneous Other Ways
Training
Using Life Simulations
52 Free Development Opportunities for Nonprofit Staff
Some Tangible Results that Can Be Used to “Document”
Learning
If you or others are seeking to verify results from your training
and development, it helps to produce tangible items that can be
evaluated to discern if you’ve achieved your training goals and
objectives. The Sample
Learner’s Results comes courtesy of The Union Institute, which
suggests the list to learners when developing their own learning
agreements.
Go to main Training
and Development page.
For the Category of Training and Development:
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
