Section 2

Helping Learning Happen

In this section, tutors will explore their positive learning experiences and identify what factors created them. They will discover how to promote positive learning and identify some barriers to learning that they may need to help their learners overcome.

Activity A

What makes a positive learning experience

Reflection, discussion in pairs and large group, use of handout

Materials and equipment

Small index cards
Flip chart and markers
Handout 2.1: Working with Adult Learners (2 pages)

Preparation

Copy handout.
Write the following questions on the flip chart or handout:

  • What were you trying to learn?
  • What skills or knowledge did you use to learn?
  • Did you have to practise?
  • Did someone help you?
  • Was it a positive or negative learning experience?
  • If it was positive, what do you think made it work well?
  • If it was negative, what could have turned it into a positive learning experience?
  • How did you feel about the learning experience?

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

  1. Ask tutors to think of a time when they learned something new.
  2. Divide tutors into pairs and have them share their learning experiences with each other. Have them use the posted questions you wrote on the flip chart to guide their discussion. Give tutors 10 minutes.
  3. Give each tutor a card. Based on their discussion, ask each tutor to list on the card three things that make a good learning experience, or ask each pair to list the three most critical elements needed for a good learning experience based on their combined experiences.
  4. Ask tutors to share their ideas with the rest of the group. Collect the ideas on the flip chart.
  5. Ask your tutors to identify the factors that are important to them from the handout Working with Adult Learners. This will help to broaden their concept of what is important to all of us in a learning experience.
  6. If you haven’t already discussed it, introduce the concept of tutors building their own handbooks from the training they attend. Explain that they will be building their own training manual to use when they tutor. They can make notes and keep the handouts in the duotang or binder you have provided.

Facilitation tip

When you are asking people to recall and consider an experience, sometimes people value a few minutes for individual reflection. You could invite tutors to take a few minutes to do some free writing to think about the questions you have posed.

If you are working with a group of eight or more tutors, you could ask each pair to join up with another pair to form groups of four. This will give tutors a second round of comparing the three most critical elements of a good learning experience. The foursome should then come up with a short list of their shared critical elements and bring those back to the full group. This is a good technique for consolidating information.