From Telling to Teaching A Dialogue Approach to Adult Learning Karen Sherbondy, RD., LD.

Different teaching method Learner-centered education Hands-on activities Participants actively engaged in learning

Learner-centered education (LCE) Teaching that involves active participation of the leader and the learner Gets all involved and centered on the learning Sharing and comparing experiences of the learners Creates a safe environment for learners to consider changing behaviors

LCE IS About the learner About what the learner needs to do to remain engaged and excited Structure within the flow of discussion and exchange of ideas

LCE is NOT About the educator Lectures with activities added Based on a pre-written script

Laying the foundation Setting the learning environment Learning style preferences Activate prior learning Partner interactions Open questions Reinforce learning

Adult learning principles Environment – Safe – Respectful – Work in small groups Information – Personally relevant – Immediately useful Style – Engaging – Open-ended questions – Remember learning styles

Activate prior learning and experience Why do we activate prior learning? – Link new information to what already know

Learning style preferences Visual Auditory Kinesthetic

Do it all Incorporate all learning styles into your teaching Hear it Write it Do it Say it

Open questions Allow for conversation Let learner reflect and make personal meaning of new information What do open-ended questions sound like?

Scenario You are presenting a lesson about sweetened beverages to a group of new mothers Traditional closed-ended question: – Is there any problem with your child drinking soda pop when he/she asks for one?

Open-ended questions Find out if learner recognizes there is a problem – What are some of the problems in giving your child soda pop whenever he/she asks for it? Find out if learner has any concerns about the issue – What concerns you about your child drinking sweetened drinks? Find out learner’s level of confidence in making changes – Which ideas make you believe you could give your child water instead of soda pop?

Reinforce the learning How can your learners review information in fun, yet meaningful ways? How can you improve the odds that they will use the information or skill after they leave you?

Learner-centered approach Balance between meeting learner’s need while providing valuable information

Who’s the expert? Educator is the expert in information and the experiences of others Client is the expert in his/her behavior and life

Dialogue approach The delivery of new information combined with opportunities for learners to do something with it – Open question and responses – Conversation – Learners decide the meaning of new information and importance to them

What What is to be taught? What do participants need to know or know how to do?

What Decide what to leave in and what to leave out! We should be teaching half as much in twice the time Let go of content!

What will the learner do with the content? Link content to an achievement objective – Information they need – What they will do with information – How it will happen

How How will the session be designed so that the learners will achieve the objectives?

Learning Tasks Anchor Add Apply Away

Anchor Ground the topic in the learners’ lives

Add Provide new information

Apply Have learners do something with the information

Away Allow learners to move the information into the future

The power of the visual Why use visuals? – Help learners by adding graphic organizers

Facilitation skills Waiting Affirming Weaving

Our goal Invite learners to make meaning and form new ideas, skills and behaviors to fit into their own context

Our role To teach, not to tell

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Let’s put it all together Here we go!!