PTS

Objectives

At the end of the session, you should be able to:

• Identify learners’ characteristics and learning styles for trainees’ profile

• Determine adult learners’ characteristics

Introduction

Competency-Based Training without planning and without determining trainees’ characteristics will lead to an unsuccessful session plan.

It is a must for us teachers to know our students – their characteristics as adult learners, their educational background, and their culture - not only because we need data for filing purposes, but for us to use these data to analyze and determine their training needs.

Who are our learners? What are the characteristics we need to include in their profile? What type of learners are they? Those are our some highlight questions you might encounter as you proceed in this lesson.

Understanding Adult Learners

Before we determine trainees’ characteristics, we first need to understand our trainees as adult learners. Our training is learner-centered; hence, it is essential to know them first.

Our training enables adult learners attain skills for them to land a job. Teaching them requires different teaching approaches and methodologies; thus, understanding them will surely help in preparing an effective session plan.

Understanding how adults learn will also enable the trainer to think of teaching strategies that focused on adults. This is based on the theory called Andragogy (Knowles), also known as adult education. The study came up with the characteristics of adult learner, and they are the following:

• Adults are autonomous & self-directed.

• Adults bring life experiences & knowledge to learning experiences.

• Adults are goal-oriented.

• Adults are relevancy-oriented.

• Adults are practical.

• Adults like to be respected.

Here is a best scenario on how to apply this theory: The trainer enters a class consisting of adult learners. They are all different in terms of age, educational background, gender etc., but they all have one thing in common - they are all adult learners. A trainer, on his conscious state, will then use strategies to meet the needs of adult learners.

A best example of strategy especially in developing working with teams is the use of Situated Learning Experience (SLE). It would be a very good application of adult learning principles since they are given specific instruction to achieve and explore solution and course of actions to attain it.

An example is the creation of a tallest tower using limited supply of materials. In this SLE, the goal is to make the highest tower. The devising of strategies and trying it out—gives adult learners autonomy and direct their own learning, and it also allows the students to bring in their previous experiences and knowledge. When participants are asked to give their insights on their SLE experience, this allows learners to give respect to their classmates, as the application of insights becomes practical and self-motivating.

Note that the methods and strategies we construct, consciously and unconsciously, should meet the needs of our adult learners, and will surely make an effective transfer of learning.

Establishing Trainee’s Characteristics

In completing the trainee’s profile, we need to know the characteristics essential in individualizing the session plan. Below are the essential trainee’s characteristics the trainer needs to gather: 

A trainer is about to teach a group of students. Then he has collected data for trainee’s characteristics but the problem is he hasn’t assessed the students learning style to complete the trainee’s profile.

What is learning style? Learning style is one’s own way of learning new information and ideas. It will give us an idea on how a person receive and transfer information.

Suggested learning styles are VARK Learning Style Model and PART Learning Styles. Feel free to choose between the two in determining trainees’ learning style/s.

• Visual, Auditory, Read/Write and Kinesthetic (VARK) Learning Style Model
  
  Everyone learn differently since we all have preferred way to absorb, comprehend and retain new information.
  
  VARK Learning styles, as proposed by Fleming and Mills (1992), is a model that describes how a person takes-in and gives-out information while learning. These learning styles are visual (learns best by seeing graphs, charts, and other symbols), auditory (learns best by listening), read/write (learns best by reading text-based information) and kinesthetic (learns best by doing).
  
  Use VARK Learning Style self-assessment questionnaire as a tool in determining your trainees’ learning style/s. Note that a trainee can have one or more learning styles.

• PART Learning Styles
  
  Another model is PART Learning Styles. It is developed by Honey & Mumford but the idea originated from Kolb’s Learning Style Model.
  
  The four learning styles are:

  • Pragmatists ‘putting theory into practice’ or ’needs to know how to apply the information in real world’ Pragmatist tends to integrate or put together theory and practice as they perceive information abstractly and process it actively. They always think problems and opportunities as challenges.

  • Activists ‘having an experience’ or ’needs to do’ Activists put together experience and application as they perceive information concretely and process it actively. They would likely tackle problems by brainstorming. Activists learn by trial and error, & by self-discovery method.

  • Reflectors ‘reflecting on it’ or ’needs time to think over information’ Reflectors integrate or put together experience within oneself as they perceive information concretely and process it reflectively. They learn by listening and sharing ideas.

  • Theorists ‘drawing out own conclusion’ or ’needs to know theory behind information’ Theorists put together observations into complex but logically sound theory as they perceive information abstractly and process it reflectively. They learn by thinking through ideas.

Use PART Learning Styles questionnaire to find out your trainees’ approach in learning.

 Objective

At the end of the session, you should be able to:

• Describe pre-training assessment and training needs analysis

• Realize the importance of having pre-training assessment before starting the session

• Disengage current competency from the skills required to determine training gap

Introduction

“In differentiated classroom, teachers begin where students are, not the front of a curriculum guide”. – Carol Ann Tomlinson, 1999. As quoted by Tomlinson, we start our session based on our pre-assessment, not in Competency Based Curriculum. Pre-assessment evaluates trainee’s knowledge, skills, strengths and weaknesses prior to teaching. 

Pre-Training Assessment

Pre-Training Assessment is conducted to recognize current competency (RCC) and recognition of prior learning (RPL). This assessment is done before the training starts. Listed are reasons why it is needed:

• It allows us to see their mastered competencies.

• It serves as a point of reference in assessing our trainees.

• It gives student quick look at the future lesson.

Pre-Training Assessment can be done either of the following:

• Learners’ assess themselves using the self-assessment guide

• A trainer assesses learners’ previous experience through portfolio assessment

• The trainer assesses learners’ skills and knowledge through pre-test or diagnostic test

Self-Assessment Guide is a pre-assessment tool to help the candidate and assessor determine what evidence is available, when gaps exist, including readiness for assessment 1.

Portfolio Assessment refers to the process of determining whether an applicant is competent through evaluation of his or her records of achievement 2.

You can confirm the authenticity of evidence of competency by:

• Calling or asking personally the signatories and confirm the information listed in the certificate of award/employment.

• Calling or visiting the workplace where projects are done.

Pre-Test or Diagnostic Test is a type of formative assessment that involves collecting evidence to diagnose or identify a training need or performance problem. (NVSC Handbook) Prepare the pre-test/diagnostic test according to the guidelines written in the lesson ‘Preparing Assessment Instruments’.

An assessor can use the portfolio assessment and pre-test results as a source of evidence and a tool for verifying learner’s current competency and prior learning. Pre-training assessment and analysis is done prior to the actual training program.

Determining Training Gap

Determining Training Gap through Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

Under the CBT approach, each learner is assessed to find the gap between the skills they need (as described in the Training Package) and the skills they already have. The difference between the two is called the training gap.

Skills Required* – Current Skills** = Training Gap = Training Needs

‘Skills Required’ refers to the competencies listed in the competency standards and specified by the industry; On the other hand, ‘Current Skills’ referred to as validated competencies gathered in the pre-training assessment.

A training program is then developed to help the learner acquire the skill deficiency. Therefore, Self-Assessment Guide (SAG) with Training Needs Analysis (TNA) Tool is an important tool to use in determining training gap.