Yesterday, I had the privilege of being formally recognized as a Professional Adult Educator in the Singapore lifelong learning scene.
It probably marks at least 15 years since my forage into the training scene, much of it spent working with public officers in Singapore as well as around the world.
Once again, the day’s events put me in a reflective mood as I begun to question about the learning culture around. One of the conversations that came up was about “Push” and “Pull” learning. It’s a question of whether learning should be “pushed” out to learners or should learners be “pulling” in their own learning. I’ve jotted down some considerations below.
Ideally, the learner would be taking ownership and always be on the constant look out for relevant and appropriate learning opportunities. What would motivate a learner to want to do so? As I explored the characteristics for “Pull” learning, the reason becomes obvious, “Value”.
As trainers, facilitators, teachers, lecturers etc. we need to make sure that our content always add value to the learners. One basic question we need to ask is “What does the learner really want out from this session?”. We need to put ourselves in their shoes. We need to also stop putting blame on the learners when they doze off in class or are constantly busy on their phones. If we don’t add value, we are simply wasting not only the participants’ time, but ours too!
Oh, don’t forget the fun element in learning too. Learning, like a glass of fine wine, is to be savoured and enjoyed.