Unit 3 How Experience, Emotions and Motivation Impact How Adults Learn

Overview

In this unit, we explore different ways of knowing - through experience and emotions - and consider how these different ways of knowing impact motivation to learn. Jesus, the greatest teacher of all time, wasn’t afraid to be emotional. In Luke 19:41-42 we hear of His great disappointment and frustration that He cannot help Jerusalem and its people. The people of Jerusalem do not accept His message of justice and peace. Jesus is so upset that He weeps. Part of what bonded Jesus to people was his ability to engage them at a deep level.

This unit contains a healthy amount of reading and I invite you to engage it slowly. For example, I encourage you to read this entire introduction to Unit 3 and follow some of the trails that the embedded connections invite you into. In its entirety Unit 3 invites exploration into how we could bring emotion into our teaching and the science underlying the role of emotion in learning. You may find it helpful to take a look at the Reading Response questions so you can read with these in mind and possibly answer the questions concurrently as you read.

Topics

Unit 3 is divided into 4 topics:

  1. Emotions, Teaching and Learning
  2. Neuroscience, Teaching and Learning
  3. Experiential Learning
  4. Goals and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this unit you should be able to:

  • Explain how ambiguity and emotions from disorienting dilemmas impact motivation to learn.
  • Design brain-friendly teaching methods including experiential learning to impact motivation to learn.
  • How to write effective goals and objectives

Activity Checklist

Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.

Learning Activities

  • Watch and read about emotion and teaching
  • Read Brookfield, S. (2013). Powerful Techniques for Teaching Adults. (Chapter 8)
  • Also Read Silberman, M. L., & Biech, E. (2015). Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips (4th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. (Chapters 4-6)
  • Try Active Learning
  • Read Experiential and Embodied Learning - TWU Faculty/Staff Guidebook
  • Complete the Classroom Critical Incident Questionnaire
  • Read pages 13-18, Chapter 1, 2, 15, and 17 in Silberman, M. L., & Biech, E. (2015). Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips (4th ed.)
  • Create SMART goals and objectives
  • Watch the video of psychologist Barry Schwartz in which he dives into the question “How do we do the right thing?”

Assessment

  • Complete the discussion questions for this unit. Respond substantively to at least two other classmates’ posts.
  • Complete the Reading Response Assignment, worth 10% of your course grade.

Resources

Here are the resources you will need to complete this unit:

  1. Brookfield, S. (2013). Powerful Techniques for Teaching Adults. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  2. Silberman, M. L., & Biech, E. (2015). Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips. (4th ed.) Wiley.
  3. Other online resources will be provided in the unit, or can be accessed through the TWU Library.

3.1 Reflection

Before you continue with the lesson, answer the following questions in your notes:

  • Identify what emotions and feeling have hindered or stopped your own learning as an adult and how you could design to avoid a similar hindrance for someone else.
  • As you think about the teaching methods of Jesus, or another religious teacher, what stands out? Does anything surprise you?

3.2 Emotions and Teaching

There is a need for us to be disturbed. This sounds odd, but read on! Below I’ve included parts of a reflection by Margaret Wheatley about the need for us to be disturbed in order to learn. I’ve adapted it here for our class perspective, but click here if you want to read the full text.

What does our willingness to be disturbed have to do with adult education? Well, this perspective certainly affects emotions, experience and motivation – the focus of this week’s reading. Our willingness to have our beliefs and ideas challenged by what others think is central to learning as an adult. Adult educators are continual learners that realize we can only find answers by admitting we don’t know. We have to be willing to let go of our certainty and expect ourselves to be confused – at least for a while.

In her book, Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, Wheatley states:

“Curiosity is what we need. We don’t have to let go of what we believe, but we do need to be curious about what someone else believes. We do need to acknowledge that their way of interpreting the world might be essential to our survival” (Wheatley, 2002, p. 43).

Wheatley also says that:

“we can’t be creative if we refuse to be confused. Change always starts with confusion; cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for the new.”

This is “disruption” of our status quo but it can lead to creativity and innovation. So, don’t be afraid to be confused!

Brookfield (p. 230-231) speaks about “anticipatory anxiety” which is connected to this emotion of confusion discussed by Wheatley. If we are to foster curiosity and be okay with being confused, we may well get anxious! That would be natural. By admitting we don’t know something we may feel like an imposter at work – like we are a permanent rookie or novice who doesn’t really deserve to be doing the work. That too is anxiety provoking!

Brookfield suggests that adult learners and facilitators can deal with these emotions through breathing and bodily exercises, talking it out, and cognitive therapy scripts. People who acknowledge the spiritual in their life, regardless of creed, also have other exercises that can be very helpful, such as prayer. Here are some ideas for how to live spirituality at work, in a secular environment. Adult educators can also deliberately incorporate elements of the “spiritual” into the learning experiences they design – not necessarily related to a particular faith but in a way that responds to that emotional, spiritual part of what it means to be human.

Emotions, self-directed learning and transformative learning are connected to the spiritual aspect of what it means to be human. As the writer of this course and an adult educator, I would like to share with you a personal reflection about spirituality as an adult educator. You may not relate to these and you don’t have to agree, I’m just sharing, as a servant leader, my personal experience. As adult educators, sharing personal experiences can be a wonderful way to connect with your learners. I hope that is what this accomplishes.

I would describe myself as a thinker. At times, I will say very little while other times I talk to help process. It depends largely on my emotions at the time and who I am with. Adult educators who try to be servant leaders need to listen well and deeply. For me, deep listening often leads to a gut feeling about something; that feeling very rarely, if ever, lets me down.

My emotions are no doubt also tied to a belief that I have God-given gifts – and I’m still discovering them. These gifts motivate me to live my mission – to educate for the common good in a way that is just, merciful and humbly rooted in God. This mission statement comes from Micah 6:8, my favourite scripture:

“Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

As leaders and educators we need to be “grounded” and self-aware so that we understand our emotions, our reactions, triggers and stressors. Understanding emotions is central to communicating clearly in teaching. Part of the way I try to accomplish this is through PRH which is an acronym for the French “Personnalite et Relations Humaines” – Personality and Human Relationships. It’s been a way to discover both my gifts and who I am truly, deeply. It is a non-denominational international school of education that I have been involved with since 2006. I find the systematic processes and overall structure to be highly effective personal development. What are the ways you access embodied and spiritual learning? How do you “stay grounded” and understand your own emotions and, by extension, those of your learners?

The opposite of “grounded” may be restlessness, emotions that are chaotic. In the learning activity below, you will be watching two videos on chaos and reading a short article. As the chaos videos show however, this needn’t be a bad thing – chaos can precede good ideas. Perhaps it’s part of the creative process itself. This brings us back to Wheatley’s concept of the willingness to be disturbed; the willingness to be confused. As leaders we should try to “get out of our heads” sometimes and see where our emotions lead. It is another way of knowing.

You may find it helpful to take a look at the Reading Response questions posted in week 4 so you can read with these in mind, and, possibly, answer the questions concurrently as you read.

Activity: View and Reflect

Below are two videos that will give you a greater understanding of the topic of emotion and teaching. As you view these resources, consider the following questions: What is your normal reaction to chaos? How do you manage it? How might you improve your way of handling chaos?

  1. View the two videos below.

Watch: Chaos theory (11 minutes)

Watch: How I Learned to Embrace Chaos (5 minutes)

  1. Read Bourton S., Lavoie, J. & Vogel, T. (March 2018). Leading with Inner Agility McKinsey Quarterly.

3.3 Neuroscience and Teaching

In topic 1 we established that emotions are related to change, innovation and learning. In this next topic, we explore the neuroscience behind emotions and learning.

Here’s how it all works inside the brain. The amygdala is the emotional processor of the brain - if a person is afraid, nervous or anxious, has experienced poverty or trauma, brain development is affected and the brain filters out learning. In other words, it is physically impossible to learn. This is important for teachers to know because it affects the kind of environment we need to create for optimal learning. As a result, we as adult educators are encouraged to design ways to teach that include more sensory-engaging pedagogies and take the fear out of learning by creating a welcoming, stress-free learning environment.

This is definitely different from teaching according to Bloom’s taxonomy in order to meet learning outcomes and a far cry from teaching via PowerPoint, reading and discussion upon which so much of adult learning is based. With you, I am challenged to explore social-emotional learning and sensory-engaging pedagogies. How can we incorporate the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch into our teaching? It is a work in progress!

Examples of sensory-engaged teaching methods:

  • auditory input such as recorded lectures; incorporation of music
  • visuals - analysis of videos and film; incorporation of art
  • problem-solving through case studies
  • storytelling
  • place-based learning including learning in nature and other environments
  • kinesthetic or movement learning activities eg role play
  • activities that incorporate the olfactory (sense of smell) eg. bringing in spices from a region to evoke the culture of food
  • activities that incorporate the sense of touch - textured materials, manipulatives
  • discussion forums
  • use of interactive technology

Activity: Read and Reflect

As you read the assigned material listed below, think about this question: Do you have any experience in a teaching and learning setting where you were able to engage with more senses than hearing and seeing? What was it like? Did you feel more engaged through that experience?

  1. Read: Brookfield, S. (2013). Powerful Techniques for Teaching Adults. (Chapter 8)
  2. Read: Silberman, M. L., & Biech, E. (2015). Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips (4th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. (Chapters 4-6)

Activity: Active Learning

Choose one of the readings for this topic and:

  1. read while walking
  2. read aloud
  3. read aloud while walking outside
  4. draw a picture or graphic of the information

Afterwards, reflect on this question: What is the effect of these sensory additions to your reading?

3.4 Experiential learning

Corporate trainer, Dave Root defines experiential learning as “immersive activities that mimic real-world challenges with a targeted debrief that connects the lessons learned with the reality of the workplace. It allows participants to learn by doing.” The theory of experiential learning can be traced to philosopher, psychologist and education reformer John Dewey. It may be surprising that this pragmatic approach to education was actually innovative for the early twentieth century. Some examples of experiential learning include cooperative education, practicums, internships, studies abroad, field trips, service learning projects, role playing, case studies and simulations.

The result of experiential learning is ideally a deeper understanding of how certain behaviors can influence outcomes and a desire to apply those new behaviors. This relates to Dewey’s (1938) theory of experiential continuum which emphasizes the importance of adults being fully engaged in the experience, making connections to prior experiences and learning how to apply past experiences in new situations. “For Dewey, then, there are two elements to the learning process - the actual experience which the learner is open to and the reflection upon that experience which builds the continuum of learning” (Wang, p. 408). Since Dewey, Kolb (1984) contributed to the theory of experiential learning by identifying the learning cycle or spiral as concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation (Wang p. 409).

Experiential learning helps to prepare people for uncertainty. In the video you watched with Dr. Jim Bright (2013) he makes numerous suggestions, a couple of which include networking and pursuing creativity. Through a more experiential approach to learning, people have the potential to feel more ownership over their experience. Helping the learner to shift from a passive to a more active mode of learning is important for the learner to see how their story connects to the subject at hand. If as educators we are only dispensing knowledge, we may actually limit the growth and development of our learners. Ultimately it is not about our knowledge but about the transformation of our students.

Activity: Read and Reflect

Read Experiential and Embodied Learning - TWU Faculty/Staff Guidebook

Questions to Consider Taking the above two readings into account:

  • Why would an adult learner especially benefit from experiential learning?
  • Considering the Theology of Experiential and Embodied Learning (p. 4 TWU doc), how does work help us be image-bearers of God?
  • What types of experiential learning (pgs 8-10 TWU doc) could you implement in your context? What are the potential benefits and challenges of doing so?

Activity: Questionnaire

The following questionnaire is an activity you will complete this week and also in week 6. As a teacher of adult students, it’s important to understand classroom dynamics and to solicit feedback from learners about what’s helping and hindering their learning; when they feel most engaged and least engaged. The CIQ was developed by Stephen Brookfield and is shared open source on his website. It’s a great technique to use in your own classes. Complete The Classroom Critical Incident Questionnaire in order to reflect on your learning.

3.5 Goals and Objectives

When planning a lesson, it is important to set clear learning targets in three areas: affective, cognitive and behavioral. Doing so provides learners with clarity of what is expected and also helps limit and focus the amount of material you will try to teach. Clear goals and objectives also help to manage, monitor and evaluate the training. Setting learning targets should happen with consideration of learners’ needs. If possible, a pre-assessment is advisable, such as pre-tests or simple questions asked in class. Alternatively, try to find out about the general profile of the learners who will be in your class so that you can plan accordingly for relevant learning experiences. Once you have an idea of what the learners’ needs are and the content and skills that the organization desires to be addressed, you can set goals and objectives. Setting the goals and objectives prior to designing the learning opportunities ensures more alignment and helps to avoid ‘activitizing’, that is, doing activities that are not connected to the learning outcomes because they are fun, you have the resources etc. When writing goals and objectives there is a format to follow to ensure you are specific about what you want participants to learn and the results you want to achieve. The format you will learn and practice in this unit follows the SMART acronym.

Activity: Dive into Reading

  1. Read pages 13-18 and Chapter 1 in Silberman, M. L., & Biech, E. (2015). Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips (4th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Focus on the eight qualities of active training and the advantages and disadvantages of nine basic needs assessment techniques.
  2. Read Chapter 2, 15 and 17 in Silberman, M. L., & Biech, E. (2015). Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips (4th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons - In chapter 2 it’s important to remember that objectives are not the same as topics to cover but what you want participants to value, understand, or do with those topics.
    • Chapter 15 focuses on how to end an active training session. What methods most resonate with your personal style? Why? As you’re reading chapter 17 jot down ideas for evaluating a training program in terms of reactions, learning level, behavior and results.

Activity: SMART Goals and Objectives

  1. Read The Essential Guide to Writing SMART Goals
  2. Create a SMART goal for yourself
  3. Once you have goals established, the next step is to break them down into specific training objectives. As Silberman says: “each goal will have one or more objectives that, when met, will identify accomplishment of that goal” (p. 44-45). Sometimes objectives and learning outcomes are used interchangeably. Writing clear objectives requires action verbs This activity will be helpful practice for your upcoming reading response.

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Activity: Watch and Reflect

View this video of psychologist Barry Schwartz in which he dives into the question “How do we do the right thing?” (23 minutes). With help from collaborator Kenneth Sharpe, he shares stories that illustrate the difference between following the rules and truly choosing wisely. This has implications for the goals and objectives we set so listen with this in mind.

Watch: Using Our Practical Wisdom

Assessment

Unit 3 Discussion Post

  1. Write a discussion post on this topic: Considering how change, chance, complexity and uncertainty impact adult education and life-long learning, what actions can you take to design learning experiences that respect body, spirit, and emotions - as related to your context?
  2. Once you have written your post, take some time to find a picture or video that relates to the ideas you have presented. Add this picture/video to your post and if it’s not evident, explain its relation to the concepts in this unit. Be sure to attribute the source of the material by adding a full citation.
  3. Once you have posted your response, be sure to respond to at least two others’ posts.

Reading Response Assignment

Based on the assigned reading for Unit 3, this Reading Response is meant to encourage careful reading and thinking about the course material. These are questions requiring clearly targeted and succinct paragraph answers. Accuracy and composition are evaluated.

Part One: Keller’s ARCS model of motivational design of instruction notes four components of motivation: Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction. Reflect on how you can incorporate these four components into adult learning and instruction in your context. See http://www.arcsmodel.com.

Part Two: After reading Silberman Chapter 4 Preparing Brain-Friendly Presentations, respond to this prompt: Lecturing is efficient in conveying information but ‘will never lead to real learning’ unless the instructor works to involve participants. Looking at the suggestions in this chapter or other insights you have, choose three ways to enhance lecturing and describe them with examples from your context.

Part Three: In SMART format, and colour coded with a legend (eg S = one colour, M = a different colour etc):

  • Write one affective, one behavioural, and one cognitive goal that you have for taking this course (that’s 3 goals total). Comment about how writing clear goals for yourself about this course might impact your performance and motivation.
  • Then, (still in SMART format, and colour coded with a legend) write two objectives for each goal (6 objectives total). Comment on how writing clear objectives might encourage individual progress monitoring. Respond to at least two others’ posts. See if you can clearly determine the ‘SMARTness’ of their objectives and the alignment to their associated goals.

Checking your Learning

Use the learning outcomes for this unit as a checklist of understanding before you move to the next unit.

  • Can you explain why being comfortable with ambiguity and challenged by what others think is central to learning as an adult?
  • Can you design brain-friendly teaching methods that increase motivation to learn?
  • Can you write a SMART goal and objective?

Resources

  • Bright, J. Chaos Theory of Careers Explained. Video. Vanderbilt University.
  • Brookfield, S. (2013). Powerful Techniques for Teaching Adults. (Ch.8)
  • Bourton S., Lavoie, J. & Vogel, T. (March 2018). Leading with Inner Agility. McKinsey Quarterly.
  • Kaufman, A. How I learned to embrace chaos. Video
  • Pryor, Robert & Bright, Jim. (2003). The Chaos Theory of Careers . Australian journal of Career Development. 48. 10.1177/103841620301200304.
  • Silberman, M. L., & Biech, E. (2015). Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips (4th ed.). (Ch 4-6) Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons
  • Schwartz, M. (2012). Best Practices in Experiential Learning. Learning and Teaching Office: Ryerson University.
  • Wang, C. X. (2017). Theory and Practice of Adult and Higher Education. Information Age Publishing Inc. Chapter 11.
  • Wheatley, Margaret J. (2002). Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future. San Francisco: Berrett-Koshler Publishers, Inc.