By Dr. Donald L. Green, 14 March 2022
Learning is a very individual activity. As a RiderCoach of Motorcyclist Education, a primary condition used in adult learning is the dynamic environment or context where someone is personally engaged in the content of the course. Education facilitators strive to reach a group of students and also be able to attend to an individual’s needs by engaging each individual where they are. Conversely, using the social context of the small group environment can accelerate learning by providing immediate feedback and reinforcement to students from within the group. Before the individual student is ready to fully accelerate in the environment of group learning, the stage must appropriately be set, and a balance must be struck between the individual and the group as necessary to create positive student outcomes.
Several additional enhancements can be integrated into learning environments to speed up the process, including emotional, social, physical, and cognitive learning points. One key aspect of the enhancements can be self-directed learning. Historically, teaching around the world has only had a basis in pedagogical lectures since the 1870s. Even now, almost two hundred years since Alexander Kapp coined the term andragogy, there remains a resistance to moving from the pedagogy of lectures to a more self-directed learning style of andragogy, much more prevalent in the Pre-history of modern learning. Andragogy, most recently described by Malcolm Knowles (1975, 1988) is a more experiential and natural way of learning and creatively based on intrinsic motivators. Helping a learner shift from being dependent on the teacher – to being a self-directed and individual thinker is not a difficult journey. Yet it can be unnerving for a teacher with comfort in Pedagogy where they are unable to recognize the value of giving learning back to a student.
A more difficult aspect of self-directed learning is for the teacher/facilitator to be able to “let go” of the ownership of knowledge, providing students the autonomy and environment to freely seek learning (Candy, 1991). This does not mean a free-for-all; It means providing a structured environment of content and direction, designed for the student to grasp with little assistance. The teacher’s ability to move from an authority figure to a consultant or on-hand resource enables students to receive locus of control and benefit again from the intrinsic motivation to learn therefore creating an accelerated learning event (Rotter, 1966, 1990). What enhances learning, even more, is when a group of intrinsically motivated students is working together towards similar desirable goals. Being immersed in a guided (facilitated) learning event can help students actively engage and relax without the normal power structure of traditional teaching, lecture, and rote memorization drills (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2015).
Another way to accelerate learning is to have a common foundation of knowledge to move forward from. An adult learner’s previous experiences are the basis for new learning, and having students with common mental models, speeds the informational processing of content (Senge, 1990). If students have a similar knowledge base or foundation, new learning accelerates because the facilitator does not have to deviate drastically from the content for an individual in the group. A good technique is a frontloading information (an assignment or activity) before the course. When the group begins with a common understanding, all students have similar knowledge foundations or previous experiences to work from. Students who have gaps in the pre-course content are then are mutually supported by other students who may be able to help through social assistance and common goals.
By now, the balance or TAO of the individual’s need to have previous experiences as a basis of future learning is necessary before the enhanced acceleration of a social or group learning experience begins. A student moving from dependent to self-directed takes effort by both student and facilitator. Helping a student develop new or further commonalities within a group can create stronger bonds and more positive outcomes. Coaching a rider education course is more than putting students in the same room or on a range with tasks to be completed after receiving a lecture. Bennis (1969) explains that educational strategy can be very complex, especially when attempting to change beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, and social structures. Yet the complexity can be managed by a good RiderCoach or facilitator.
If we are to communicate the very basic knowledge of riding, good judgment, risk assessment, physical skill, and social responsibility, it is necessary to attend to the individual as well as the group. The TAO or balance is very important as one should not be overshadowed by the other. Learning is a very individual activity that can be enhanced and accelerated through group and social interaction. As RiderCoaches, we should value the balance needed to accommodate both.
References
Bennis, W. (1969). Organizational development: Its nature, origin, and prospects. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Candy, P. C. (1991). Self-direction for lifelong learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Knowles, M.S. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers. New York: Association Press.
Knowles, M.S. (1988). The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Cambridge Adult Education.
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F. III, & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner: the definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. New York, NY: Routledge.
Knowles, M. S., & Knowles, H. (1972). Introduction to group dynamics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectations of internal versus external control of reinforcement. American Psychologist, 80(1), 1-28.
Rotter, J. B. (1990). Internal versus external control of reinforcement: A case history of a variable. American Psychologist, 45(4), 489-493.
Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday.
