ssilrc.army.mil › wp-content › uploads › 2020 › 03 › … · Web viewTHE ARMY UNIVERSITY. Common Faculty Development Program. Instructor. Cour. s. e. Lesson 5: Foundations

THE ARMY UNIVERSITYCommon Faculty Development Program

Instructor Course

Lesson 5: Foundations of Adult LearningLesson Plan

Lesson Author: ArmyUDate updated: January 2018

1. SCOPEFoundations of Adult Learning is a 6-hour lesson that prepares all faculty, e.g. instructors, instructor/writers, training developers, curriculum developers, and staff, to teach adults. The outcome is for new faculty to understand the foundations of facilitating an adult learning environment. The lesson introduces new faculty to adult learning models (to include the Experiential Learning Model), adult learning principles and assumptions (Knowles), and techniques for motivating adult learners (Wlodkowski). This lesson follows the introduction and overview lesson and the fundamentals of instruction lesson, and continues along the same thread in terms of preparing new Army instructors to teach adults. The intent is to begin each new instructor’s journey along a path of lifelong learning by introducing him or her to some of the foundational components of adult teaching and learning.

The students will have seen some of the models discussed in this lesson, and will revisit them again in future lessons, so it may not be necessary to spend a lot of time discussing them. The intended outcome is for new Army instructors to begin to gain familiarity with the models in general terms: they should understand the learning context in the General Model of Teaching, group dynamics in a classroom, and the importance of students making a decision when they reach their individual “choice points.” The experiential learning cycle may have been discussed in sufficient detail in Lesson 2, but revisiting it provides a good set up for the Experiential Learning Model that follows. Exercise some discretion in the amount of time spent on any of the models, based on your students’ experience and knowledge.

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVESTLO Action: Describe the foundations of an adult learning environmentCondition: Given lectures, readings, dialogue, peer and instructor feedback, the Learning Style Inventory, the Experiential Learning Model (ELM), reflection time, development time, and practicums.Standards: Describe the foundations of an adult learning environment. The description will include:

1. Pratt, Lewin, Process-Content, Kolb, and Experiential Learning Model (ELM)2. Knowles’s adult learning principles and assumptions3. Wlodkowski’s pillars of Learning motivation

Learning Domain: CognitiveLevel of Learning: Application

CFDP-IC Lesson 4 LP-1

Instructor Competencies Supported: C2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 17, & 19Army General Learning Outcomes Supported: 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, & 14

ENABLING LEARNING OBJECTIVES

ELO A Action: Describe learning models used in adult educationConditions: Given lectures, readings, dialogue, peer and instructor feedback, the Learning Style Inventory, reflection time, development time, and practicum.Standards: The description will include the following models:

1. Pratt (learning environment)2. Morris & Sashkin (process-content)3. Lewin (thaw/freeze)4. Kolb (learning styles)5. Experiential Learning Model

Learning Domain: CognitiveLevel of Learning: Comprehension

ELO B Action: Describe Knowles’s assumptions and principles for adult learnersConditions: Given lectures, readings, dialogue, peer and instructor feedback, reflection time, development time, and practicum.Standards: The description will include a discussion of the following:

1. Principles of adult learning2. Assumptions of adult learning

Learning Domain: CognitiveLearning Level: Comprehension

ELO C Action: Describe techniques for motivating adult learnersConditions: Given lectures, readings, dialogue, peer and instructor feedback, reflection time, development time, and practicum.Standards: The description will include the following:

1. Expertise2. Empathy3. Enthusiasm4. Clarity5. Cultural responsiveness

Learning Domain: CognitiveLearning Level: Comprehension

3. ASSIGNED STUDENT READINGS.


4. INSTRUCTOR ADDITIONAL READINGS/MATERIAL a. Army University Lesson Authors Handbook (August 2014).

b. Adult Teaching and Learning Users Guide (2016). Army University.

c. Angelo, T.A., and Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques, A handbook for college teachers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

d. Brookfield, S. D. (2006). The skillful teacher: On technique, trust, and responsiveness in the classroom (2nd Edition). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

e. Knowles, M.S., & Associates. (1984). Introduction: The art and science of helping adults learn. Andragogy in action. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

f. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

g. Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science: Selected theoretical papers. D. Cartwright (ed.). New York: Harper & Row.

h. Pratt, D. D., & Associates. (1998). Five perspectives on teaching in adult and higher education. Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing.

i. Wlodkowski, R. J. (2008). Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A comprehensive guide for teaching all adults (Third Edition). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

5. TRAINING AIDS, REFERENCES, AND RESOURCESa. Appendix A: Slides

b. Whiteboard

c. Smartboard

d. Handouts

e. Easel with butcher-block paper, computer paper, markers, erasers, magnets

6. CONDUCT OF LESSONa. Lesson Timeline:

Introduction 5 minutes Welcome/Overview of lesson10 minutes CE: How do YOU learn exercise10 minutes P&P: What happened? How did YOU react?

Content25 minutes GNI: Models discussion (Pratt, Process-Content, Lewin/Thaw-

Freeze, and Kolb

10 minutes BREAK

25 minutes GNI: Models discussion (Pratt, Process-Content, Lewin/Thaw-Freeze, and Kolb continued

25 minutes Experiential Learning Model (ELM) discussion


10 minutes BREAK

10 minutes Learning Style Inventory (LSI) review10 minutes Develop (Value): How will you use this?10 minutes Apply (Check on learning): Which was most useful model? Why?10 minutes CE: Assumptions about adult learners10 minutes P&P: Why did you make those assumptions? What happened?

10 minutes BREAK

50 minutes GNI: Knowles’ principles and assumptions; compare and contrast

10 minutes BREAK

10 minutes Develop (Value): How will you use this?10 minutes Apply (Check on learning): Which do you think is most important? Why?30 minutes CE/P&P/GNI: Motivation exercise, backbrief small group work (x

3), discuss pillars of motivating instruction

10 minutes BREAK

10 minutes CE/P&P/GNI: Motivation exercise, backbrief small group work (x 3), discuss pillars of motivating instruction continued

10 minutes Develop (Value): How will you use this?10 minutes Apply (Check on learning): Which do you think is most

important? Why? 30 minutes Summary/Feedbackb. Introduction (5 min): Welcome and overview of Lesson 3: Foundations of

Adult Learning

Slide 1: Introduction Display as new instructors are entering the classroom or training site.

No additional requirements are associated with this slide; it serves as confirmation that everyone is in the right location.


Welcome the students to the class. There’s no requirement to say or do much at this point. When everyone has arrived, ensure they are in the right place, provide a very brief overview of how the lesson is going to unfold over the course of the day, and then launch into the Concrete Experience (CE).

Slide 2: PurposeThis is what we’re here for; not worth spending too much time on, but worthwhile to follow previous methods. Or not.

Slide 3: Outcome

This slide describes what we will focus on for the next couple of hours. Do not spend a lot of time elaborating on the learning objectives, but if there are any questions about them, briefly answer them and move on. If the students are beginning to or already have taken some responsibility for their learning (which they should), or if you reminded


them previously, they should already have read these in the lesson advance sheet—so none of it should be new or confusing. The intent of these slides is to clearly establish and communicate expectations; again, modeling what they should do in their future teaching and learning activities and also helping them understand what will be expected of them.

Slide 4: Terminal Learning Objective

Concrete Experience (5 min): Show the next slide. Ensure the students first think about the question individually. Ask them to make some notes if they need to. Don’t provide too much time for this, maybe a minute or two. Then have them pair up, share their experiences, and determine similarities.

Slide 5: Think, Pair and Share Individually, think about the worst learning experience you ever had—classroom, training site, individual, small group, large group—any context or situation.

In pairs, share your experiences. Identify the common factors. Be prepared to back-brief the rest of the class.


Individually, think about the worst learning experience you ever had—classroom, training site, individual, small group, large group—any context or situation.

In pairs, share your experiences. Identify the common factors. Be prepared to back-brief the rest of the class.

Instructor note: This small group exercise serves as both an “ice-breaker,” in that it gets individuals talking to each other and as the lesson Concrete Experience (CE) in the way it begins to establish the value of what they’re about to learn, it relates to each individual’s own experiences, most students will have had bad learning experiences (so it’s a “shared experience,” and it relates to the learning objective for the lesson.

Publish and Process: (10 min): Ask the students to share their experiences. Ensure all groups (pairs) have an opportunity to back-brief the rest of the class, but try not to allow any of the pairs to take too long or dominate the allotted time. The intent is to get most of the students’ experiences out in the open, demonstrate that they have all had similar negative experiences in learning environments, and begin to establish the value of learning how to avoid similar experiences in their own teaching.

What happened? How did you react?

Generalize New Information (15 min):

Lesson Introduction and Overview. The Foundations of Adult Learning lesson has three enabling learning objectives (ELOs) corresponding to three key topics. Each topic is fundamental to understanding how adults learn: the foundation of adult learning. The first topic is an overview of the various models we use to describe how adult learning occurs; it is not reality, but a model of what we think reality is. The second topic is on principles and assumptions of adult learners proposed (but never actually proven) by Malcolm Knowles. Whether or not you accept that the assumptions and principles are representative of reality, they are still useful tools, like the models, to analyze adult learner behaviors. The third topic is about motivation. It mostly addresses the research conducted by Raymond Wlodkowski, but includes some other adult educators’ perspectives and theories. The end state is for each new instructor to demonstrate his or her understanding through discussion, interaction and exchanges with other new faculty, and in many cases through demonstration of basic skills. It is a three-hour lesson, and spends about an hour on each ELO in order to achieve the terminal learning objective (TLO).

As an introduction to the model, ask the students to complete the following sentence: “In a perfect world, the ideal learning environment (classroom, training site, lab, etc.) would be . . .” Give them a few minutes to work on this sentence completion exercise, then solicit their responses and write them on the white board.


This is not intended as a second CE, but rather a prologue to the models discussion. In many, if not all, cases, the students already know what makes effective and engaging instruction: part of our mission during the course is to help them realize that and get in touch with what they already know, but perhaps have forgotten.

Slide 6: ELO A Explain ELO A

This slide succinctly describe what we will spend the morning (afternoon) focusing on. Do not spend a lot of time elaborating on the ELOs, but briefly answer any questions from the new faculty. The intent of these slides is to clearly establish and communicate expectations; again, modeling what they should do in their future teaching and learning activities and also helping them begin to understand what will be expected of them.

Slide 7: Andragogy Ask if any has heard the word Andragogy?

If anyone has then ask to explain what it is and generate a discussion.


Instructor note: As an introduction to the model, ask the students to complete the following sentence: “In a perfect world, the ideal learning environment (classroom, training site, lab, etc.) would be . . .” Give them a few minutes to work on this sentence completion exercise, then solicit their responses and write them on the white board.

Slide 8: The Pratt Model Pratt ModelDiscuss the components of the model without spending too much time on any of them. This is a good point to ask if there are any questions about any of the components and begin to establish the tone of the class for the rest of the week: ask questions, seek clarification, engage with the content.

(a) The Pratt Model. This model contains five elements: teacher (instructor, facilitator, trainer), learners, content, context, and ideals and three relationships (represented by lines X, Y, and Z). Understanding how you model works requires instructors to think about answers to some of the following questions:

- How do you define your role? What is your primary role as a teacher?

- How do you describe your learners? Who are they?

- How do you decide what to teach—and what should be learned?

- How do you locate your teaching within a context? What are the circumstances that frames your teaching?

- Can you name any ideals, beliefs, or values that influence your teaching? What about your learners’ values and beliefs?

Some questions and points of discussion related to the Pratt Model; you may elect to ask certain ones you find relevant or substitute your own.

Instructors: What is your primary role and responsibility as an instructor/facilitator?

If someone were evaluating your teaching, what would they expect you to be doing? How would they know you were doing that?

Learners: • How do you describe your learners?


• What do they bring to the learning situation that might influence their learning or your teaching?

Content: • What do you want people to learn?

• What might be difficult about learning that?

• Is there an order or structure to the content that is important to learning it or teaching it?

Context: Describe the circumstances that frame your teaching practice.

Does the context influence either your students’ learning or teaching? If so, how? If not, why not?

Ideals: • Can you name any ideals, beliefs, or values that influence your teaching?

• If so, which would be important to understand if someone were evaluating your teaching?

Line X: • How do you engage learners in the content?

• How do you assess their learning?

Line Y: • Describe the relationship you have with your students.

• How do you provide them feedback?

• How do they provide you feedback?

Line Z: How do you establish your credibility or expertise?

How do you respond to a question you can’t answer?

What do you do when your students question or challenge the utility or relevance of what you are teaching?

(b) The Process-Content Model.

Slide 7: Process-Content Model


Process-Content Model

The process-content model is a way to look at how learning happens within a group.

- The Time Line has a start point and a stop point—usually the goal of the instruction. It can be measured in minutes, hours, or days. The learning group moves along the time line toward the goal, which in the case of a learning group may be defined in a learning objective. It is possible for time to run out before meeting the goal.

- Content is the “what”—the rules, the facts, and requirements stated in the learning objective.

- Process is the “how”—the interaction of the group.

- The circle represents the Context or Environment set by the instructor. The context is owned by the instructor, but influenced by the environment, which includes the students, the time of day, day of the week, and so forth. The classroom itself is part of the environment in a physical sense, but the tone or attitude demonstrated by the instructors and learners establishes an atmosphere that is either conducive to learning or not. Context sets tone and helps to bring order or meaning to the content. It has been called “the set of assumptions through which all experience flows.” (An instructor may have to deal with things in the environment, but may or may not be able to control them.)

- The squiggly line that passes over the time line represents the path a group may take in getting to the goal. They may spend time focused on the content before moving on to focus more on the process. The top of the line (where it changes directions) indicates a point or points where the instructor may need to intervene, such as providing additional guidance or pointing out an unproductive course of action. An intervention may cause the learning group to move in another direction or focus more on either the process or content. A facilitator may make interventions intentionally or unintentionally, but should be aware of when it is appropriate to intervene and when the learners really do need to struggle with either the process or the content. At other times, students may intervene by providing additional guidance based on their


understanding of the learning objective or based on their particular level of expertise.

(c) Lewin’s Experiential Learning Model. Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) is considered the father of social psychology. He is well known for his writings on group dynamics, group therapy and social psychology. His most influential theory was his model of the change process in human systems. Lewin theorized a three-stage model of change that is known as the unfreezing-change-refreeze model that requires prior learning to be rejected and replaced. Unfreezing is the process which involves finding a method of making it possible for people to let go of an old pattern that was counterproductive in some way. Change involves a process of change in thoughts, feeling, behavior, or all three, that is in some way more liberating or more productive. Refreezing is establishing the change as a new habit, so that it now becomes the “standard operating procedure.” Without the refreezing stage, it is easy to go back to the old ways.

Slide 10: Lewin’s Experiential ModelLewin’s Experiential Learning Model

Lewin theorized a three-stage model of change that is known as the unfreezing-change-refreeze model that requires prior learning to be rejected and replaced. We use his three stages to describe what often happens with adults in their learning experiences..

(d) Thaw-Freeze Model. A follow-on the Lewin’s model, the includes some of the same components, is the Thaw-Freeze model. Very similar to Lewin’s experiental learning model, it focuses more on a learner’s progression through stages of realization in the learning process. It begins with a learner who lacks awareness of what he or she doesn’t know and ultimately results in the learner achieving mastery, or unconscious competence.

Slide 11: Thaw-Freeze Model


Thaw-Freeze ModelDerived from Lewin’s experiential learning model, but with some added considerations

“Unconsciously Incompetent” is when a learner doesn’t know what he or she doesn’t know. Examples of being unconsciously incompetent include learning a new language, learning how to use new software, or learning to drive a car. Individuals may think it can’t be that difficult to learn a new language, use new software, or drive a car—until they actually try it.

Instructor Note: Depending on the example you choose it may be possible to carry the analogy through all of the levels: unconsciously incompetent, consciously incompetent, consciously competent, and unconsciously competent. Using the Thaw-Freeze paradigm, students may be “frozen” in their current learning level simply because they don’t know what they don’t know.

Consider soliciting input from the students about learning events that they think may demonstrate the model. Adult learners are always a good source of learning experiences that contribute to understanding the intent.

“Consciously Incompetent” is when individuals realize they don’t know something or they don’t know as much as perhaps they thought they did. Continuing with the previous example, frozen students begins to “thaw” as they become aware of what they don’t know. This thawing continues if the students choose to move forward—and learn something new, or learn what they thought they knew before, or learn what they wish they had already learned. There is some level of discomfort with the knowledge that they have some learning if they wish to move ahead and it may be not easy.]

“Consciously Competent” is the place where individuals become aware of what they can do. They often still have to think through the process, but they know what needs to happen. Again, continue with your example. [Note: Using the Thaw-Freeze paradigm, a student who has chosen to move forward to learn continues to thaw as they learn and practice new skills all the while having to consciously think about what they are doing.]


“Unconsciously Competent” is when the individual responds automatically to a situation applying the correct solution or response as needed. [Note: Using the Thaw-Freeze paradigm, a student has learned new skills and is moving beyond the conscious competence level because they no longer have to consciously think about the skill, process, or procedure they are doing. In so doing they “Freeze or Refreeze” as they become comfortable proficient with their level of unconscious mastery of the learning whatever it may be.]

The star in between Consciously Incompetent and Consciously Competent is the “Choice Point.” The choice point is the place where an individual must decide whether to remain incompetent, and be fully aware of his or her incompetence, or to progress along a path of learning to become consciously competent. This may be a time of struggle and individuals often exhibit behaviors similar to those who have suffered a loss and are experiencing grief. Examples are: denying the learning is important or insisting they already know it; anger, “I do not need to know…,” “This is stupid;” bargaining or asking to substitute one requirement for another; depression, expressed with poor products, late products, no interaction, etc.; and acceptance—executing, but reluctantly, as in “I’ll do it but . . .”

The choice point is not necessarily positive or negative. If a student decides he or she does not want to move to a higher level of competence, there may be perfectly sound reasons for that decision: time available, awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses, or something in his or her personal life. Many adult learners are “resource-constrained,” meaning that whatever personal resources they put toward one goal are then not available to pursue another goal. Adult learners have to make those kinds of decisions for themselves, but should do so with the full awareness and involvement of the instructor. The instructor can impact the choice point by counseling the student, determining his or her reasons for whatever choice was made, and perhaps adjusting expectations for the remainder of the class, course, or learning activity.

(e) Kolb Model. David Kolb described a cycle of experiential learning based on experiential learning theory. He defined learning as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping and transforming experience.” His model portrays two dialectically related modes of grasping experience—Concrete Experience (CE) and Abstract Conceptualization (AC)—and two dialectically related modes of transforming experience—Reflective Observation (RO) and Active Experimentation (AE). Experiential learning is the process of constructing knowledge that through a learning cycle in which the learner “touches all the bases”—experiencing, reflecting, thinking, and acting—in a recursive process that is responsive to the learning situation and what is being learned. Immediate or concrete experiences are the basis for observations and reflections. These reflections are assimilated and distilled into abstract concepts from which new implications for action can be drawn. These implications can be actively tested and serve as guides in creating new experiences


Slide 12: Kolb’s Experiental Learning CycleKolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

Kolb's experiential learning theory works on two levels: a four stage cycle of learning and four separate learning styles. In Kolb’s theory, the impetus for the development of new concepts is provided by new experiences. “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.”

BREAK (10 min)

GNI (cont’d) LSI review (10 min):

This may be a good opportunity to briefly revisit the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) exercise conducted earlier in the course. Kolb developed the LSI in order to help instructors and students understand how they preferred to learn. It’s not an indicator of skill or ability, simply an individual’s preference. Everyone can learn in any of the previously-discussed quadrants—we just prefer some over others.

The reason for revisiting the LSI is because the next model is very closely related to it; some would argue it’s based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, and they wouldn’t be far off the mark. However, the Experiential Learning Model (ELM) has some added characteristics that provide a useful framework for teaching and learning, whether in a classroom or training site. If you’re confident in your students’ understanding of Kolb’s ELC and learning style preferences, or if it took longer than expected to discuss the previous set of models, you could skip this portion and move directly into the ELM discussion.

This is a reminder for the students of Kolb’s model and theory. This slides serves as a set up for the description of the ELM that follows. This is also a good time to conduct a brief “check on learning” by asking the students to explain in their own words how they define the terms on each of the axes.


Slide 13: Kolb’s Learning Style Theory

GNI (25 min): Experiential Learning Model. The ELM describes how adults learn; it is not a teaching model, but rather a learning model. It is based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle model and incorporates other adult learning theories. It has five components: concrete experience, publish and process, generalize new information, develop, and apply. The definitions of the components are not based on common usage for those terms, and are described in the following paragraphs.

[Notably, new instructors are directed to adhere to the sequence as shown. Doing so increases the likelihood of achieving the published learning objectives, since the lesson was designed with that purpose in mind. However, experienced faculty often teach in a different order than shown and are still effective in achieving the learning objective. Their experience enables them to keep track of what they’re doing, what the students are doing, how the class is moving along a theoretical time line, and when intervention is or may be required—they are masters of their craft. In fact, Kolb and other adult education theorists have written in support of teaching in no particular sequence.


Slide 14: The Experiental Learning ModelThe Experiential Learning Model (ELM)

The ELM shares key aspects with several other models proposed by various prominent 20th century adult educators and education theorists. It is often described as a variation of the four stages of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle.

It is not the Army Learning Model or the Adult Learning Model; in fact, it is actually an effective model for learning at all ages.

(f) The Experiential Learning Model (ELM). The ELM describes how adults learn; it is not a teaching model, but rather a learning model. It is based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle model and incorporates other adult learning theories. It has five components: concrete experience, publish and process, general new information, develop, and apply. The definitions of the components are not based on common usage for those terms, and are described in the following paragraphs.

[Notably, new instructors are instructed to adhere to the sequence as shown. In fact, experienced faculty often teach in a different order than shown, which is supported by Kolb and other adult education theorists.]

Learning Objective. The learning objective or new situation drives the components of the ELM.

Concrete Experience. A concrete experience (CE) is a student centered experience/activity that requires all students to become personally involved. It sets the conditions for learning to occur throughout the course of the lesson. It should be related to the learning objective. It is not a pre-test, nor are there right or wrong answers. It should be as sensory as possible, with the goal being for the students to begin to see value in what they are about to learn. The CE is the first opportunity to get student buy-in as to why what they are learning has value. It should require as much as possible learning group collaboration.

Publish and Process. Publish and process (P&P) is a student-centered activity in which the students take a look back at the CE and respond to a series of open-ended questions: “What happened?” “What’s your reaction to what you just did or saw?” “What have you learned or re-learned as a result of the previous activity?” It is an opportunity for students to share their reactions to the CE. There are no right or wrong answers; individuals’ reactions belong to them and have value for that reason only. It has two parts: publish and process. Students publish when they share what happened, or what they saw happen, or describe


something that happened to them in the past. Students process when they describe their respective reactions, and listen to others’ reactions, and perhaps begin to think critically about why their reactions are the same or different than others.’

Generalize New Information. Generalize New Information (GNI) is often thought of as the traditional “lecture,” but that is not the only methodology for learning to occur. Students are gathering information, the facilitator is presenting, clarifying, showing or just filling in the gaps in the student’s knowledge that is apparent from the facilitator’s observation of the CE and P&P. There are many ways to deliver GNI. Lecture is just one way to do so. Students may even get involved in the delivery of the GNI by design. If they do, the facilitator is responsible for insuring the accuracy and completeness of the information presented by them.

Develop. Develop is student-centered. It is an opportunity for students to reflect on what they have learned and communicate the value they found in it. Not all learners will recognize the value of what they have learned or be able to communicate how it may have value in the future. Some may respond that what they just learned will not have any value in the future; such as response is still acceptable, but allow those individuals to attend to other responses in case there are some that generate a different perspective. The base questions the facilitator should ask are “How will you use this information in the future?” or “What value does this information have to you?” It is an opportunity for student-focused critical and creative thinking.

Apply. Apply is the “check on learning” phase of the model. It is student-centered, but instructor facilitated. Student-centered because the learners must demonstrate that they have achieved the learning objective, or at least some of the standards of the learning objective. The instructor facilitates the check on learning by asking questions, linking responses to the learning objective standards, and listening carefully during the GNI and Develop components of the ELM for evidence of learning. It should not be a test, but there may be right and wrong answers. In many cases the check on learning may have occurred earlier in the learning cycle, either during the GNI or Develop component. When asked what value the learning will have, the responses may also communicate an understanding of the content and achievement of the learning objective. Conversely, those same responses may communicate a lack of learning and failure to achieve the learning objective or standards.


Slide 15: Experiental Learning ModelThe Experiential Learning Model (ELM)

The ELM is often portrayed as larger overlapping “clouds” to communicate the idea that often the stages or components of the model are happening at the same time—not necessarily in the previously described sequence.

In fact, experienced instructors realize that the sequence of stages or components portrayed in the model and described in the lesson plan very often doesn’t occur as intended—but that’s okay, as long as learning is taking place. The learners get a vote, too.

Develop (Value) (5 min):

How can you use what you’ve learned in the future?What value did this have for you?

Apply (Check on learning) (10 min):

What was the most important thing you learned?Why was it the most important?

Slide 16:.


ELO 4.B Action: Describe Knowles’s assumptions and principles for adult learnersConditions: Given lectures, readings, dialogue, peer and instructor feedback, reflection time, development time, and practicum.Standards: Identify assumptions and principles for adult learners. The description will include:

3. Principles of adult learning4. Assumptions of adult learning

Learning Domain: CognitiveLearning Level: Comprehension Instructor Competencies Supported: C2, 4, 5, 17, 19

Army General Learning Outcomes (GLOs) Supported: GLO 1, 7, 8, 9, & 13

GNI: (5 min): Slide 17: ELO B.

Principles and assumptions overview. Malcolm S. Knowles was a champion of andragogy (adult learning), self-direction in learning, and informal adult education. He wrote extensively on the subject of adult learners and was a very influential figure in the adult education field. He was perhaps the central figure in US adult education in the second half of the twentieth century. He wrote the first major accounts of informal adult education and the history of adult education in the United States. Furthermore, his attempts to develop a distinctive conceptual basis for adult education and learning via the notion of andragogy became very widely discussed and used. His work was a significant factor in reorienting adult educators from “educating people” to “helping them learn,” which aligns closely with many of the concepts in the Army Learning Model.


Slide 18: Think, Pair and ShareFirst individually, and then in small

groups, have the new faculty think about some of the assumptions they make about their future students.

First individually, and then in small groups, have the new faculty think about some of the assumptions they make about their future students.

Have them conduct the Publish and Process: Why do they make those assumptions? What are they based on? Do we all naturally make assumptions about our teaching and learning

practice?

GNI: (25 min): Compare and contrast Knowles’ principles and assumptions.

Principles and assumptions overview. Malcolm S. Knowles was a champion of andragogy (adult learning), self-direction in learning, and informal adult education. He wrote extensively on the subject of adult learners and was a very influential figure in the adult education field. He was perhaps the central figure in US adult education in the second half of the twentieth century. He wrote the first major accounts of informal adult education and the history of adult education in the United States. Furthermore, his attempts to develop a distinctive conceptual basis for adult education and learning via the notion of andragogy became very widely discussed and used. His work was a significant factor in reorienting adult educators from “educating people” to “helping them learn,” which aligns closely with many of the concepts in the Army Learning Concept for Training and Education 2020-2040 (TP 525-8-2).

To be clear, Malcolm Knowles never specifically described his assumptions and principles in a list or table in any of his books, articles, and publications. We derived them from a close reading of his work and by analyzing the key themes. Some sources will only describe five assumptions, rather than six; other will describe five principles rather than four. It doesn’t matter: the point is that there are some principles (not laws or rules to adhere to or even guidance) that may or may not describe the differences between adult learners and learners who are still children. Likewise, if the assumptions described on the following slides seem to hold true in your experience, then they are


true. They’re assumptions—made in the absence of facts and awaiting further information to prove or disprove them. Many new Army instructors will find themselves validated the assumptions as they gain experience.

Malcolm Knowles’s principles and assumptions for adult learners:

Slide 19: Assumptions of Adult Learning

Do these assumptions make sense to you? Do they seem like they might be proven true as you gain more experience with adult learners?

What personal experiences are examples of the principles described below?

Slide 17: Principles of Adult Learning


Develop (value) (5 min): How will you use this? What value do you think it will have for you? Why?

Apply (check on learning) (5 min): Which principle or assumption do you think is most important? Why?

BREAK (10 min)

Slide 21: ELO CIntroduce ELO C

ELO 4.C Action: Describe techniques for motivating adult learnersConditions: Given lectures, readings, dialogue, peer and instructor feedback, reflection time, development time, and practicum.Standards: Correctly describe the five techniques for motivating adult learners. The description will include:

6. Expertise7. Empathy8. Enthusiasm9. Clarity10. Cultural responsiveness

Learning Domain: CognitiveLearning Level: Comprehension Instructor Competency Supported: C2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 17, 19Army General Learning Outcomes (GLOs) Supported: GLO 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, & 13


Motivation overview. Motivating adult learners is sometime viewed as unnecessary: they’re adults, they are responsible for themselves, and their motivation is their problem, not the instructors—or so some educators seem to think. Another approach is to understand the components of motivating adult learners, reflect on those things that contribute to or detract from learner’s motivation, and thereby facilitate achievement of the learning objectives. In many cases, following the ELM will suffice: the Develop component requires the students to reflect on and communicate the value of what they have learned. If they determine value, that should likewise determine relevance and applicability, which in turn should contribute to increasing their motivation to learn.

The purpose of this slide is to open up the class for discussion. We have all, at some time in our lives, struggled through a classroom session or training in the field that was marginally motivating, at best. Try to solicit input from your students; they have had similar experiences, and getting them out in the open and discussing them will go a long way toward motivating them to want to understand this portion of the lesson.

Slide 22: Motivation


Slide 23: Levels of Motivational Integration

This slide shows the progression of the tenets of motivation, chronologically and logically, in a cumulative manner. Wlodkowski proposes that all of the tenets are required to be integrated in order for learners to be motivated.

Success means that learners will be motivated if they have some expectation of being successful in their efforts. If they don’t think they can be successful, or simply can’t see any way to succeed, they are unlikely to be motivated.

Volition means having a choice in what is learned, to what level its learned, how quickly its learned, and how it will be evaluated or assessed. Providing adult learners a choice—even if the choices are dictated by the instructor or school—gives them control over their learning efforts. Adding volition and success—choice and the believe that one can succeed—is the foundation of motivated adult learners.

Adult learners need to realize the value of what they’re asked to learn; they need to see its relevance. This hearkens back to Knowles’s assumptions and principles: value is addressed in both. A common technique is to ask the students themselves how they will use what they have learned, putting the onus for determining value back on the end user.

Lastly, there should be a sense of enjoyment in the process. That doesn’t mean “fun and games,” but a sense of accomplishment, interspersed with brief periods of levity, and sharing of experiences—of the students and the instructor—can make the learning activity more enjoyable and contribute to learners’ motivation. Sometimes it’s just going to be hard, but it doesn’t always have to be that way.

This may be more in-depth than you want to go, but depending on your group of students, this could also be a source of good discussion. Are we internally (intrinsically) or externally (extrinsically) motivated? What’s the difference? The definitions describe the differences, but may require additional explanation or real-world examples. Are you motivated by a good grade or making the Commandant’s List? Or by a deep-seated desire to learn something, to really understand it, and improve yourself professionally? Take the class along some of those lines, and see if it doesn’t generate some discussion.


Slide 24: Types of Motivation

Not required, but the next slide may be another good source to generate discussion. How many of your students have felt manipulated in their training and education efforts? How many began with high levels of motivation, only to become de-motivated over time by the machinations of their instructors and the institution?

Slide 25: On Motivation

Raymond Wlodkowski has studied the impact of motivation on the ability of adults to learn. He has written extensively about motivating instruction. The core characteristics of motivating instructors are five pillars on which rest what we instructors have to offer adults. If we lack any one of them, we will be less capable of responding effectively to the many complexities that can strain an instructional relationship with adults. These five pillars are expertise, empathy, enthusiasm, clarity, and cultural responsiveness. [It is most advantageous] to see these pillars as skills and not as abstractions or personality traits.


Slide 26: Five Pillars of Motivating InstructionFive pillars of motivating instruction

The following slides define and describe Wlodkowski’s pillars. If you don’t want to go into that much detail, you can quickly define than and move to the exercise later in the lesson.

k. GNI (5 min): Have the students number off 1-3. Then break out the students into three separate groups. Show the slide, Five Pillars of Motivating Instruction. It is a build slide and will show the five bullets first. (expertise, empathy, enthusiasm, clarity and culturally responsive). Ask the students to think about the five words, how they would define them, and how they think they impact learners’ motivation. Then continue the build to reveal, “Most important to students”? Ask for each group to think about what this question, develop a response, and then have them support their answers as they will present their answers by group. After a few minutes, build the slide again and show, “Most important to teachers”? Again ask for thoughts about what the students believe and why. Give the groups a few minutes to reflect and organize their thoughts.

According to Wlodkowski (1999) “Motivation is the natural human capacity to direct energy in the pursuit of a goal. Wlodkowski defines his pillars of motivating instruction below.

Expertise – offer expertise, both in knowledge and preparation.

Empathy - understanding and consideration.

Enthusiasm - for the course, content, students, and profession of teaching.

Clarity- can be demonstrated be in classroom teaching, explanation of assignments, or classroom discussion.

Cultural Responsiveness- creating an inclusive learning environment and acknowledge the diversity in different perspectives as well as different ways of learning that learners bring to the learning environment.


The easiest way to set up this exercise, after everyone has gained an understanding of what the pillars are and what they mean, is to have the students put a hash mark next to the one they think is most important to students, and then another hash mark next to the one they think is most important to their instructors. Maybe use an “S” for students and an “I” for instructors, or some other easily understandable method. Invariably, they aren’t the same—which begs the question: Why not? Is there not an argument to be made that students and instructors should find the same pillars of motivating instruction important? Why would students find one important, while their instructors find another most important?

This may be another optional exercise. None of this is referenceable in any of Wlodkowski’s writings, which are extensive. It was taken from a presentation he gave to a group of adult learning graduate students several years ago, but was so significant it has been maintained over the years.

l. GNI Backbrief small group work (x 3) (15 min): Give each group a few minutes to give their answers and provide insight on why they answered the way they did.

m. Develop (Value) (10 min): How will you use this? This is a very open question with only student input.

n. Apply (Check on learning) (10 min): Which do you think is most important? Why? This gives the student the ability to express their own personal opionion and not that of the group.

(Optional). This is another Applied Critical Thinking technique. You might include it as an Alternate exercise to open up the class to a discussion of what they think motivates students and instructors? One way we could attempt to get at this is to diverge on a list of possible thoughts. Another is to go a little deeper, and employ an Applied Critical Thinking (ACT) tool to ask better questions. The tool we will employ is called the 4 Ways of Seeing. You could do this as an entire class or divide into smaller groups.

1. Identify the actors/individuals/groups that you want to analyze. In this case, we have students and instructors.

2. Let’s draw a blank model of the 4 Ways of Seeing on the board.


Slide 27: Four Ways of Seeing

3. Answer the questions in in each of the blocks. It is recommended to take the time to allow the individuals in the group to Think-Write (pre-commit) their ideas and then, in a methodical manner, share them. Employing Divergence-Convergence is a good method, where the facilitator asks for one thought from each individual to place in the box in question. Another method would be to have the students write their individual thoughts on post-it notes and stick them in the boxes. Remember to not judge any of the ideas as they are being placed into the model.

4. Whichever method you employ, the boxes will be filled with ideas on how the actors (students, instructors) see themselves and others.

5. Once the model is filled, then the facilitator and other students can start asking questions on why they think their thoughts are still valid, or why not.

6. Post in the classroom for further reference throughout course.

Discussion Questions How did this model help slow your thinking?

How did this model help you feel?

Why do you think your thoughts are valid on how the two actors see themselves? If you don’t, why not?

How can we use what we have learned from this exercise, to think about what motivates students and instructors? Where there could be common ground?

From the Applied Critical Thinking Handbook, pg. 77.

4 Ways of Seeing Examining the situation using the Four Ways of Seeing may show the challenges you face:


1. How you view yourself, your unit, the mission, etc.

2. How the adversary (or indigenous people) views himself; his cause, unit mission, etc.

3. How you view the adversary (or indigenous people)

4. How the adversary (or people) views you

5. Identify disconnects between steps 1 & 4, 2 & 3. These are critical points that analysis and planning must address

Thorough research should be conducted to complete the analysis of these perceptions. It is more complex than the simple model implies, for several reasons:

1. Seldom, if ever, will there be only two actors in the system under study.

2. All the actors’ perceptions and inter-relationships within the system must be considered in order to provide context for the analysis.

3. How each actor perceives and defines the OE, legitimate targets and acceptable weapons must also be considered.

4. We must realize that all actors hold values, beliefs, and perceptions that they view as right and rational.

5. Perceptions of the external audience(s) to whom we and our adversaries are playing cannot be discounted.

1. Answer the questions in in each of the blocks. It is recommended to take the time to allow the individuals in the group to Think-Write (pre-commit) their ideas and then, in a methodical manner, share them. Employing Divergence-Convergence is a good method, where the facilitator asks for one thought from each individual to place in the box in question. Another method would be to have the students write their individual thoughts on post-it notes and stick them in the boxes. Remember to not judge any of the ideas as they are being placed into the model.

2. Whichever method you employ, the boxes will be filled with ideas on how the actors (students, instructors) see themselves and others.

3. Once the model is filled, then the facilitator and other students can start asking questions on why they think their thoughts are still valid, or why not.

4. Post in the classroom for further reference throughout course.

Discussion Questions1. How did this model help slow your thinking?

2. How did this model help you feel?

3. Why do you think your thoughts are valid on how the two actors see themselves? If you don’t, why not?

4. How can we use what we have learned from this exercise, to think about what motivates students and instructors? Where there could be common ground?


From the Applied Critical Thinking Handbook, pg. 77.

4 Ways of Seeing Examining the situation using the Four Ways of Seeing may show the challenges you face:

1. How you view yourself, your unit, the mission, etc.

2. How the adversary (or indigenous people) views himself; his cause, unit mission, etc.

3. How you view the adversary (or indigenous people)

4. How the adversary (or people) views you

5. Identify disconnects between steps 1 & 4, 2 & 3. These are critical points that analysis and planning must address

Thorough research should be conducted to complete the analysis of these perceptions. It is more complex than the simple model implies, for several reasons:

1. Seldom, if ever, will there be only two actors in the system under study.

2. All the actors’ perceptions and inter-relationships within the system must be considered in order to provide context for the analysis.

3. How each actor perceives and defines the OE, legitimate targets and acceptable weapons must also be considered.

4. It must be realized that all actors hold values, beliefs, and perceptions that they view as right and rational.

5. Perceptions of the external audience(s) to whom we and our adversaries are playing cannot be discounted.

BREAK (10 min)

Slide 28: Quote from Eduard Lindeman


There are numerous adult educators who advocate the importance of assessing learning in the classroom. Angelo and Cross, Brookfield, and Bain have written extensively on the value to asking for feedback from your learners. Brookfield characterizes it as “classroom research,” or the regular attempt by teachers to study their classrooms in order to find out what and how students are learning. He says that classroom research, or asking for and responding to feedback from your students, serves twin functions:

- it alerts us to learning and teaching dynamics we might be missing, and

- it helps students develop their own reflective capacities.

In his book The Skillful Teacher, he discusses five classroom research techniques: the one-minute paper, the muddiest point, the learning audit, student learning journals, and his favorite, the critical incident questionnaire. There are dozens of recognized classroom assessment techniques that can help you gain a greater understanding of your students’ learning. What follows is one of them.

Slide 29: At the end of the day

Provide a 3x5 card for each student.

After you receive the input make sure you collect the information and share the results the next day.

Have the students to provide feedback for the lesson on a 3x5 card:

+ On one side, describe one thing that went well for you or was a positive aspect of the class

At the end of the day…………

- On the other side, describe one thing that did not go well or could be improved for future classes (to include this class

Asking for individual feedback provides an opportunity for the participants to


Develop, to reflect on what they’ve done that day and communicate the value of it. It also serves as an Apply, or check on learning—if the feedback doesn’t address understanding of the concepts and ideas discussing, revisiting some of them to achieve greater clarity may be required. Any of the Classroom Assessment Techniques described by Angelo and Cross or that you are already familiar with may be substituted.

Slide 30: Summary

Slide 31: TLORestate TLO


Slide 32: Questions

7. ASSESSMENT PLAN. Each student will be individually assessed on his or her performance in class with respect to achieving the standards of the learning objectives as described previously. The learning levels range from Comprehension to Application, so in some cases achievement will require knowing and being able to describe the characteristics of something, e.g., a principle of adult learners. In other cases, achievement of the learning objective standard will require actual performance of a task, such as a demonstrating a technique to assess student learning. In either case, all learning objective standards are “Go/NoGo,” meaning that either the learners know and demonstrate something or they don’t, in which case immediate remediation will take place in order to achieve the learning objective standards.


THE ARMY UNIVERSITYCommon Faculty Development Program

Instructor Course

Lesson 5: Foundations of Adult LearningAppendix A - List of Slides

Slide Title/DescriptionSlide 1: Title SlideSlide 2: Terminal Learning ObjectiveSlide 3: Think, Pair and ShareSlide 4: ELO ASlide 5: AndragagySlide 6: The Pratt ModelSlide 7: The Process-Content ModelSlide 8: Lewin’s Experiential ModelSlide 9: Thaw-Freeze ModelSlide 10: Kolb’s Experiental Learning CycleSlide 11: The Experiential Learning ModelSlide 12: Experiential Learning ModelSlide 13: Quote for David KolbSlide 14: ELO BSlide 15: Think, Pair and ShareSlide 16: Assumptions About Adult LearnerSlide 17: Principles of Adult LearningSlide 18: Quote from Malcolm KnowlesSlide 19: ELO CSlide 20: Five Pillars of Motivating InstructionSlide 21: Four Ways of SeeingSlide 22: Quote form Eduard LindemanSlide 23: Your turnSlide 24: Quote from Yogi BerraSlide 25: QuestionsSlide 26: TLO

THE ARMY UNIVERSITYCommon Faculty Development

CFDP-IC Lesson 4 LP AA-1

Instructor Course

Lesson 5: Foundations of Adult LearningAppendix B: The Experiential Learning Model

The origin of the Experiential Learning Model (ELM) is at best vague. It has evolved through use and misuse over at least the last decade. What most probably began as a three step model later morphed into the five step model currently used. The ELM shares key aspects with several other models proposed by various prominent 20th century adult educators and education theorists. This section describes the connections to these other interpretations of the learning process as it applies to how we teach and train in Army classrooms and training sites.

David Kolb, a contemporary American educational theorist, said that “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” Along with a colleague, Ron Fry, he developed a model for the Experiential Learning Cycle comprising four elements: a concrete experience, observation and reflection on that experience (reflective observation), formation of abstract concepts based upon the reflection (abstract conceptualization), and then testing the new concepts (active experimentation). Kolb wrote that learning can begin with any of the four elements, but most often begins with the concrete experience.

The ELM is most often described as a variation of the four stages of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle. This is a useful comparison that facilitates correlation with Kolb’s Learning Styles. Such a correlation helps highlight the value of the ELM as a means of meeting the learning needs of a group of adult learners with diverse learning preferences, particularly with respect to how they acquire and process new information in their individual learning endeavors.

Kolb’s is not the only experiential learning model in use today. Other interpretations of the experiential learning process range from a 3-step version used in adventure education to Jarvis’s 9-step model. In his model, Jarvis attempts to account for both the learning and non-learning roles of experience, and for both the reflective and non-reflective process of learning through experience. Kolb’s model has also been criticized by some authors for its imperfect modeling of the learning process:

It pays insufficient attention to the process of reflection (Boud, et al, 1983).

The claims made for the four different learning styles are extravagant (Jarvis, 1987; Tennant, 1997).

The model takes very little account of different cultural experiences/conditions (Anderson 1988).

The idea of stages or steps does not sit well with the reality of thinking (Dewey, 1933).

Empirical support for the model is weak (Jarvis, 1987; Tennant, 1997).

The relationship of learning processes to knowledge is problematic (Jarvis, 1987).

However, as one of those critics acknowledged,

The model provides an excellent framework for planning teaching and learning activities and it can be usefully employed as a guide for understanding learning difficulties, vocational counseling, academic advising and so on (Tennant, 1997).

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle is itself based on the work of other prominent authorities in adult education theory. Kolb drew heavily on the concepts presented by John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget to develop his model. Other interpretations of the experiential learning process have contributed to the current construct. A comparison of these models is shown in Table 1.

The ELM is very closely related to Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle. Like Kolb, the ELM recognizes that in a classroom or training location, students may move through the separate elements of the model in


a non-sequential manner. However, consistent with Tennant’s view of the model as a “framework for planning teaching and learning activities,” most lesson plans are written to begin with the concrete experience and flow sequentially through the other steps of the ELM. Thus, the ELM provides a logical and organized plan for instructors to present instruction, while also giving them the latitude to adjust to students’ in-class excursions that reflect the non-sequential reality of learning.

While it is clear that there are significant similarities among the various models that are the basis of the ELM, there are also some important nuances that must be appreciated to realize the full effectiveness of the model in the design and delivery of the instruction. Specifically, the interpretation and application of the concrete experience within this model is much broader than described by other theorists. This makes it more versatile and flexible than many instructors realize.

In the ELM, the concrete experience may actually be a cognitive exercise in which the student recalls a past experience. Thus, it is the connection to past, present, or future (hypothesized) experience that form the basis of the learning event or activity. In fact, it may be through the creation or recollection of an imagined experience that the lesson is constructed. The key components of the concrete experience are that it is something that creates an affective learning opportunity, that it is the “hook” that piques a student’s interest in learning the particular topic, and that it provides a touchstone for the cognitive content-focused portion of the lesson that is the generalize new information step.

A Five-Step Process

Concrete Experience. The concrete experience, or CE, serves as a trigger of past experience and knowledge, a focusing mechanism for the lesson that follows, and a support for the teaching of new content. The CE’s role as a trigger is essential as it forces the student to connect the topic at hand with his or her understanding of it. This understanding is the result of experience, previous knowledge, and reflection on their intersection.

Secondly, the CE brings the topic into focus for the entire group. More importantly, the CE is the first opportunity to appeal to the student’s affective domain behavior of “valuing,” which is essential if the lesson content is to be internalized or learned.

Finally, the CE supports the teaching of the new content by providing a common “experience” that is connected to the new content of the GNI. If the lesson is on decision making, then a CE of a poor decision could be used to illuminate proper decision making.

The CE that is capable of all this can be a single word, such as “torture,” a short vignette, or short video clip. For the teacher, the CE marks not only the beginning of the lesson but the start of the “marketing campaign” to sell the new content to the student. If done properly, this effort can create a situation where the student “pulls” the content from the teacher instead of the teacher having to “push” the content to the student.

Publish and Process. The first component of the P&P, publish, solicits students’ observations about what they observed in the CE, typically with a question like, “what did you see?” or “what happened?” Then, in the second component, students are asked to “process” their reactions to what they saw and how their views compared with those of their classmates. A simple question to initiate this affective processing is “what’s your reaction?” In this publish and process students take the first step in their learning by connecting their experience and knowledge to the topic at hand. The desired and normally occurring situation is a “publish” that produces a wide variety of student observations. This is the foundation for the “process” component of the P&P. The “process” may very well be the most important aspect of the entire ELM process. It is here that the student begins a reconciliation of where he or she is and, if successful, where the he or she will be at lesson end. Not so obvious, but perhaps more important, is that this reconciliation has the potential to reveal student bias and other preconceptions that must be dealt with if learning is to occur. It is during this step that evidence of students’ critical thinking skills


should begin to emerge as they consider alternative points of view and examine their own assumptions and biases.

Generalize New Information. After the students have “published” and “processed,” the teacher must assess where the students are, compared to where they must be at the end of the lesson to achieve the enabling learning objective, i.e., the “delta” between what they know and what they need to know. Additionally, the P&P may illuminate points that the instructor can make during GNI that will connect back to the CE and reinforce a sense of value in the lesson material. This sense of value should be initiated during the CE and P&P, reinforced during the GNI, and ultimately expressed by the students during the develop step of the ELM. Mastery of the content taught during the GNI is verified during the apply step.

Often, GNI is thought of as the “lecture” portion of the ELM. However, the specific teaching technique used can include lecture, discussion, role play, simulation, or any of several other delivery approaches. A common misconception voiced by those new to the ELM is that discussion is the principle content delivery method. The key is to use a technique that is appropriate to the content, learning domain and level, student prior knowledge and expertise, and time available.

Develop. This seems to be the most confusing ELM step for instructors, and for students as well. Some confusion with the develop step of the ELM may result from the term also describing a step of the ADDIE process or from a past expression of the ELM which named this step “Develop Courses of Action.” In the ELM, a better word than develop might be value. Albeit a bit late, this step of the ELM serves to ensure that the student sees the relevance of the GNI just presented and learned. This is not the place to establish value; instead, this is the opportunity for students to express their appreciation of the value that was initiated during the CE, and reinforced throughout the P&P and GNI. Evidence of the students’ value for the knowledge should have been observed in student comments and participation throughout the first three steps of the ELM. For example, during GNI a student might say something like, “This is really going to be helpful to me in my next job as a planner,” or “I can even use this process to negotiate a better deal on a new car.” These are examples of unsolicited comments that complete the develop step, perhaps even before you reach that step of the ELM. The develop step also offers another opportunity for the instructor to observe the students’ critical thinking skills as they formulate their expressions of the purpose of the learning and why it is significant to them.

Apply. The final step of the ELM is the apply. This is often referred to as the “assessment” or “test.” It must be emphasized, however, that, while the apply may resemble a test, the focus of the apply is more as a feedback tool for the instructor, a check on learning to confirm that he or she has adequately and successfully taught the lesson—it is a measure of the instructor’s effectiveness. This is a last check to ensure that the students understand the material. If there are still unanswered questions or confusion, the instructor can return to the GNI to fill in the holes before the students are dismissed, or at least can identify points that need to be reinforced in a subsequent lesson to ensure the students possess the knowledge that they need. In contrast, an assessment or test is a measure of the students’ mastery of skills or knowledge that they will need. The assessment may be delayed to provide students time to complete a written assignment, a group exercise, or any number of other appropriate assessment instruments. But the apply step should not be delayed since it enables the instructor to confirm that he or she has been successful in helping the students reach the enabling learning objective, at the prescribed learning level, and as defined by the standards of the ELO. This may be accomplished using formal or informal classroom assessment techniques.

The apply step is also often confused by instructors. Because of the similarity of the apply with the “test” or “assessment,” the term “delayed apply” has come into common use (and has been reinforced in past faculty development classes). However, as previously discussed, these terms have very distinct meanings. In fact, they are even covered in separate paragraphs of the lesson plan. As the final step of the ELM, the apply is described in paragraph 6 of the lesson plan that describes the conduct of the lesson.


The assessment or test is described in paragraph 7, and in Appendix A of the lesson plan, delineating the specific graded requirements, instruments, and weights for the lesson or block of instruction. In the “apply,” the instructor has great latitude in how to determine whether he or she has successfully taught the lesson; in the assessment, the instructor may not deviate from the requirements set out in the assessment plan.

As in the develop step, students may dip into the apply step before the previous steps have been fully completed. During a discussion-based GNI, for example, it is likely that students will demonstrate their understanding—or lack thereof—regarding the lesson content. Depending on the students’ engagement in the discussion, it may not be necessary to conduct a detailed apply at the end of the lesson, but this step should be neither omitted nor delayed.

Common Myths of the ELM

The ELM is a rigid, sequential process that must be followed in each class session.

The concrete experience (CE) should not be directly related to the lesson content. Instead, it should serve as an analogy for the lesson.

The CE must involve students in an active, hands-on experience.

The GNI is the lecture portion of the ELM.

The apply is the “test” and may be delayed.

The ELM is incompatible with training, inquiry-based learning, or outcomes-based educational approaches.

The ELM is not appropriate for topics in which students do not have a significant reservoir of experience.

The instructor may conduct the ELM steps in any order.***


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ssilrc.army.mil › wp-content › uploads › 2020 › 03 › … · Web viewTHE ARMY UNIVERSITY. Common Faculty Development Program. Instructor. Cour. s. e. Lesson 5: Foundations