The concepts outlined in this article offer practical ad-hoc guidance for educators who need orientation in the vast area of education technologies, for example, by considering the list of universal criteria or focusing on the potential role of a particular technology in the teaching process.
Throughout history there have been numerous theories and myths about how learning takes place. Traditionally, learning was the domain of philosophy, and only towards the end of the 19th century did scientific research on memory begin.
In adult education, the educator’s main role is to give participants the opportunity to learn. To do so, he/she has to take on different roles. In practice, these roles do overlap and complement each other. Nonetheless, a good educator needs to be able to analyse what role is required in each situation.
The aim is to create an environment that fosters learning and creates positive group dynamics.
In this phase the trainer should get participants out of their “boxes” and promote communication among them.
Group work is the main method for promoting this development because it takes the focus away from the trainer and develops a team in which participants can contribute with their knowledge and experience.
Listening to information is one of the least effective ways of learning because participants remain passive and the trainer has limited feed back regarding what participants already know, their learning speed, or how they receive the presented information.
Choosing the right methods plays an important role in making the teaching process interesting by creating positive group dynamics and helping the participants to learn. However, methods are just a means for achieving the envisaged objective.
This chapter introduces a number of approaches and tips for assessing learners.
People usually have a simplistic view of how communication between persons takes place: one person is the “transmitter” of a message or information, and the second person is the “recipient” of that message or information. The many misunderstandings and conflicts between people prove that in practice things tend to be more complicated.
The German researcher Peter Wellhöfer recommends the following actions to make the communication process more effective.
Tips for active listening and an overview of different questioning techniques.
Feed back offers the participants and teacher the opportunity to learn about how others have perceived their actions (positively and negatively). Also feed back enables people to check whether their perceptions about colleagues are actually true.
The article describes conflict resolution strategies and explores the role of the leader in a conflict situation.
Klaus Antons, the German researcher of group dynamics, outlines three groups of actions that exist in a group.
The term “group dynamics” is used to describe the processes that occur when people interact in a group. Being able to observe and understanding these processes will help make the team work more effective.
Group dynamics theory teaches that each group experiences various different stages of development. There is no guarantee that a group will reach the next development stage and the length of time a group remains in a particular stage varies from group to group and stage to stage.
