World Café

On the last day of our FAL module, I have learned a new facilitation tool which I have never experienced. It was World Café developed by Juanita Brown and David Isaacs in1995. Ms Constance lee explained us how it works and what to prepare for world café.

The World Cafe offers practical tips for hosting "conversations that matter" in groups of any size- strengthening both personal relationships and people's capacity to shape the future together.

It introduces readers to a simple, yet powerful conversational process for thinking together and creating actionable knowledge that has been used successfully with organizations and communities. Clearly articulates seven key World Café design principles that create the conditions for accessing collective intelligence and breakthrough thinking

The World Cafe is a flexible, easy-to-use process for fostering collaborative dialogue, sharing mutual knowledge, and discovering new opportunities for action. Based on living systems thinking, this innovative approach creates dynamic networks of conversation that can catalyze an organization or community's own collective intelligence around its most important questions.

Filled with stories of actual Cafe dialogues in business, education, government, and community organizations across the globe, this uniquely crafted book demonstrates how the World Cafe can be adapted to any setting or culture.

Facilitation: An art to promote learning

My 2^nd facilitation session was an inspiring session for me to develop me further from “presenter” to a “facilitator”

I chose another segment of my topic which I managed engage participants effectively. From the previous session experience and feedback  I was aware about importance of using flip chart to cover the assessment criteria.

What I experienced in the session is the power of facilitation to send the message across. Usually my workplace environment doesn't demand such a wonderful tool during lessons. However I am now inspired to integrate facilitation wherever possible and move away from presentation or teaching.

Power of storytelling: I have shared my real life story of a ship sinking and a submarine explosion. While applying transformational learning theory, storytelling play and important role 

Use of flipchart and powerpoint slide in facilitation

I was volunteered myself to do my first facilitation record on the day 1 of our C6 FAL on 3 August 2013 of our DACE. I was prepared for it even though it was too early and before I could  pick some effective skill  from Mrs Constance Lee.

I did a 15 minutes session in 17 min which was not bad in my presentation/facilitation skill. I have prepared Power point slides, flip chart and some life jackets for my leaners to have an experience. Unfortunately at the end of my 17 min facilitation, I was shocked to realize that I did not use my flip chart which was prepared to display.

I had a shock to discover from the learner’s guide and lecturer  that Adult Educators must use flipchart and powerpoint slides in facilitating adult learning. Is it really important to use both Flipchart and Powerpoint Slides in facilitating adult learning ?

As per assessment criteria we were given the impression that we would be graded ‘NYC’ (No Yet Competent) if we failed to use both of these training aids in facilitating adult learning.

I saw a lot of discussion on this matter on Facebook. The discussion revolved around the ‘seemingly mandatory’ requirements against the backdrop of increasingly complexity of current level of technology, changing demographic profile of the learners, learners’ expectations as well as learning styles.

Should I conclude my previous training session with navy is failures as per this new set of adult Learning concept?   I had never used flipchart and power point slides in experiential activities in my outdoor training sessions, especially boat work or deck work.  

Does it mean that I was not effective in facilitating adult learning then ? I agree that I could had been increasingly effective using flipchart when I conducted outdoor activities for adult learners.  In my view, it would be technically feasible to bring along a flipchart for outdoor experiential activities though it would require additional resources and time.

I think I would be asking myself two questions if I had to conduct outdoor experiential learning activities in future: could I and would I bring along flipchart and powerpoint slides ?, what other tools would help me facilitate adult learning as equally well as flipchart and powerpoint slides ?

I am determined to use flip chart as well as powerpoint slides in my second session which I should restrict in to 13 minutes .

Incorporate Kolb's Experiential Learning theory with Gagne's 9 events

I was conducting lectures and practical training sessions all the way since last few years. Unknowingly I have done some sort of experiential learning in my sessions. However applying various learning theories deliberately was not something familiar to me. I am going to try Gagne’s 9 events model incorporate with Kolbs Experiential Learning in my next FAL module. 

As per lesson learned from Dr Yin is while applying EL in training session, must do 3 events first ie; Gaining attention, Inform learning Outcome and Recapping prior learning before EL cycle: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualisation and Active Experimentation.

Towards consolidation, consider events 8 and 9 ie; Assess learning and Enhance Retention.

I would consider this change in my mind as an important milestone in my learning and training journey.

Day 4 (AL)

Collecting Data

Every learner is unique with his or her strength and weakness. Identifying strength and weakness can be done through three common techniques.

1. Questioning

2. Survey

3. Observation

We have practiced it through Samuels’s example characters.

In the second chapter we practices a peer coaching skill. We were grouped into 4 and tasked to prepare for a peer teaching invarious hindrance in adult learning. My group tasked to share “Age” as an important factor in  learning.

I have been doing peer coaching in various classes in my workplace. However I realized the pitfalls of my way of doing after this fruitful day with Dr Yin learning a systematic way of doing it.

Day 3 (AL)

I am trying to spent more time reading some of the notes in LG ( Reflective Practice and adult Learning) in the last two weeks trying to understand more. I believe it will help to improve my reading habit and comprehend some part of the content.

Moving towards 2^nd module of DACE I realize there is a big difference in this diploma program from other course I did in the past few years. Here I have to pick up and progress my reflection on what I have done and re-reflect on what I have reflected. Here my mind is compelled to think and be creative to keep up with many high caliber course mates. I would call it as creative stress in my learning journey.  I would like to highlight the decision to join in the learning journey was a critical incident in my lifelong learning.

On 20^th July 1^st day of AL I have experienced a meaningful day with new information to me. Let me jote down some of them below:

 Knowle’s comparison between Andragogy and Pedagogy

According to Knowles Pedagogy focuses on the child as a learner. Whereas Andragogy is “art and science of helping adults to learn”

It was very interesting to learn this comparison through MORSE. Learning depends on the following characteristics of learner:

Motivation

Orientation to learn

Readiness to learning

Self-concept

Experience

Three Dimension of Learning Model (TDLM)

It provides a useful perspective on how the three dimensions interact to produce effective learning in the individual:

·   Cognitive: which involves giving meaning to facts, events and experiences

·  Sociality: where learning is a social interactional process between individual and surroundings

·  Emotion: Learning is an emotional or psychological statesas per one’s feelings, emotions, attitudes and motivation

Adult Learning Theories and approaches for adult Learning

Dr Yin greeted and welcomed us with warm and pleasant into next module of DACE Incorporte Adult Learning Theories and approaches for adult Learning(AL).

We have strted with an group activity of learning new language by passing few items blind folded. The learning objective of this game was to make us think what hinder us from learning during this short game. They were Stress, Fear, complexities, loud music etc…. In my view that game was well connected into the lesson of the day.

Thereafter Dr Yin moved into make us understand the continuation or link between ACTA modules and DACE by a nice pictorial explanation. I think it was a nice way to put into every learners mind well.

 

We learned two out of four chapters or steps using Adult learning Theories of this module. Describe the adult Learners and Assess impact of environmental factors on learning

Applying David Kolb’s Experiential Learning in Reflection

We did a good learning activity using Kolb’s experiential learning theory in reflection. It explain the following four stages of learning:

1.      Concrete Experience

2.      Reflective Observation

3.      Abstract Conceptualisation

4.      Active Experimentation

Towards the end of the day, I have set my core values in this professional development journey in DACE.

1.      Learn from everyone, anytime and anywhere

2.      Be self-driven and motivated

3.      Lead by example

4.      Keep current with trends

5.      Make learning simple and purposeful

6.      Adapt and respect others knowledge and tap them

Single and double loop reflection

It was interesting and new for me to learn Schon’s Single and double-loop reflection. In fact I do this reflection very often by not knowing it.

Single-loop reflection is asking question “Am I doing the right thing?” when something goes wrong or feel it so. And immediately addressing the issue and finding an alternate option to resolve it by being in the governing variables.

Whereas double-loop reflection, is higher level form of reflection that recognizes that action and consequences in the first loop may not valid and needed a question and close inspection of governing variables. In double-loo, educators may examine and reflect on the the theory or perspective in use. By altering the governing variables one  can achieve a shift in the way which strategies and consequences framed.

image courtesy: https://sites.google.com/site/reflection4learning/double-loop-learning

Brookfield’s four lenses of reflection

One of the sessions I enjoyed on first day group discussion was on brookfield’s approach of Critical Reflection. In it consider the environment which impact adult educators. He uses four reflective lenses to explain it.

1. Our autobiographies as adult educators and learners

2. Learner’s perspectives

3. Peers experiences

4. Theoretical

Among these three lenses, what impact me the most is peers experience. It connects my own experience back in 2002 when I joined Singapore as an instructor in navy. Cultural and language difference was a prime hindrance in my development in my lectures. I am so grateful to my two Singaporean colleagues who spend their valuable time in my class and helped me my blind spots in language, slang and terms usage.

I wish to use peers experiences and learner’s perspective lenses in my learning reflection.

How far will you go in ten minutes?

What a hooking question to start a reflective journal.

It was 6^th July 2013 Saturday. After a week of having burned down in hot weather in NDU, I was at IAL for my first day of DACE (Diploma in Adult Education and Continuing Education) programme. I chose this new learning journey as part of my lifelong learning.

After an icebreaking, Mrs kala started her first day of modue 1 develop practice through Reflection(RP). I was amazed with her skill in storytelling and  transferring the knowledge through stories.  Kala was sharing her experience in a temple during her visit where a temple watchman asked the foresaid question when she was rushing before prayer starts.

Lecture was on Reflection-in-Action’ and ‘Reflection-on-Action’. That story linked so nicely to the content of lesson. It talk about how an event trigger your thinking and cause reflection in action and on action.

Reflection was not new to me as I do it in a structured manner in my Navy training school where I work. Every day twenty minutes in the morning my learners write few lines about previous day and share them the class even though many of them did not like to do it. I do reflect on my personal experiences at the end of the day in my dairy and I enjoy going through those pages once in a while.

Today from the first day of DACE I realise that  'true learning' comes from ‘reflective learning’ and it can make  learning more meaningful towards professional and personal development.  This module (RP) convinces me the importance of reflective learning through regular practice

Take away from 1^st day of DACE  is the concepts of ‘Reflection-in-Action’ and ‘Reflection-on-Action’.  I have learned how to take prompt corrective measures in my action and adapt long term measures by listening to my beliefs and values through reflection on-action.

Hi Everyone,
Welcome to my learning journey. I am inspired to create this bolg to record my learning journey at IAL.