Topic B- Education and Training

Topic B- Education and Training

1)  Needs Assessment- teaching objectives, plans, goals and evaluation strategies are developed from the needs assessment. They serve to classify individuals by their current knowledge, abilities, interests, personality, educational background and readiness to learn. It is a fact-finding process. There are 3 principles of needs assessment:

-survey the target group to assess current knowledge, education needs and readiness to learn

-listen to the target group and use the data from their survey

-adjust your education plan to suit the needs of the learner.

Demographic information is fundamental on the needs assessment. It includes age, occupation, education level, marital status, socioeconomic status, ethic, and cultural background. The information is gathered by:

-  direct observation

-  problem solving- requires listening, communicating and educating

-  simulation- involves role playing, critical incidents and scenarios

- demonstration-is a way of training specific skills- usually motor or manual skills.

Focus groups can be used to obtain the information. An advantage of focus groups over surveys and questionnaires is that the nondirective process allows focus group subjects considerable opportunity to comment to explain and to share experiences and attitudes.

Factors of assessment of a learner are:

-Motivational level- motivation is the force that inspires an individual to take action. The two main theories that explain motivational theories are:

a)  Maslows model (low-high, physiological®safety® belonging® esteem® self actualization.)

b)  Herzbergs motivational model- motivational factors such as status, recognition, advancement and achievement lead to increased self-esteem.

Learning theories-

Domains:

a) Cognitive-acquiring and using knowledge. Development of intellectual abilities. Cognitive learning refers to the way people approach thinking and problem solving. It involves reasoning and analyzing. Rapid behavior change may occur in the cognitive domain. Knowledge and learning is divided into 6 levels from simple to complex:

Knowledge® comprehension® application® analysis® synthesis® evaluation.

b)Affective- refers to the learners preference in thinking and problem solving. Affective learners approach learning through the senses and feelings. There are 5 levels:

Receiving® responding® valuing® organization® characterization by values

c)  psychomotor- learning that takes place by exploring and discovering. It deals with skill development. The basic levels are:

observing® imitating® practicing® adapting the skill or knowledge

d)  psychosocial- refers to the needs relating to the individuals stage of development occurring through each stage of the life cycle.

-  infancy- trust vs. mistrust is developed.

-  Toddler- a stage of autonomy vs. shame and doubt. A sense of independence is developed.

-  Preschooler- initiative vs. guilt

-  Adolescence- identity vs. identity confusion.

-  Young adulthood- intimacy vs. isolation

-  Middle adulthood- generativity vs. stagnation

-  Older adulthood- integrity vs. despair.

2)  Goals and objectives- must follow processes of learning and must be based on previous learning experience. Objectives must be: relevant, understandable, measurable, behavioral and achievable. The components of goals and objectives are:

-statement of expected outcome or learners expected performance.

-conditions- the actions taken to reach the expected outcome

-criteria for evaluating the outcome.

3)  Components of plan- the lesson plan is the teachers blueprint. The content of the lesson should be accurate, up to date and appropriate to the audience. It should include:

-  A brief description of the target audience

-  Time allotted for lesson

-  Content of the lesson

-  Material and methodology

-  The lesson objective

-  Pre-assessment plans

-  Learning activities

-  Evaluation

When planning learning activities the educational level , health status, and attention span of the learner must be considered.

4)  Implementation- instructions may be delivered using the methods listed below:

- lecture format

-  question and answer format

-  support groups

-  demonstration

-  affective exercises

-  discussion or seminar

-  laboratory or hands on

-  role playing

-  self paced computer assisted

Materials include printed materials, audio visuals, games, interactive software. The environment should be supportive, tolerant of mistakes, with individual respect afforded. Temperature, lighting, ventilation and comfortable chairs are necessary to provide an environment conducive to learning. Distractions should be minimized.

5)  Evaluation- The program must be evaluated in order to determine:

-  effectiveness

-  changes to be made

-  strengths and weaknesses

-  degree to which the objectives were accomplished

·  evaluation techniques include tests, questionnaires and interviews, Likert scales (strongly agree®strongly disagree)

·  evaluation measurements- comparative measurement, criterion based measurement, norm-referenced measurement.

·  Steps of evaluation-

a)  determine the criteria to establish a baseline

b)  measure performance

c)  compare the performance to the criteria

d)  plan and take corrective action.