Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery:
How Do You Learn?
Presented by: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes
Executive Director, AllCEUs
Continuing Education (CE) credits for addiction and mental health counselors, social workers and marriage and family therapists can be earned for this presentation at
https://allceus.com/member/cart/index/product/id/574/c/
Objectives
– Learn why it is important to understand learning style
– Identify the three components of learning
– Explore the multiple facets of learning
– Synthesize the components and facets of learning to understand how you most effectively learn
Why Do I Care?
– You learn every day:
– Reading/watching the news
– Developing a new skill or hobby
– Watching people and life
– To change a behavior you need to:
– Learn the function of the old behavior
– Learn why the old behavior is not meeting your needs
– Learn about alternate behaviors
– Develop that knowledge into skills
Learning Theory
– Client-Partnership Model
– Client and coach identify learning goals and methods
– New information is linked to prior learning
– Client undergoes an unlearning process before new information is implemented
– Information is given over time
– Information is tailored to the needs of the individual
– Learning is affective, cognitive, social and behavioral
Assumptions about Learners
– Want to know why they should learn it (Motivation)
– Intro story you can relate to…
– Define how this will help you…
– Are active, responsible, self-directed learners
– Identify what you might be able to get out of this?
– Identify how you can apply the material?
– Bring experience to learning
– Knowledge of primary and related topics (i.e. depression and treatment)
– Biases primary and related topics (i.e. depression and treatment)
Assumptions cont…
– Are ready to learn when the need arises
– How can you make mandatory learning more relevant?
– How can you increase rewards for learning?
– Provide Task/Problem-Oriented Learning
– Identify something you need to learn about in order to improve your recovery or happiness.
Context of Learning
– Positive learning climate
– How do you create that in your setting?
– Does it differ for other people?
– What are some examples of negative learning climates you have been in?
– Personal characteristics
– Self-efficacy
– Expectations
– Vulnerabilities/confounding issues (crisis, MH, detox)
Context cont…
– Peers
– Stage of readiness for change
– Co-occurring issues
– Culture
– Community
– Stigma/attitudes
– Availability of peer support
– Significant Other Expectations
– Identified patient/why aren’t you fixed
– It’s not me, it’s him
Motivating the Adult Learner
– 6 factors that motivate adult learning:
– Social relationships:
– To make new friends and socialize
– To improve current relationships with friends and family
– External expectations:
– Job/School
– Other authority’s requirement (Doctor, probation officer)
– Social welfare:
– To improve ability to serve the community
– To improve the community
Motivating the Adult Learner
– 6 factors that motivate adult learning:
– Personal Improvement:
– Enhance health and wellbeing
– Professional advancement
– Stay abreast of competitors
– Escape/Stimulation:
– To relieve boredom
– Change the routine
– Cognitive interest: To learn for the sake of learning
Learning Components
– Cognition
– How people acquire knowledge
– Seeing, hearing or doing
– Conceptualization
– How people process information
– Abstract, specific, memory pathways
– Affective
– People’s motivation, decision-making styles, values and emotional preferences
– How much does this information matter?
Cognition: Knowledge Acquisition
– Active/Reflective (When you process)
– Processing information in the moment
– Taking information in and having an ah-ha moment when it is assimilated
– Action without reflection = Trouble
– Reflection without action = Inaction
Cognition: Knowledge Acquisition
– Active/Reflective Learner Tips
– Reflective learners
– Think it through first
– Prefer working alone
– Active learners
– Difficulty sitting quietly through lectures
– Like group work
– Need discussion or problem-solving activities
Cognition: Knowledge Acquisition
– Auditory/hearing, visual/seeing, or kinesthetic/doing (How you receive)
– Hearing: Lecture, discussion, podcasts, self-talk
– Visual: Reading, seeing displays, taking notes
– Kinesthetic: Doing it, role playing, paraphrasing to write or speak
Cognition: Knowledge Acquisition
– To meet different learning needs, present material:
– Visually (notes, graphs)
– Verbally (talk about it)
– Manipulatively (questions, group activities)
– Ask questions and give examples throughout class
– Take frequent “processing” breaks for the reflective learners
Knowledge Conceptualization
– Sensing vs. Intuitive
– Sensing people give attention to the details
– Intuitive people are more concerned with the big picture
– Global vs. Specific
– Global learners need an overview to prepare how they are going to conceptualize information
– Specific learners just want to start learning and see where it takes them.
Sensing vs. Intuitive
– Big picture vs. details
– Find a balance
– Present big picture and basics then let participants ask questions
Global vs. Sequential
– Bottom Up or Top Down
– Think puzzles: Box or no box?
– Think DVDs: Read the back or no?
– Present a general overview
– Provide an outline/agenda for direction
– Answer the question—“Why do I care?”
Caring (Affective)
– Attitudinal or Emotional
– Conceptualizing information using a true/false or a good/bad lens
– People who tend to learn attitudinally tend to prefer facts and compelling objective arguments
– People who learn emotionally prefer to learn what will make them feel best
Tips for Learning Success
– Provide enough information
– Work collectively
– Emphasize immediate benefits. Learning is not its own reward.
– Small group activities provide learners an opportunity to share, reflect and generalize their learning experiences.
– Promote autonomy and innovation
More Tips…
– Stress order through consistency, fairness and respect
– Promote involvement in group governance through shared values, needs and goals
– Differentiate between the behavior and the person
– Regularly assess attribution statements
– Model positive attitude, empathy, acceptance
– Reinforce the inherent worth of all participants
More Tips…
– Develop collaborative and cooperative learning activities
– Seize opportunities to teach conflict resolution, stress management
– Teach how to accept and learn from mistakes
– Demonstrate how to build on strengths
– Help others view patients/family members positively to encourage future learning
Summary
– Adult learners are more likely to retain relevant information
– Learning is an emotional, cognitive, and situational process
– Information should be presented
– Beginning with an overview
– Using as many senses as possible
– Focusing on what motivates the person (facts or feelings)
– Taking periodic breaks to apply the information
– Highlighting why it matters
– Ending with a personal application of the material