Les comparto esta presentación sobre adult learning. en particular a mis colegas inscritos en el programa de desarrolllo de habilidades docentes clinicas

1. The Principles of Adult
Education
Dr. Jorge E. Valdez
Dean
School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

2. Topics
• Introduction • Adult learning characteristics.
• Teaching Methods • The context of adult learning.
• The basis of learning – Negotiated Education
– Experiential learning
• The nature of change in
– Expertise development
medicine
– Expert Knowledge
• The Teacher /Learner
• Conclusions.
interaction in Medicine
• Putting principles into
• The learning cycle
practice.
• The level of competence
• Suggested readings.

3. What are the implications of adult
learning for Ophthalmic Education?
• All the ophthalmic education occurs in adult
population.
• Two major areas:
– Ophthalmology Residency (short period)
– Continues Medical Education (all professional life).
– Other areas like medical students, nurses and
ophthalmic personal.

4. Introduction
• While most doctors regard teaching as an intrinsic part
of their occupation, few have had the opportunity to
study teaching techniques, much less the chance to
reflect on such a ting as their teaching practice.

5. Teaching Methods
• Historically, medicine has
been taught rather
didactically with
prolongation of the
teacher-centered
learning process,
common in primary and
secondary levels of
education throughout
university and into the
years of clinical practice.

6. The basis of learning
• Such modes of teaching tend
to be handed down from one
generation to another.
• Unfortunately in the long
term, authoritarian teaching
tends to lead to a state of
dependency on the learner´s
part and is not good model
for professional
development.

7. The nature of change in
medicine
New-Innovative Traditional
Curricula  Continuum  Medical Curricula
Student-centered Teacher-centered
Problem-based Information gathering
Integrated Discipline-based
Community-based Hospital based
Elective Standard
Systematic Apprenticeship-based

8. The Teacher /Learner
interaction in Medicine

9. The learning cycle
1. Unconscious Incompetence:
The learner does not actually
know all the steps that have to be
carried out, but paradoxically they
may feel quite capable of carrying
out the procedure.

10. The learning cycle
2. Conscious Incompetence: trying
to carry out the procedure of the
specific technique
themselves and realize it is
perhaps not as easy as it
appeared, they become
consciously
incompetent and, providing the
motivation is high enough, try to
learn all the steps involved.

11. The learning cycle
3. Conscious Competence: Once
the learners understand and can
carry out the various steps of a
skill, they still have to think about
the procedure, but given time, can
carry it out satisfactory.
With practice, they then enter the
fourth stage.

12. The learning cycle
4. Unconscious Competence: after
the third step is accomplished
then with practice the learner
enters this step wherein, having
mastery of the technique, implying
that they can carry out the
procedure or the knowledge
without consciously having to
think about it (it becomes
routine).

13. The level of competence
There can be a considerable
gap between doing something
quickly and efficiently as a
master and the more laborious
pace the student has to
maintain during the learning
process in order to get any
where near an understanding
or achievement of the same
goal.
The state of knowledge is represented by point A. If no new learning occurs, there may be
some increase in competence over time due to experience as suggested by the line A-B. The
process is routine, the learner is unconsciously competent. At point C, a new methodology or
knowledge is introduced. A decision is made either to learn or to reject; in the latter case the
line continues as before to point B.

14. Adult learning characteristics
• The professionalization of
medical teaching requires
utilization of the basic
principles of adult
education in the particular
context of medical
practice.

15. Adult learning characteristics
• Adult learning is purposeful.
• Adults are voluntary
participants in learning.
• Adults need clear goals and
objectives to be set.
• Adults need feedback.
• Adults need to be reflective.

16. The context of adult learning
Negotiated Education
• Once we begin to take the individual learner’s
purpose seriously, and we begin to use
experiential knowledge as a learning resource,
the notion of providing a standard course for a
homogeneous audience becomes problematic.
• As individuals and as a group, learners will want
to negotiate over the form and content of their
educational experience in order to ensure the
closets fit to their knowledge.

17. Experiential Learning
Two ways of understanding or
Two ways of knowing transforming knowledge
Tell me, and I will forget.
Show me, and I may remember.
Involve me, and I will understand.
- Confucius, 450 B.C.

18. Expertise development

19. Final Notes
• Socialization.
Adult learners often retain traditional views of teaching and
learning derived from their experience as pupils and
students.
• Deference and dependency.
Learner tend to be deferential towards and dependant upon
“the expert” teacher. This may inhibit their learning.
• Experiential learning.
Whilst recognizing the relevance of their day to day
experiences for themselves, learners may be reluctant to see
this as part of real learning.

20. Final Notes
• Individualized Learning.
– Because of their professional, domestic and other
commitments the effort which adults can expend on
learning is variable and unpredictable.
• Provision of feedback.
- Adults require feedback on their effort so that they can
maintain the process of reflection and self improvement.
• The teacher role.
A shift to the principles of adult learning may require just as
much re-thinking on the part of the teacher as it does for
the teacher.

21. Thank You
Jorge.valdez@itesm.mx