Train to Win
by
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How Adults Learn
A tremendous part of being an effective instructor involves understanding the various methods of how adults learn and designing training programs that apply these methods best. Instructors who understand how humans learn and how they can help their students reach their potential have an understanding of how the brain functions. All healthy adult humans have a literal inexhaustible capacity for learning. In comparing adults to children or teens, we find that they have some very specific needs and requirements. One of the most profound pioneers in the field of adult education was Malcolm Knowles. In his research, Knowles coined the term andragogy as the art and science of teaching adult humans and focused more on the process of learning and less on the content being taught. In an environment of andragogy, instructors perform more as facilitators or resources and less like lecturers and evaluators. In his research, Knowles characterized five assumptions about adult learning.
- Self-Concept: Or autonomy is where a person matures from a self-concept of being dependent towards being self-directed. This allows the students, while under
- guidance, to discover things for themselves and actively involves them in the execution and evaluation of the instruction.
- Experience: This is the ever-growing pool or reservoir of experience that an individual accumulates throughout life and becomes a tremendous resource. All experiences are important, especially mistakes.
- Readiness to Learn: Or goal oriented towards what the individual wants or expects to attain from the training or from their position in society.
- An Orientation to Learning: As an individual matures, his or her time perspective changes from deferred relevance of knowledge to one of immediate application. As an individual’s orientation towards learning changes, his or her perspective shifts from one of subject focus to a perspective more aligned with problem focus.
- Motivation to Learn: Knowles presumed that as an individual matured, their internal motivation to learn would also grow (Knowles 1984).
As with many other elements of modern society, and education especially, these assumptions and claims made by Knowles have been the subject of considerable debate. It is important to understand that Knowles’ concept of andragogy was an attempt to develop a comprehensive theory about adult learning that was based on the actual characteristics of adult learners. Additionally, Knowles made extensive use of a model of relationships derived from humanistic clinical psychology and the qualities of good facilitation. Knowles was also concerned with curriculum development and behavior modification, encouraging both the trainer and the learner to identify needs and set objectives.
Unlike children, adults typically carry around a sizeable quantity of responsibilities; like time, money, childcare or personal relationships, that they have to balance against the demands of learning; this is critical for trainers to keep in mind. Although generally devoid of such distractions, even trainees in military basic training enter the training environment with some quantity of emotional or moral baggage. These responsibilities create barriers against participating in training and successfully assimilating the information, thus causing motivational factors.
Motivation problems are probably the most pronounced barrier to training. What motivates adults to learn? Things like competency, promotion, licensing requirements or the need to learn in order to comply with company or organization directives can be considered motivators. However, as use of force instructors and dealing with topics that involve the taking or maintaining of human life, we need to understand how to motivate people to apply force and to break down the barriers that these individuals will have to training, and more importantly the barriers to assimilating the information provided during training. In this process, it important to determine why the student is attending the training (initial motivator). Once this is known, the instructor needs to plan a strategy of motivation that continuously shows the link between the training and the expected or potential outcome from the training.
If you continue to research the field of adult education and training or even continue to read on throughout this book, you will find that motivation is a pivotal concept in most theories of learning. Motivation is closely related to arousal, attention and anxiety. A particularly relevant point on motivation is found in the concept of achievement motivation. Motivation to achieve is a primary function of an individual’s own desire for success, the expectation of success and the various awards that can be gleaned from it. This manner of motivation is primarily associated with career goals and school grades, but can be adapted to our field of instruction. Many of those who we deal with, and I know this sounds strange, but are not really aware why they have to learn to fight, shoot or control a situation. The fact that many of today’s young police officers will go a full 20 years without ever getting in a fight is one of the reasons.
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About the Book
This manuscript is an in depth and engrossing study of the application of force and the errors committed in training that often lead to injury or death. Further, it is detailed study of how humans learn and respond in violent encounters, offering various means to reliably train and condition those who work in dangerous occupations where the application of force is generally a condition of employment. Serious, almost textbook, in tone, it has touches of satire and cynicism that will strike a feeling in the hearts of veterans and student alike. This work is a serious study of human behavior geared specifically for arduous lifestyles and occupations. The book was inspired by the people I have worked with and bled with in my 18+ years of experience in the military and civilian law enforcement communities.
About the Author
Wes Doss is currently one of the owners of Khyber Interactive Associates, an emergency response training and consulting firm and the Executive Vice President of SG Five, an international law enforcement and military training organization. Additionally, Wes has served as the Senior Firearms Instructor for the Sig Arms Academy in New Hampshire. Formerly, a Patrol Sergeant with the Mohave County Sheriffs Office in Northwestern Arizona, he served 10-years as a detective, training officer, and patrol deputy. Wes supervised his agencies firearms training unit and was the team leader and training coordinator for the 17 man tactical operations unit (TOU). Prior to embarking on his civilian law enforcement career, Wes served for 7 years in the U.S. Army, and is currently active with the U.S. Army Reserve. Wes holds both a B.S. and an M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration and is pursuing a doctorate in psychology. Wes holds numerous certifications from the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, Arizona POST, The Smith & Wesson Academy, The NRA, and The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Wes is also deeply involved the martial arts, having studied a variety of different styles for over 20 years, holding black belt/instructor ratings in Hapkido and Hwa Rang Do. Wes is a faculty member for the local community college and holds teaching credentials through the State of Arizona. Wes is active is instructing both general curriculum courses and criminal justice courses. Recently Wes has been getting involved in the writing and general development of curriculum for the college and the local law enforcement training academy. Wes has also become involved in the writing field, having articles published in ASLET’s magazine The Trainer, SWAT magazine, and the NTOA’s publication The Tactical Edge. Wes is an active member in the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), The American Society of Law Enforcement Training (ASLET), The International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI), The Military Police Regimental Association (MPRA), The United States Deputy Sheriffs Association (USDSA), The National Rifle Association (NRA), and The Arizona Homicide Investigators Association (AHIA).