It becomes the learning facilitator’s responsibility to provide you with the tools you need to learn what you want to learn.
CFAL means you are a Certified Facilitator of Adult Learning. It could also mean that you are a Certified Facilitator of Active Learning and if you prefer to have the word Active rather than Adult on your certificate you may do so.
Adult Learning Theory
Adult learning theory is the basis of CFAL. More and more these days that same theory is being applied to elementary and secondary education. This is mostly due to research that has shown very little learning occurs when listening to someone, while true learning occurs when you are actively engaged in the process of learning. It becomes the learning facilitator’s responsibility to provide you with the tools you need to learn what you want to learn.
Teacher’s Responsibility
I believe that the teacher, whether they be a boss, a trainer, a continuing education provider, an organizational leader, or any other kind of teacher has the responsibility at least to do no harm to his or her learner.
It hurts when you are trying with all your might to understand something that someone showed you, you just can’t do it, ask for help and get back “I already showed you how to do it!”. It clears the name of the teacher, after all she already told you and puts all the blame on you for not learning. Comments like those made from self-centered teachers do harm by diminishing self-worth and self-confidence of the learner. Mistakes are made down the line because the learner doesn’t ask again.
Learner-centered facilitators will usually respond to a person asking for help with “It’s OK, I’m glad you asked. Let’s see if there is another way we can work together to help you get this”. They understand that their responsibility is to provide experiences that help learner’s learn, so when learning does not occur, they look for learning solutions, not learner judgments. The second communication encourages questioning and self-responsibility to ask for what is needed.
5 Steps in Dynamic Course Design
Sign up below for our newsletter and receive 5 sequential emails outlining the steps you can take right now to help your learners learn. They are the same steps you will use within CFAL to design your own course or workshop. Within CFAL are many more resources available to you, including one-on-one feedback from and collaboration with an adult learning expert.
