Characteristics of Effective Learning Groups
We have all experienced effective and non-effective learning groups. Why is it that some are effective and others are not? I would argue that learning experiences that provide more time for critical reflection and dialogue result in more effective learning. Peruse the Christian bookstores and take note of how many resources are now encouraging at least a ninety-minute time frame for group study. There’s a reason for that—learning takes time!
This is why I feel that today’s Christian educator must challenge the notion in congregational life that all learning events should be planned for an hour. Check your church’s calendar and jot down the number of educational experiences that are limited to one hour and how many provide more time for learning.
One of the items that would be on my list of essential characteristics for learning would be “An adequate time frame that supports the need for dialogue and critical reflection.†But this is just one of many characteristics that are important. If you had to provide a list of characteristics that are essential for effective group learning, what would you suggest?
Wlodkowski, in Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn,* suggests the practice of the following characteristics that are essential for effective learning in small groups.
- A people-centered learning environment, one that is caring, warm, informal, and respectful of each individual
- A high level of trust, where people are open to sharing information, ideas, thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the issues being addressed
- An ease of communication, with people listening to one another and being responsible for dialogue
- A collaborative atmosphere in which cooperation overrides competitiveness as a group value
- An acceptance of personal responsibility, with people holding themselves accountable for their choices and behavior
- Clear and accepted learning goals, where members of the group understand and value the goals of the meetings.
What additional characteristics would you add?
* Wlodkowski, R. J. Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990.
Date posted: Saturday, October 13th, 2007 12:39 pm | Under category: Christian Education, Sunday school, discipleship, leadership, teaching
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I could not agree with you more about the need for a longer time slot than the traditional “one hour” for effective learning. Whenever I get a call from someone asking me to come offer a program for “an hour” I know it’s not much more than a “filler” or “infotainment.” For an effective training session, or meaningful learning session, the minimum time required is 90 minutes.
Yes, people still have a short attention span (15 to 20 minutes), but we’re talking about structuing a learning process that will address that issue.
Yes, I agree. A short attention span is usually the result of a person not being engaged–sitting through a lecture, for example. It’s amazing how simple it is to address this issue by using good process. One can be engaged in a 90 minute session and wonder where the time went. Paradoxically, one can sit through a shorter 60 minute session and wonder if the session will ever end! Of course there are those times when we are thoroughly entertained by an interesting speaker who lectures for more than 20 minutes. But the mistake we make with this all-too-often experience is assuming that learning has taken place when it hasn’t! And the result is the all-too-often accepted conclusion by most church members that the person who does this is an excellent teacher!