3 rules to spark learning…

I found this podcast which highlights a concept of how to teach – or rather how to excite students to learn. Clearly this may be more difficult depending on the topic – chemistry can be exciting and fun with all its potential explosions, perhaps a little more challenging to make trial balances in accounting as exciting!!

Trial and error and reflection on what we are learning can add excitement and a drive to want to do and learn more. While this is centred around teaching children it can also be applied to engaging and making learning exciting for adults.

Link to Podcast

” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Link to Podcast

 

 

Don’t Forget: Exercise Breaks Improve Learning

It is becoming clearer to me with every day that passes – exercise is the key to a better life. Everyone understands the first level – that our bodies crave movement. But new research continues to unearth fresh benefits for our bodies globally. Every aspect of our life and being tends to benefit from exercise. […]

via Sweat – Don’t Forget: Exercise Breaks Improve Learning — One Regular Guy Writing about Food, Exercise and Living Past 100

Barriers to success in post-secondary education

There are so many barriers to moving into a post-secondary educational setting. This can occur at any age but in particular there are many changes for those coming to college or university directly from high school. Your life changes, you may be separated from friends and family, learning to be independent and at the same time need to focus on the academic pressures. As an instructor, particularly in the post-secondary setting it is important that we all know the resources that are available and help students become aware of how they may access them.

Jack.org is an organization that can really help especially during this period of transition. Have a look at this video it explains many of the support mechanisms it makes available to students.

Global News – Helping students who are struggling to transition into post-secondary school life

 

 

Trending now…

Just as our world is ever-changing so is the way we do, learn, react and accept changes around us. Adult education is no different, current and emerging trends are changing the way we develop, learn and share information. From incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI), real-time feedback and interaction, to developing a Mastery Transcript;  changes are coming for adult education.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

 “Most of the screens we view, from social media to learning platforms, are curated by artificial intelligence (AI). In the next few years, learning platforms will better monitor progress and recommend next steps. AI-based tools are providing quality writing feedback and will soon manage dynamic academic schedules.”

(Emerging Trends in Adult Education, 2016)

Mastery Transcript:

A summary of demonstrated knowledge and skills. Essentially proof of your learned abilities similar to an academic transcript which is proof of course work. “Degreed offers skill certificates based on a combination of peer, expert and AI review. They hope to ‘jailbreak the degree’ by recognizing skills gained on the job or through self-study.”

(https://degreed.com)

Interactive Feedback Platforms

As identified to me through a fellow learner in this PIDP program there are platforms to provide interactive learning opportunities for groups. This provides instant feedback and input into the coursework engaging the learners at a much higher level. The example of an interactive platform as identified by a fellow student in this class is “Mentimeter”.

(https://www.mentimeter.com)

How will I utilize new and emerging trends in my workplace?

I intend to utilize the technology within workshops and classroom settings. The Mentimeter looks like an amazing technology to increase engagement while facilitating a group learning session. I definitely will be incorporating that into upcoming sessions I facilitate.

I particularly like the idea of a mastery transcript for some roles within an organization. While I believe the author was speaking to a far wider audience I intend to utilize this within my organization as well.  Developing an in-house “degreed” program I can promote self-confidence and a sense of belonging while enhancing the corporate culture of the organization.

Emerging Trends in Adult Education

 

Addressing stress in the workplace..trending in HR industry

Human Resources (HR) practitioners are faced with an ever-increasing challenge for many employers in Canada: absenteeism caused by mental health issues are becoming more prevalent, many of which are more commonly referred to as ‘workplace stress’.

Morneau Shappel one of the largest organizations in Canada for employee benefits and HR support complete a survey annually to gage where human resources are heading for the next year in Canada. The identification of these trends can allow an HR professional to address or better yet head off potential issues within their own workplace. Frequently, third party providers develop programming based on the key points identified in these surveys which an HR professional can access.

Key priorities identified in the survey as trends in HR for 2018:

• 47% of the respondents indicated health (physical or mental) of their workforce was a top priority for them this year.
• In dealing with mental health, HR leaders saw a lack of knowledge on the part of managers (58%), lack of knowledge on the part of employees (55%), and stigma (55%) as their top challenges.
• Almost two-thirds (65%) saw better training for their managers as a key strategy for improving disability management.

(Human Resource Trends for 2018)

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There is a lack of knowledge for both managers and employees and the stigma attached to a ‘label’ of mental health concerns are trends that the HR industry needs to address.

A movement within the industry is currently encouraging better training for managers to identify and respond to workplace mental health issues and provide support to employees thus reducing time-loss. The amount of time-loss attributed to mental health issues can be difficult to quantify and is likely under-estimated as many of these absences are not officially reported due the stigma attached.

So, what are HR leaders doing to address these concerns and trends?

As with many chronic conditions you never get good results by addressing the symptoms; you must address the underlying causes.

Developing programs to increase engagement in the workplace and build a strong inclusive culture are key to reducing stress and thus absenteeism.

“Nearlytwo-thirds(63%) of employers believe that work culture is the main difference between organizations/ groups with high absenteeism versus organizations/groups with low absenteeism (type of work performed is second with 33%)”.

(Workplace Mental Health Priorities: 2016 )

There has been a lot of emphasis in the HR industry to build positive work environments, ensure a work/life balance is maintained and educate managers to be able to identify signs of workplace stressors. A strong HR professional will be integrating these trends into their workplace. I have been attempting to address these trends regularly in my work. It will be interesting to see if next year’s survey indicates an improvement in this area.

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Click on the links below for the related articles:

 Human Resource Trends for 2018

Workplace Mental Health Priorities 2016

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Hey there – it’s me!

Hi my name is Sally and I am striking out on a new frontier – well at least new to me!

A bit about me….I moved to BC about 5 years ago from Manitoba where I lived with my husband and raised three children. Although I was born in Canada I spent my school years overseas as my parents were in international development; my dad ran a farm teaching agriculture to the local villagers and my mom taught in the local primary school.

My formal childhood education took me from the local African school where I was the sole white student to some of the most well-heeled boarding schools spanning several continents, languages and cultures. I wrote my A levels (university entrance) in the West Indies before returning to Canada where I attended the rural high school in my ‘hometown’ for a year to round off my secondary education and give me a Canadian high school diploma. I attended Brandon University a small traditional Canadian university and then went on to complete a masters program through an online hybrid program out of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. I am now embarking on the next phase of my educational journey with a combination of courses and professional development workshops and seminars.

To track my journey and have a tool for reflection I have set up this blog. Initially it was for a course I was taking on teaching adults and more recently for courses on education technology.

So here it is….enjoy, and please feel free to comment, like, share…

https://learninginsights415190.wordpress.com

Cheers

Sally

My first blog post

Hello learners

This is my first blog post ever – just going through the learning steps of building a blog. Once I have a few more kinks worked out I will post a real post!

Cheers

Sally