Teaching Effective Learning Strategies - Term Paper Example

Learning and Development Inserts His/her Inserts Grade Inserts Learning and development Introduction It is critical to expound the two terms in order to create a clear way for them to be understood. These two terms normally go hand in hand with one another because one causes an impact on the other. Learning normally leads to development. Learning is a process that in overtime leads to a change in knowledge, behaviors, beliefs and attitudes (Mednick, 2001). This change is not visible immediately but it is seen overtime. Kingsbury (2011) notes that one gains skill through study and it leads to modification of behavior that is normally obtained through conditioning. One can as well learn from experience. Development on the other hand is extending those practical aspects of a concept for growth purposes. It is a way of applying knowledge in order to meet specific objectives (Berrill, 2011). It can as well be described as a kind of transformation that one goes through. It is usually a kind of progress where one moves from a simpler stage to a more complex one. In my research paper, I will focus on learning and development in the Coca-Cola Company. I will basically look at key issues to learning and development, the opportunities presented and the strategies that are meant to make learning effective and also an analysis on the same. Background issues to learning Learning and development faces various critical challenges and issues that hamper the process, Coca-Cola not being an exception. Even though Coca-Cola was determined in treating people equally and developing them through giving them a rewarding working life, it faced various challenges initially (Hays,2004).One of the issues that it faced was that employees viewed learning as a must-do process and therefore felt obliged to partake in it claiming that they had no option. This saw most of them attend the training not because they believed that it could help them grow but because they saw it as mandatory. This saw most of them not acquiring the skills that were needed because they were not in any way attentive when the training was being offered. According to Ferrara (2012) another issue regards providing employees with basic topics. These were topics that majored on them knowing how to perform various day-to-day tasks. This made the employees lack the motivation to learning because it was viewed to as a normal process that did not reflect on change. They claimed that it was in a form of cycle that started from the beginning to the end and back to the beginning. It was necessary to offer the employees other skills that were not related to work that would make them all round. Another issue was prioritizing training audiences. Doing audience segmentation on which needed training was a big challenge. It was difficult to map the curriculum that went hand in hand with the skills that were required (Pandergrat, 2010). There were larger groups that required a specialized curriculum which was hard to facilitate because it required a lot of resources. These resources were hard to get at its inception because it had not expanded and grown to provide plans in learning that were effective. Another issue that existed was the negative attitudes that employees had towards training. This saw them turn out in few numbers when such sessions took place i.e. there was poor attendance during seminars. People had no reason to get off their desks which could have been brought about by how the programs were organized. A solution would have been better designing of the programs in order to attract a larger audience. There was also another issue that was majorly brought about by the management in the Coca-Cola company. They felt that raising the standards of young people before they entered the workforce was the duty of the government. They felt that the government was supposed to cater for 87%. This made them not to engage in proper training of those that joined them in the industry. This led to a lot of employees possessing only a few skills-those that they had acquired from the colleges. Another issue to learning and development was lack of facilities that were to be used in training. These facilities were in terms of the workforce and also the equipment. Because it was at an early age, it was difficult to have capital to provide a mechanism for training their employees. This saw most of such sessions being run like classroom teaching lessons that were not effective to educating adults. Learning and development opportunities The Coca-Cola Company has offered various leaning and development opportunities to both their employees. One of the opportunities is on- the-job training. This allows employees to learn even when they are working without getting away from the environment of work (Slyke, 1999).This is a strategy conducted internally within the organization. It may involve training some few members in a department who will later share this knowledge with other members. Experts are also trained to coach others which ensure that there is maximum utilization of the resources. Another learning opportunity that is offered is e-learning. E-learning enables employees to share information through the internet and learn with others on a global platform (Pulloff, 2007). This is necessary because it offers the employees new insights towards their jobs. This is because they get a clear understanding of what their job entails. It is also of necessity because it updates them on what is happening globally that regards the job which is necessary to make them trendy. It builds a requirement that they need to change as other people are changing. This was made possible through extensive online library of books. Another opportunity that is offered is through workshops. These are responsible in the generation of new ideas and applying them in a practical manner. Most of the workshops employ coaching that is an interactive session between the learner and the trainer (Schine,2005). This can act as a way of removing any flaws that exist in order to make the employee to be very efficient. This is achieved by the existence of a coacher who oversees every step in the training process. Another opportunity is offering just-in-time training for critical skills and also development (Oliver,1990). This is normally done by inviting external speakers to touch on current and hot topics. This can be done in form of seminars. This is also essential because it offers certification to all those who participate in the process which will be of great help in the future. Strategies to make learning effective In order to choose an effective strategy that will make learning and development inspirational needs a process of research, analysis as well as consultation. Doing planning in advance is essential in order to decide on what research needs to be done and who should be involved in making of the strategy (Noe, 2012). A consideration of approaches as well as methods that will be used in collecting information is of great importance too. It is also critical that a learning theory is observed. To make leaning and development desirable, various strategies were put across. Tjemkes (2012) clearly identifies that one of the strategies is to practice collaborative learning in the most effective way. For learning and development to be effective, there was need to build a good relationship between the trainers and the learners. This is meant to form a basis from which the learners would identify themselves with the trainers. This means that the trainer needs to be compassionate and accept every learner regardless of who they are and connect with them in a human level. This means that he/she should not feel superior compared to the learners. This is necessary in order to put the learners in a relaxed mood which will even enhance reflection on what they have learnt. According to Barber (2004), another strategy to effective learning is to offer relevant and timely topics. This is achieved by offering courses that help the management in driving business and not build just foundation skills. Courses that offered training on current issues such as social networking and trends that are competitive were necessary. This will make the employees all round because they will be able to deal with a lot of factors that arise and also solve various challenges. This is different from the basic training that equips the employees with what concerns the job only. This also goes with another strategy of getting to the point. Do not dwell on history or what doesn’t matter to the employees anymore but focus immediately on their needs in order to keep them on track and avoid loss of interest at an earlier stage. Another strategy to is having an awareness of oneself and the learners as well as knowing what the organization needs (Bembenutty,2011). Knowing the audience very well is necessary in determining their needs and also meeting them through the learning and development process. Knowing the learner’s needs can be obtained through doing research about them by using tools such as questionnaires and interviews. There is also need for self-awareness for the trainer in terms of one’s strengths and also weakness. This will make the leader to develop relevant material and know the effective way to do the delivery. The trainer can also teach the audience on how to have self-awareness which is necessary for them to do a reflection on their behaviors which may effect change in return. This goes hand in hand with David Kolb’s theory of learning that states that learning takes place in a cycle. It begins with active involvement, then reflection on what one has learnt, then conceptualizing and finally putting whatever one has learnt into practice( Bower and Hilgard,2003). Another strategy to effective learning is to make learning an interactive process. It should be interactive in that both the trainer and the learners engage in discussions in order to make the process to be more effective. It should be in both ways in that at one time the leader becomes the led while the led becomes the leader. This process is made effective when the trainer accepts that the employees or those who are being trained have valuable information that will lead to the overall success of the organization. It allows for the learners to draw on their past experiences and make the process of learning be as practical as possible. This in turn enhances development through co-creation and also collective learning. The trainer whatsoever should not impose his own views or judgment to the learners. Jarvis (2005) concludes that linking of new knowledge to an old one is another strategy that could lead to effective learning and development. This is done through the leader linking new information to the prior knowledge that the employees already have. This is of necessity because it adds curiosity and interest to learners and infuses instructions with purpose. This is because a lot of people remember new information much better when it is linked to what they already know. This gives them familiarity and hence enables them to easily connect what they have learnt to their culture and even experience. Prior knowledge is viewed as the entry point to instruction and it influences how the leader and the audience interact. Evaluation is another strategy to effective learning and also development. This is done by assessing the learners from what they have learnt and there is much evidence which shows that continuous assessment is critical to effective learning (Hipps, 2004). The assessment can be in terms of asking questions after completion of a topic in order to establish the level of understanding of the learners. For effective evaluation, Kirk Patrick’s four level model of evaluation is proposed. These levels include reaction, learning, application of the job and also the organizational results. In analyzing this strategy however I can conclude that it is lacking in a way since it does not include investment return which is of necessity in establishing whether there is development in an organization or not. There were also alternative strategies that were proposed that were meant to make the two processes be effective. One strategy that was proposed was an audit conducted on skills. This as a strategy that was proposed to be used in learning meant to check the capability levels of those in the process of learning and development. It is also meant for identification of a gap that exists between what one needs and what is available. In the working institution as Coca-Cola, this approach proposes that an audit be conducted on skills. This is done in order to determine what skills the current workforce has and therefore establishing the necessary skills that are lacking in order to make the employees acquire them. In analyzing this strategy, I can say that the strategy is meant for a good cause which is to identify the gap that exists and to fill it. This will lead to a lot of people being skilled but may develop a negative attitude towards learning. This is because a lot of employees perceive audits as negative meant to check how effective one work and conducting an audit in skills will make those people with less skill feel inefficient from the audit which will lead to them developing a negative attitude towards learning and development. This is because it makes them feel that learning is a process that is a must and that is why it gets audited. For example this strategy was carried out was in a civil service training center where an audit was carried out to identify gaps and deficits. Data was collected using such tools as questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. Gaps that were identified that were later addressed. Another alternative strategy that was proposed was performance management and development system. This is a strategy that was meant to identify the needs that the job holder has through discussion of the individual with their managers (Johnson,2009).This is done in order to compare and identify the existing level of skills, knowledge and attributes that the employee has with the requirements that the job needs, it is necessary in establishing the competence that the person has and knowing what should be added to him/her. The needs that are identified should be aligned with the objectives of the organization in order to make the process be on track. This skill enables the manager to determine the amount of resource to put into certain training. This may however have its negative impacts because the individual may not be open enough to the manager to tell them what they may be lacking in terms of skill. This is due to the fear that the boss may see them as inefficient in performing a particular task. This prompts them to say only a little of what they are lacking. Conclusion Learning and development is meant to deliver results and also be a justification of its presence in various organizations as a strategic need and not what people consider as a necessity. In general terms, employee engagement is of great necessity for the development of the employees because it acts as a motivation even for them to take on learning. Trainers and leaders should consider doing away with the old methods of learning where training was from one to many to an interactive approach. Effective training and development can be viewed as a key strategy to success of many organizations. This can be possible when this type of training is not biased i.e. to managers only but should be all inclusive even to the support staff. References Barber, L. W 2004, Teaching effective learning strategies. Phi Delta Kappa, Bloomington, IN Bembenutty, H.2011, Self-regulated learning. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Inc. California. Berrill, N. J., & Karp, G. 2000, Development. McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y Bower, G. H., & Hilgard, E. R,2003, Theories of learning (5th ed.) Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Ferrara, M. H 2012, Innovation masters historys best examples of business transformation.. Gale, Cengage Learning, Detroit Hays, C. L. 2004, The real thing: truth and power at the Coca-Cola Company. Random House, New York Hipps, G. M. 1982, Effective planned change strategies. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco Jarvis, M.2005, The psychology of effective learning and teaching. Nelson Thornes, Cheltenham Johnson, H., & Wilson, G.2009, Learning for development. Zed. London: Kingsbury, K. 2011, Learning. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, Mich Mednick, S. A. 2001, Learning. Prentice-Hall,Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Noe, R. A., & Noe, R. A,2012, Human resource management: gaining a competitive advantage (8th ed. ; Global ed.). McGraw-Hill Irwin. New York: Oliver, T.1990, The real Coke, the real story. Random House, New York: Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. 2007, Building online learning communities: effective strategies for the virtual classroom (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass. San Francisco, CA Parrilli, M. D. 2012, Interactive learning for innovation a key driver within clusters and innovation systems. Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire Pendergrast, M. 2010, For God, country, and Coca-Cola: the unauthorized history of the great American soft drink and the company that makes it. Scribners, New York: Reich, Y. 1991, Building and improving design systems: a machine learnign [sic] approach. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Carnegie Mellon University], Engineering Design Research Center. Schine, J. G. 2005, Service learning. NSSE , Chicago: Slyke, E. J. 1999, Listening to conflict finding constructive solutions to workplace disputes. AMACOM, New York Tjemkes, B., & Vos, P. 2012,Strategic Alliance Management. Taylor & Francis, Hoboken Appendix David Kolb’s learning theory Read More