How Adults Learn

• Adults learn by doing
• Adults come with a wealth of life experiences, values, world views and learning styles
• Adults are task-oriented in their approach to work
• Adults need to play with their learning

Learning needs to be meaningful for a student to translate it into everyday life. Partnerships are like people-they come in all shapes, sizes, and configurations. Because of this diversity we need to be careful about how we teach/share concepts with each other.

For some adults activities make them feel foolish and are time wasters. It is important that people feel included in an activity, that they have power over the outcome and have the time to relax and enjoy the interaction with another person. These activities are meant to be tools for inclusion and ways to organize content and move process forward. Agenda maps are useful tools for meetings working as connectors between activities, content, and purpose. As organizing tools, they help with communication allowing participants to see the plan of the meeting, connections between segments, and are useful for note taking. They help adults participate. Here are some samples:

Agenda Diagrams

Success Activities

Organization is a key to survival in the everyday whirlwind of collaborating-So much to do in so little time. Included here are some quick organizational activities which serve that purpose. Work never seems like work when it is disguised as an activity. Above all, share laughter with each other, it goes a long way in relieving daily stress.

• Make sure you have all the materials you will need for the activities you have planned, at hand.
• Develop your agenda so it can be shared ahead of time with the participants and they understand that built-in activities serve a purpose for the whole group.
• Remind the participants that their enthusiastic participation is essential. Sharing their expertise and experience is critical to the success of the meeting.
• Listen carefully and respectfully, acknowledge what people say even if you don't agree.
• Use a timekeeper to stay on track; time is a valued commodity for all the membership, don't waste it.

Introductions should be included in each meeting of the partnership. It gives people a chance to talk about themselves, maybe diffuse their busy day, and make connections. It doesn't have to take a long time and it helps people settle into the routine of a meeting.