Table of Contents

Is making someone use adult learning to present a form of hazing?

What does the movie "Dazed and Confused" have in common with adult learning principles?

Last week I re-watched the 1993 classic Dazed and Confused for the 3,925th time.

This week I finished a train the trainer session for a new client. During a break my mind wandered back to the clip in Dazed and Confused where the rising seniors were hazing the incoming freshmen.

https://youtu.be/anSSwBPoVko

The train the trainer participants wanted to embrace the adult learning principles that were being taught, but the learning curve just wasn’t very fun. In a way, it seemed like I was hazing them. It was like I sat, observing them writhing in pain as they tried to embrace what was being taught, and I was smugly telling them: “You love this. Smile. You love this!”

“It’d be a lot cooler if you did!” The single biggest determining factor in whether or not someone is comfortable with material that they use to train is the amount of preparation that they do before they even enter the training room. I think a lot of the perceived “adult learning hazing” that took place during this train the trainer can be traced back to the lack of time the participants had to review the materials prior to arriving at the session. That said, the best way I knew how to teach the importance of preparation was to just let them struggle their way through delivering the lesson plans that they were just seeing for the first time. Between the first and second day of this train the trainer course, participants stayed up late reviewing their materials, and the delivery was a lot cooler.

“All right, all right, all right.” The fact that I didn’t jump in very often to rescue a facilitator meant that they needed to rise to the challenge, work through areas that just felt uncomfortable (going from a presenter-centric model to a learner-centric style can be very uncomfortable) and trust the learning process. As the participants grew more comfortable with the learner-centric curriculum, things increasingly began to turn out all right.

“Check ya later!” Whether or not asking people to use adult learning principles is hazing is a debate that can be carried on in the comment section, but the thing that makes any professional development opportunity worthwhile is the follow-up. What happens after the workshop has ended? We’re fortunate to have an opportunity to follow up with the participants from this workshop to find out what worked for them and where they may still be uncomfortable. The opportunity to practice and deliver materials is an essential step in the learning process… as is the opportunity to reflect on those experiences in order to figure out how to keep improving.

What do you think? Is making someone use adult learning a form of hazing?

 

 

 

Articles Similar to Is making someone use adult learning to present a form of hazing?

Better PowerPoint
PowerPoint
Erin Clarke

Creating Better PowerPoint Slide Decks, Faster

PowerPoint can be a very powerful visual aid and important tool for training… if it’s done well. Creating a better PowerPoint Slide Deck is about organizing your thoughts before you even open PowerPoint on your computer.

Erin Clarke

Using a Whiteboard in a Virtual Classroom

Do you remember the time way back before COVID when we all gathered in classrooms for training? We have seen some Instructor-Led Training (ILT) return, but with the advancements of

Brian Washburn

Turning the tables: When the trainer becomes the pupil

As people who have designed and delivered effective training, Kassy Laborie and Zovig Garboushian know a thing or two about good learning experiences. So what nuggets have they gleaned from a 9-month course that they’re both attending, and that all of us should consider when designing our own programs? Today’s podcast answers that question.

Subscribe to Get Updates from Endurance Learning

Brian Washburn, Author

Brian Washburn
CEO & Chief Ideas Guy

Enter your information below and we’ll send you the latest updates from our blog. Thanks for following!

Download the Facilitator Evaluation Rubric

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the PDF of the rubric to help you assess the skills of someone delivering training.

activities cookbook

Download the Training Activity Cookbook

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the PDF of the Endurance Learning Activity Cookbook.

Let's Talk Training!

Brian Washburn

Brian Washburn
CEO & Chief Ideas Guy

Enter your information below and we’ll get back to you soon.

Download the Feedback Lesson Plan

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the lesson plan as a PDF.

feedback lesson plan
MS Word Job Aid Template

Download the Microsoft Word Job Aid Template

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the Word version of this template.

Download the Free Lesson Plan Template!

Enter your email below and we’ll send you a Word document that you can start using today!

training materials checklist

Download the Training Materials Checklist

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the PDF of the Training Materials Checklist.

Subscribe to Endurance Learning for updates

Get regular updates from the Endurance Learning team.