This is why many trainers prefer to be regarded as facilitators of learning rather than experts. And while information may sometimes produce changes in behavior, learning can be more effective when it is internalized through experience and practice. Adults learn best over a period of time. Learning does not happen overnight but requires patience and openness to learning, especially for adults who must often unlearn old ideas or break away from previous paradigms. Learning that involves the total person must particularly be nurtured through a process of open communication, trust, collaboration.
Adults are, themselves, one of their richest resources for learning.
They have a vast range of experience, knowledge, abilities and ideas which become particularly useful in solving problems and translating theories and concepts into realities. Activities can include self-assessment or interactive exercises which provide the group of participants with a common reference for learning. Analysis draws out learning through the systematic examination of the group's common experience. Abstraction involves helping participants articulate the meaning, value and significance of the experience, through critical thinking. Application encourages learners to decide how they will respond to the topic and to think about next steps.