ALE – Action Learning Events
Experiential Action Learning
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me – and I learn. ~ Benjamin Franklin
International Speaker, Author and Edu-Train-ment Specialist
Cooperative and engaging Action Learning Events are an especially good strategy to help adults learn new skills.
SpectraComm ALE: Action Learning Events for Groups and Teams
An Action Learning Event (ALE) is a team building problem presented to a group that must be solved by using the physical and intellectual resources of the entire group. It requires communication, cooperation, decision-making, and commitment among the group members. This book is a compendium of many powerful and fun experiential learning events that will get any group, team or organization engaged.
Free DIY Guide Ebook Download
The main objective of SpectraComm Action Learning Events:
To develop a caring and supportive attitude among the group members; as well as a sense of trust.
This is accomplished is through the talking, laughing, sharing, and decision-making that are involved in the Action Learning Events games.
The lighter and more fun ALE is – the better.
This is important.
When people are able to laugh at themselves and others – while all the “others” are laughing also – inhibitions seem to slip away, masks begin to melt, and people are free to be themselves without fear of rejection.
It is at this point that real communication can take place – and trust develops.
• As the group evolves to more involved Action Learning Events, it is essential that the proper groundwork has been laid.
• Without the commitment to be supportive and trusting of the group members, the activities further along in the progression can be meaningless.
• Through having fun together in the Action Learning Events, the group is being prepared for the challenges ahead.
DEFINITION: ACTION LEARNING EVENT
An Action Learning Event (ALE) is a problem presented to a group that must be solved by using the physical and intellectual resources of the entire group.
This requires communication, cooperation, decision-making, and commitment among the group members.
ALE activities are often referred to as “games” – because they are fun and usually conducted in a playful atmosphere.
While this is true, the primary value of these events really is in creating an active learning environment.
This is an environment in which the participants are learning by doing.
ACTION LEARNING EVENT RATIONALE
It is a rare individual who can go through life without needing to be an effective communicator, decision maker, or support person.
In fact, large companies spend valuable time and money to help their employees become more proficient in these areas.
An individual does not have to be employed by a large corporation to benefit from activities that can improve interpersonal skills.
An Action Learning Event ALE can lead to improvements in these areas.
All of these activities are excellent additions to human development training programs.
ACTION LEARNING EVENT OBJECTIVES
There are many objectives that can be realized through participation in Action Learning Events.
Some objectives are best suited for particular activities, while others are dependent upon the emphasis of the processing experience.
Below are some general Experiential Learning objectives that can be targeted during the events.
ALE PROCESSING and DEBRIEFING
Processing and debriefing is more than going around a circle of participants and asking what each one learned.
Processing and debriefing is the art of guided reflection. This means:
1.Thinking about what has happened and attempting to learn from it.
2. Remembering thoughts and actions along with their effects; and making comparisons and contrasts.
Processing and debriefing is the substance of learning from past experience and generalizing the lessons learned.
By doing this, proficiencies can be maximized and mistakes recognized and not repeated.
WHY PROCESS and DEBRIEF
Processing and debriefing is making sense of an experience by utilizing a series of carefully chosen questions to fit the needs of the team.These are unique to the objectives of each company or organization.
The educational value of ALE is greatly reduced or even lost if the facilitator does not take time to guide the group in reflecting upon their experiences.
A challenge initiative can prove to be nothing more than a fun little game unless the participants are encouraged to think about what took place and are aided by trained facilitators in expressing their thoughts.
The facilitator must keep in mind the objectives for the group and accept the responsibility for helping the team focus on their actions, feelings, and verbal or non-verbal participation. It is through such reflection that learning is actually processed and experienced.
THE ROLE OF THE FACILITATOR
International Speaker, Author and Edu-Train-ment Specialist
The facilitator’s role in translating an experience is critical and not necessarily one of an interpreter.
Even though team members will have very similar external experiences, not all of them will be in a position to make the same inferences.
The challenge for the facilitator is to guide the team’s reflection so that their experience is transferred back to the workplace.
Experiential Active Learning Sequence
Impact → Repetition → Utilization → Internalization → Reinforce
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me – and I learn. ~ Benjamin Franklin
- We take in information through our senses, but we ultimately learn by doing. First, we watch and listen to others. Then we try doing things on our own. This sparks our interest and generates our motivation to self-discover. In experiential learning, “doing precedes understanding.”
- Learning involves feeling things about the concepts (emotions) and doing something (action).
- Without integration, we’re just passive participants and intellectual learning alone does not engage our higher brain functions ;or stimulate our senses to the point that lessons learned are translated into our activity. We must do something with our knowledge.
- Think back on learning to ride a bicycle, use a computer, dance, or sing. We took an action, saw the consequences of that action, and chose either to continue, or to take a new and different action. What allowed us to master the new skill was our active participation in the event and our reflection on what we attained. Experience and reflection taught more than any manual or lecture ever could.
- Praxis is the Greek word that means action with reflection. When we practice a skill, analyze our practice, and then repeat the practice at a higher level, we move practice to praxis. We learn what we are doing.
- Active learning results in longer-term recall, synthesis, and problem-solving skills than passive learning by just hearing, reading, or watching.
- When one is exposed to an idea at least 6x in a 30 day period – there can be as high as a 90% retention rate. With only 1x = 10% retention rate.
- Most textbook learning uses the left hemisphere which is logical, analytical and mathematical – rather than engaging the right hemisphere. the right hemisphere is believed to specialize in images, music and spacial concepts. Simply stated, the left hemisphere is involved with words. And the right hemisphere processes images and feeling. We need to incorporate as many techniques as possible to stimulate both sides of the brain.
International Speaker, Author and Edu-Train-ment Specialist
Cooperative and engaging Action Learning Events are an especially good strategy to help adults learn new skills.
SpectraComm ALE: Action Learning Events for Groups and Teams
An Action Learning Event (ALE) is a team building problem presented to a group that must be solved by using the physical and intellectual resources of the entire group. It requires communication, cooperation, decision-making, and commitment among the group members. This book is a compendium of many powerful and fun experiential learning events that will get any group, team or organization engaged.
Free DIY Guide Ebook Download
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Photo Copyright: Katarzyna Białasiewicz
