Why is needed to combine more learning methods in training? What is wrong with traditional methods? And what is wrong with current approaches, such as “experiential training”? Of course, there is nothing wrong with these and each method of learning has its purpose but also its limitations.
It is already recognized that people do not learn only by listening to experts. It is known that from a presentation the participants retain 50% of the information 10 minutes after it, 25% the next day and only 10% after a week. People may find it interesting what an expert says, they may even be determined to apply what they hear, but to put it into practice it takes a lot of energy, will and perseverance. This is also the reason why, although at the end of a in-class training, if the trainer manages to keep the participants attentive and involved, they pass the theoretical test but when it comes to applying what they have learned, it just didn’t happen.
Some say that experiential learning is valuable and leads to the development of skills. This statement is only partially true. Experience does not always lead to learning. Let’s think about the fact that in developed countries, every person eats at least three times a day. Obesity and nutritional diseases are a reality nowadays that show that enough people have not learned how to eat according to their own needs. Another example is money: adults and a good part of children already have experience in walking around with money, passing it through their hands every day. However, few have learned how to use and multiply them effectively. In order to learn from experience, it must have a meaning, to meditate on the experienced, to draw conclusions based on which to act later.
Skills development requires going through a series of learning instances: acquire information, understand it, assimilate it and act accordingly to what have been learned. This is not a linear process but rather a cyclical one. Based on the above conclusions, training and development practices must be multiple, complementary and facilitate the learning process. It is not difficult to combine various training methods but to choose the right ones for each person depending on his needs and context.
