1. Participatory Adult Learning Strategy
Carol M. Trivette, Ph.D.
Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute
Asheville and Morganton, North Carolina
Presentation prepared for Helping Extend Learning and Practice (HELP)
University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, May 29-30, 2012

2. Learning about You
How long have you been providing  training/professional development? years, 5-10 years more than 15 years
Currently, how much of time is spent providing training/professional develop? % and 50 – 75% no one 100%
Do you train end-users or people who train the end-users?

3. Learning about You
What do you like best about providing training/professional development?
Interacting with participants,
Helping people changing their practices
Researching and preparing materials
Networking
Onsite follow up and coaching

4. Learning about You What do you want to learn from this training?
Engagement and follow up strategies
How to evaluate effectiveness of initiatives
New evidence based on PD practices
Ways to engage participants
How to support teachers
Maximize PD time and encourage implementation with fidelity

5. Learning about You
What do you like least about providing training/professional development?
Limited time to cover content
Feeling like I am just a way to get “hours”
Bad donuts
Preparation
Participants resistant to change

7. A Lesson Learned from More Than 40 Years of Experience
No intervention practice, no matter its evidence base, is likely to be adopted and used if the implementation methods used to teach or train practitioners to use the practice are themselves ineffective. Therefore, concern for the characteristics of implementation practices that are associated with optimal learner and practitioner outcomes should be of paramount importance as part of implementation research.

8. Child and Family Benefits

9. Two Types of Evidence-Based Practices
Evidence-Based Intervention Practices
Early childhood intervention practices
Evidence-Based Implementation Practices
Adult learning methods

10. Definition of Terms
Implementation practices include methods and procedures used by implementation agents (trainers, coaches, instructors, supervisors, etc.) to promote interventionists’ use of evidence-based intervention practices.
Intervention practices include methods and strategies used by intervention agents (teachers, therapists, clinicians, parents, etc.) to effect changes or produce desired outcomes in a targeted population or group of recipients (e.g., infants and toddlers with disabilities).

11. Implementation Practices Intervention Practices
Relationship Between the Two Types of Practices
Implementation Practices
Intervention Practices
Participatory adult learning
Coaching
Mentoring
Just-in-time training
Guided design
Accelerated learning
Early child contingency learning
Interest-based child learning
Natural environment practices
Preschool classroom practices
Communication and language learning
Early literacy learning
Family systems intervention practices

12. Discussion: Training Content
What intervention content are you thinking about using for our work during the next two days?
Who are the end users?

13. Principles
Evidence-based intervention practices are a necessary—but not sufficient—condition to ensure optimal outcomes for children and families.
Practitioners must be trained on intervention strategies using evidence-based adult learning implementation practices.

15. Evidence-Based Adult Learning Practicesa
a Dunst, C.J., Trivette, C.M., & Hamby, D.W. (2010). Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of four adult learning methods and strategies. International Journal of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning, 3(1),

16. Research Synthesis of Adult Learning Studiesa
Research synthesis of studies of accelerated learning, coaching, guided design, and just-in-time training
58 randomized control design studies
2,095 experimental group participants and 2,213 control or comparison group participants
Combination of studies in university and non-university settings
Learner outcomes included learner knowledge, skills, attitudes, and self- efficacy beliefs
The influence of the adult learning methods on the learner outcomes was estimated by weighted Cohen’s d effect sizes for the differences on the post test scores for the intervention vs. nonintervention group participants
a Dunst, C.J., Trivette, C.M., & Hamby, D.W. (2010). Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of four adult learning methods and strategies. International Journal of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning, 3(1),

17. Efficacy of the Adult Learning Methods
Effect size for the intervention vs. nonintervention group comparisons is d = .42 (95% Confidence Interval = .36 to .47).

18. Efficiency of the Four Adult Learning Methods

19. Translational Findings
Process for unpacking and unbundling the key characteristics of the adult learning methods

20. Six Characteristics Identified in How People Learna Were Used To Code and Evaluate the Adult Learning Methods
Planning
Introduce
Engage the learner in a preview of the material, knowledge or practice that
is the focus of instruction or training
Illustrate
Demonstrate or illustrate the use or applicability of the material, knowledge
or practice for the learner
Application
Practice
Engage the learner in the use of the material, knowledge or practice
Evaluate
Engage the learner in a process of evaluating the consequence or outcome
of the application of the material, knowledge or practice
Deep Understanding
Reflection
Engage the learner in self-assessment of his or her acquisition of knowledge
and skills as a basis for identifying “next steps” in the learning process
Mastery
Engage the learner in a process of assessing his or her experience in the
context of some conceptual or practical model or framework, or some
external set of standards or criteria
a Donovan, M. et al. (Eds.) (1999). How people learn. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

21. Effect Sizes for the Six Adult Learning Characteristics
Planning Application Understanding
Average effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals for the relationships between the six adult learning method characteristics and the study outcomes.

22. Most Effective Adult Learning Method Practices
Characteristic
Practice
Mean Effect Size
Introduction
Out-of-class learner activities/self-instruction
0.64
Classroom/workshop presentations
0.63
Pre-class learner exercises
0.54
Illustration
Trainer role playing/simulations
0.55
Learner-informed input
0.53
Practicing
Real-life learner application
0.94
Real-life learner application/role playing
0.86
Evaluation
Self assessment of strengths/weaknesses
Reflection
Identify performance improvement goals
1.27
Journaling/behavior suggestions
0.82
Mastery
Standards-based assessment

23. Discussion: Training Characteristics and Practices
What do you think about when you see these characteristics and the practices associated with them?

24. Cumulative Effects of Different Combinations of
the Most Effective Adult Learning Method Practices
Average Cohen’s d effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals for the relationship between different combinations (clusters) of adult learning methods characteristics and the study outcomes.

25. Introduction: PALS (Participatory Adult Learning Strategy)
PLAN
Introduce and Illustrate
RECYCLE
Active
Learner Involvement
APPLICATION
Identify Next Steps in the Learning Process
Practice and Evaluate
INFORMED UNDERSTANDING
Reflection and Mastery

26. Illustration: Participatory Adult Learning Strategy
PALS Video

27. PALS (Participatory Adult Learning Strategy)
PLAN
Introduce and Illustrate
RECYCLE
Active
Learner Involvement
APPLICATION
Identify Next Steps in the Learning Process
Practice and Evaluate
INFORMED UNDERSTANDING
Reflection and Mastery

28. Plan: Introduce and Illustrate Content
Discussion
Plan: Introduce and Illustrate Content
Thinking about the content you are going to use, what is the content and how would introduce it?
How would you illustrate this content?

29. Short-Side Bar
View “Data on Various Training Formats”

30. PALS (Participatory Adult Learning Strategy)
PLAN
Introduce and Illustrate
RECYCLE
Active
Learner Involvement
APPLICATION
Identify Next Steps in the Learning Process
Practice and Evaluate
INFORMED UNDERSTANDING
Reflection and Mastery

31. Practice and Evaluation of Literacy Rich Environments

32. Practice: Setting Up a Literacy-Rich Environment
Create a learning center or area in the classroom (not a book nook or library).
Design the learning center or area so that it is part of a literacy-rich environment.
When designing your learning center or area be sure to note the following:
Materials included
Functional uses of materials
Whether materials were high, medium, or low cost

33. Evaluate: Setting Up a Literacy-Rich Environment
In the activity just completed, what learning centers/areas were created and what materials did they include?
What literacy activities could the children do in these learning centers/areas?
What low-cost materials were used and how could you acquire them?
In what ways could the materials from each learning center/area created be embedded in other learning centers/areas?

34. Application: Practice and Evaluate
Discussion
Application: Practice and Evaluate
Thinking about the content you are going to work with this afternoon, what situation might you use so the practice could be applied?
What questions would you ask to get the trainee to evaluate the practice?
How would the training format you use when training your content impact what can be done during application?

35. Trainer and Trainee Roles in the Different Phases of PALS
PALS Phases
Trainer Roles
Trainee Roles
Introduction
Preview learning topic
Complete pre-training preview
Describe key elements
Pre-class/workshop exercises
Provide examples
Provide input on the learning topic
Include trainee input
In-class/workshop warm-up exercises
Illustrate application
Demonstrate application
Application
Facilitate application
Provide examples of application
Observe trainee application
Trainee role playing, games, etc.
Provide in vivo feedback/guidance
Implement/practice use of the subject matter
Facilitate learner assessment of options
Evaluate use of the knowledge or practice
Informed Understanding
Establish learning standards
Standards-based evaluation
Engage learners in self-assessment
Conduct self-assessment
Provide guidance to learners
Trainer-guided learner reflection
Provide behavioral suggestions
Journaling
Group discussions of understanding
Repeat Learning Process
Joint planning
Trainer guidance
Identify needed information/experiences
Trainer/trainee mentoring

36. PALS (Participatory Adult Learning Strategy)
PLAN
Introduce and Illustrate
RECYCLE
Active
Learner Involvement
APPLICATION
Identify Next Steps in the Learning Process
Practice and Evaluate
INFORMED UNDERSTANDING
Reflection and Mastery

37. Practice Reflection Checklists
Specify the practice by creating indicators for each project component
Help practitioners understand key characteristics of the practices
Serve as the standards against which practitioners examine and improve their practices

38. CELL Early Literacy Learning Model
Literacy-Rich Environments
Everyday Literacy Activities
Responsive Teaching
Early Literacy Learning Outcomes
CELL Early Literacy Learning Model
This is the CELL early literacy learning model. As you can see, the model includes five inter-related components including literacy-rich environments, child interests, everyday literacy activities, responsive teaching, and early literacy outcome indicators. These important components are the foundation for all of the early literacy practices found in the CELL practice guides that are located on our website at
The components of the early literacy learning model are displayed in an overlapping fashion because of the difficulty of separating them from each other in theory or in practice. We want you to understand that each component is important, but that early literacy learning results from an interrelated mix of these components in the context of your interactions with children. None of the components works independently of the others.
Child Interests

39. Center for Early Literacy Learning
Child
Interests
Checklist

40. Center for Early Literacy Learning
Caregiver
Responsive
Teaching
Checklist

41. PALS Checklist

42. Informed Understanding: Reflection and Mastery
Discussion
Informed Understanding:
Reflection and Mastery
What are the components of training content that would be appropriate for a reflection tool? What do you already have that you could use to develop such a tool?
How would your process engage the trainee in determining mastery?

43. PALS (Participatory Adult Learning Strategy)
PLAN
Introduce and Illustrate
RECYCLE
Active
Learner Involvement
APPLICATION
Identify Next Steps in the Learning Process
Practice and Evaluate
INFORMED UNDERSTANDING
Reflection and Mastery

44. Matrix of Implementation and Intervention Methods
Center for Early Literacy Learning Model Components
Child
Interests
Everyday Activities
Learning Opportunities
Responsive Teaching
Introduce
Illustrate
Practice
Evaluate
Mastery
What’s Next?
Adult Learning Process
Capacity-Building

45. Mastery

46. Recycle: Repeat Learning Process:
What content do you need to train on next? How would you decide what is next?
How might the next cycle different or similar to the first one?

47. Principles
Active participation of the learner in all phases of the training is essential.
Individualize training to support learner mastery of the practice.
Encourage practitioners’ self-reflection at every phase of the process (Specific checklists can be helpful) to increase the rate of change in practitioners’ practices.
The more training strategies (introduce, illustrate, practice, etc.) used during training, the greater the change in practitioner practices.
Checklists are effective tools for engaging practitioners in self-reflection.

48. Next Steps Identify content
With your content, develop the training “slides” and materials that you would use to introduce and illustrate how to use the practice to a practitioner.
Develop a practice(s) activity that the practitioner could complete, determine how you will be able to provide feedback, and what evaluation questions will be discussed.
Develop the reflection checklist that contains all of the components or characteristics of the training content that you are focusing on for this exercise. (This is not a reflection checklist for the practice activity.) You need to explicitly describe what will happen to ensure that this reflection will lead to mastery.
What challenges do you face in being able to “recycle” to ensure the practitioner develops a deep understanding of how to use the practices in a real context?
Be ready to present tomorrow morning.

49. Thank you for your participation!!

50. References www.puckett.org ctrivette@puckett.org
Dunst, C. J., & Trivette, C. M. (2009). Let’s be PALS: An evidence-based approach to professional development. Infants and Young Children, 22, Free download at
Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C. M., & Hamby, D. W. (2010). Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of four adult learning methods and strategies. International Journal of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning, 3(1), Retrieved from
Trivette, C. M., Dunst, C. J., Hamby, D. W., & O’Herin, C.E. (2009). Characteristics and consequences of adult learning methods and strategies [Winterberry Research Syntheses, Vol. 2, No. 2]. Asheville, NC: Winterberry Press. Free download at