In this peer-reviewed study, two tenth-grade classes were analyzed as they used either a virtual or a real laboratory to accomplish learning tasks. The question raised was whether a real or a virtual laboratory was more conducive to constructivist learning. The study concluded that a real lab is better than a virtual one to trigger constructivist learning. This is of importance to me because I teach adults about software in both virtual and real laboratories, and when I develop content, I try to use the constructivist theory as much as possible as I find it works best for my audience, in addition to making novel content more relatable. Please note: I could not put the annotation on the text because the paper opened in a popup page that does not work with Hypothes.is. 7/10

This paper, a project o the PACER Center, discusses learning styles specifically as they pertain to adult learners. From the nitty-gritty podagogy vs. andragogy to the best ways to train for adults, this is a good tool for those who don't know much or need a refresher on adult learning theory and training adults. I love that it is set up in a textbook style, so it's friendly but has a considerable amount of information in a variety of formats. The section, "Tips for Teaching Adults" is helpful to me as it's a series of quick reminders about how to present my information best. 8/10

This wonderful how-to by Southern New Hampshire University provided several well explained tips about what adults need in their learning environments, including their own learning theory, goals, relevant instruction, treatment by the teacher, and participation. These are important things to keep in mind when training working adults because it may have an impact on what information is offered and how it is presented. I will use the information in this article later to help me present content in a meaningful way for my working adult learners. I want the content to be as relevant and inviting to them as possible. 9/10

This article from Point Park University provides several methods one can use to help educate adults. Ideas presented include ensuring content is relevant, knowing the audience, igniting emotion in the audience, ensuring assignments are attainable, and providing constructive feedback. I find these especially helpful because of my work, which often involves teaching adults who are busy and sometimes uninterested in my content. The section that will help me most is "Encourage Exploration." Because I'm training on a software tool, I want learners to go into the software and make mistakes and learn from them. I want them to poke around! It can be difficult to convince a class of disgruntled 60-year-old men who are mad that things are changing to go play with a complex software tool like children. 7/10

The Digital Marketing Institute published this article to help those who provide training for professional adults. It echoes a lot of what I've read in other articles about teaching adults: The goals are different, and they have different needs from the instructor than children do. I liked that this article mentioned that many professional adults find technology to be a barrier, but I wish there were more information about it. The article discussed several of the biggest challenges for adult learners, which was a nice change from the quintessential adult learner article that focuses on what learners need. I also want to know what they don't need. Some of the barriers to learning include a lack of time, responsibilities, financial stressors, fear of technology, and trouble identifying the ideal learning path. 8/10

This article, published in the Journals of Gerontology, discusses a study that focused on teaching older adults to use technology. This is often discussed in a practical sense, with many how-to's. This article, however, discusses the theory behind gerontological learning. Older adults don't generally learn the same way younger adults do. Therefore, it is important to provide them with practice that shows tasks have continuity, to ensure the important task components are focused on strongly, and to consider whether the learning goals are appropriate for the learner. Representative design is addressed here. This is the first time I've heard of representative design. I teach many people over the age of 60 to use technology, so it is important for me to know the theory that will help them learn best. Interestingly,this article mentioned that performance should be assessed based on a comparison of the older adult's environment. I wish I could use that more in my work, but it's a young person's world now. 9/10

This article discusses some attributes that are unique to adult learners, such as that their learning is selective, self-directed, and often focused on solving problems. Therefore, it is important that instructors enable students to be autonomous and show them why it is important. Often in my instructional design, I start with the WIIFM (What's In It For Me?). This article supports my idea that my adult learners will choose to learn when it can solve a problem for them. This article also discusses active learning from an adult perspective, such as Socratic teaching. 9/10

Colorado Community Colleges published this article to discuss research about teaching adults, focusing strongly on Knowles's six principles of andragogy. The main idea behind Knowles's principles is that adults learn because they decided to--because the information is relevant to them and they can benefit from attaining that knowledge. Therefore, the article states, activities that ask adult learners to discuss problems with each other will help them learn. This can be useful as I design instruction. 7/10

Learning-Theories.com published a very handy few pages that describe various learning theories. This is a quick, straightforward, simple way to access information on the different theories. This article, Behaviorism, explains that the theory assumes learners learn by responding to external stimuli in their environment. Learning under behaviorism is characterized by a change in the learner's behavior. I use this in my horse training as I use both positive reinforcement (clicker training) and negative reinforcement (pressure-release) to structure my horse's behaviors. Behaviorism can be translated to human work, too. I've used TAG teaching (clicker training for humans) to teach people to get on and off horses with ease and also to trim horses' hooves. I also use it to clicker train my cats! 6/10

Cognitivism challenge behaviorism by positing that humans are more complex than simple lumps that respond to external stimuli. Cognitivism claims that people must involve themselves in their learning and take an active role. In short, when information enters the mind, it must be processed before it becomes a change in behavior. 6/10

Constructivism is my favorite learning theory. It states that in order to learn, learners must experience something, then reconcile that experience with their previous experiences. The learner will create and test hypotheses based on all experiences, and prove those hypotheses right or wrong based on future experiences. They will then use what they learned from those hypotheses to create new ones. I frequently use this in my instructional design. 6/10

Design-based research (DBR) tries to connect learning theory and practice. It puts theories to the test and is an important part of siting through which parts of theories work well, contradict each other, or contradict themselves. This page provides several of the characteristics of design-based studies, as well as the needs and issues important to studying learning. 7/10

This article by the University of Utah discusses Lindeman's and Knowles's theories on adult learning. Andragogy uses the teacher differently from pedagogy: the teacher in an adult learning environment becomes a facilitator instead of the knower. I think this is an important distinction to make for people who go from teaching children to teaching adults. There are two of these people on my team at work. One taught third grade and one taught sixth grade, and both of them tend to try to put the instructor in the knower's position instead of the facilitator's position. They have to catch themselves often and rework some instruction to be more student-focused instead of content-focused. 8/10

The Berkeley Graduate Division published an interesting and straightforward table of learning theories. The table compares behaviorism, cognitive constructivism, and social constructivism in four ways: the view of knowledge, view of learning, view of motivation, and implications for teaching. This is an easy-to-read, quick resource for those who would like a side-by-side comparison of common theories. 9/10

SharedBook.com published this article about the state of Instructor-Led Training (ILT) in 2018. It claims that technology has not caused instructor-led training demand to decrease, but instead as simply altered it to provide instructors with new tools. It is important to note how technology changes the delivery of ILT, because now trainers are able to reach more people in a variety of places, and have far more at their fingertips to help facilitate training than they did before technology became so pervasive. Technology also helps with assessing learner outcomes, as it provides more analytical tools. Hybrid ILT is also becoming more common as a super-training platform that combines strengths of E-learning with ILT. It is important, however, to ensure technology is used purposefully in technology-heavy ILT environments. 9/10

The Access Technologies Group published this article to discuss purposeful use of technology in ILT environments whose goal was to teach soft skills. The article claims that blended learning is the ideal delivery technique because it provides the ease of e-learning with the face-to-face time necessary to develop soft skills. It is critical to the success of the training program to integrate e-learning and ILT seamlessly to ensure the two produce synergy without limiting themselves or each other. It is also important that the learners are provided with an environment that suits their learning needs best. Technology and ILT can both provide ways to meet those needs, and where one lacks, the other can fill in. 8/10

This web page, published by SkillJar, discusses the importance of instructor-led training: the immediacy and warmth of a human that provides excellent experience for learners that they value highly. It is important to use these strengths to the trainer's advantage when designing and delivering training because it makes the training more effective. 5/10

Training Industry published this article about some learning technologies that increase the impact of classroom training. These can include class-oriented webpages, multimedia presentations, and activities, as well as web-based scoring systems and supplements. For instance, learners could collectively create a blog or a webcast and use those tools to communicate with each other to help facilitate learning. This is helpful when teaching a technology-fluent group that is excited to do hands-on activities. 6/10

The University of Wisconsin - Madison published this helpful, quick guide to assist instructors in using technology to teach others. It discusses some of the technology available to help teach, including Microsoft products, Blackboard, Kaltura, and others. It also discusses some of the tools the school uses to facilitate blended learning. This includes Google Apps, technology-equipped classrooms, and a Quality Matters subscription that helps produce high-quality blended learning products. It is important to incorporate technology in the classroom because it helps to facilitate learning and engage learners. 5/10

This article by the Tech Edvocate discusses seven ways to gamify corporate training. I find this personally important because I often use games to teach my adult learners about some of the most boring topics. (For instance, I'm currently creating training to explain the theory and calculations behind a very complex distribution management software tool. Imagine explaining how a calculator works to provide correct answers to math equations, then multiply that a few times. It's tough.) According to this article, in order to gamify, instructors can specify learning objectives, use reward systems, incorporate social interaction, and challenge learners to make gamified learning successful. 8/10