Exercise 1: Principles of Adult Learning

Worksheet

Use this exercise to begin planning ways to teach your vocational rehabilitation (VR) team by applying the principles of adult learning.

Video Transcript: Worksheet Question 1

  1. Choose a topic
  2. Questions to ask:
    What are the biggest challenges that VR counselors face in my organization?
    What skills or knowledge would make it easier to address these challenges?
    What are possible solutions to overcoming those challenges?

First, think about a topic that you could use for this exercise. It does not need to be a huge initiative—perhaps just a single focus, such as improving client interviews or using a new documentation tool. It does not need to be something you actually want to teach right now—just something that seems relevant to your organization. Take a moment to write down an idea or perhaps two if you are not sure which way you would like to go yet.

As you think about your topic or topics, think about how the topic fits into the regular work of VR counselors:

What are their biggest challenges?

What skills or knowledge do they need to address those challenges?

What are possible solutions to overcoming those challenges?

Asking these questions can help you think about what your counselors already know and what the pain points are in their jobs. Framing your teaching in terms of helping them achieve something they already know and want to do is an important step in making it relevant.

As we talk through each step, I will give an example to help illustrate. We also will stop and talk about your ideas. For my example, let’s assume I had read a case study about doing on-the-job social skills coaching for clients with autism spectrum disorder, and I want to teach this skill to the VR counselors in my organization.

 

Next: After completing this exercise, continue to Exercise 2.