I have been in the fire service for a long time now. Training has always been important to me. Regardless of our job titles or the levels we’re at within our organizations, we care about teaching and learning. The list of topics we teach is long, and the depth and range of our curriculum is great. Yet, despite this diversity, the methods by which we teach—and how our students learn—are uniform. There are only so many ways to teach and to learn.
In this visit with you, I will be reviewing the learning process. As instructors, or people responsible for conducting and managing training programs, learning is central to all that we do. How well we understand and master the learning process will go a long way in forecasting our success as an instructor.
What is learning?
According to many different sources, “Learning is a … change in behavior that occurs as a result of … acquiring new information, skills, or attitudes from or through an experience.” Once an individual has gained that experience, they then improve upon it through practice. We have been taught that learning is most likely to occur when we are able to focus the attention of our students. And it is critical that we do it in a deliberate manner, in a proper setting.
People will learn when they are motivated to learn. And they will do it best for reasons that are very important to them. When we build these factors into their environment, they will learn. The stronger the force of the motivation, the greater will be the level of learning.
As those who supervise instructional programs, or at the least responsible for them, we must ensure that conditions exist which allow for this change in behavior to occur. To accomplish this, we must first understand what motivates people. From there, our challenge is to create an environment that presents the appropriate motivational opportunities. We must create a mindset in our fire departments wherein education and knowledge are held up as valued commodities.
Life’s little challenges …
Surely, along the way, we will encounter those who are determined to impede our efforts. Many fire chiefs and administrators are still scared of knowledge. As practitioners of the “Ancient Art of Mushroom Management,” they keep a close hold on information. They give up knowledge only when absolutely necessary. These people are afraid that we will learn how to do our jobs. They are scared that we will see that they really have no idea about what they are doing.
To these folks, an enlightened fire department is a threat to their weak hold on power. Be aware of the difficulties of working in an environment like this, for it is tough. But don’t let this stop your personal quest for learning excellence.
Once we declare ourselves to be proponents of knowledge, we immediately find ourselves at odds with ignorance. Please rest assured that a large part of the American Fire Service finds ignorance to be a comfortable place to reside. (If this statement appears to be strong and insulting, you are paying close attention to my thesis.)
Capitalizing on attitude
It has been my personal experience that most people have a desire to know what they are doing. At the lowest level, this comes from the fact that they do not want to appear stupid in front of their peers.
However, it has also been my experience that most fire people know that theirs is a dangerous job. And this basic understanding leads to a desire to learn enough to stay out of trouble. As instructors, we must learn to capitalize on these basic attitudes. We must work to grow the boundaries of our people’s minds, for once they know that they are capable of learning, and that they may actually like knowing more than others, we are on the road to educational success.
In a future column, we’ll look a little more at how people learn. See you then.
