Robert Gagné (1916-2002) gave us many concepts surrounding the learning process in adults. However, his most significant contribution to all of us in the Learning and Development (L&D) world is known as “Gagné’s 9 Events of Instruction”. Whether you are a Subject Matter Expert (SME) who is or wants to become a trainer, any training course you deliver would be most effective if you follow this methodology. These 9 events are an ideal resource for anyone looking to get started as a trainer and without any academic background in adult learning. This post explores Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction with some added tips for implementation in your learning courses.
1: Gain Attention
This is event number one for a reason: The learner’s interest is a key determinant of his or her engagement in learning. Many trainers miss the opportunity of gaining the learner’s attention and jump right into their learning objectives (if they have them). Gaining attention is key because it addresses the learner’s readiness and provides context for the learning event. Some great ways to implement this event is to tell a story, show an introductory video or illustration that emphasizes the training topic. For example; in a customer service course this could mean showing or discussing customer experiences and their impact on the business.
2: Present Learning Objectives
Adult learners need to know What and Why? they must learn something. This is quite different from pedagogy were kids are not concerned with the need for what they are learning in most cases. Learning objectives should be measurable and clearly align to the business needs that the course is supporting. For example; Execute a merchandise return operation with a 90% proficiency rate.
3: Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning
According to Malcolm Knowles theory on the “Assumptions of Adult Learners”, adults are typically inclined to have had experiences that influence their ability to learn new material. For example; if you are running an accounting class, you might want to survey the learners and establish what are the levels of experience present in class. A 10 year accountant might be a great ally to help illustrate basic concepts to new learners.
4: Present Stimulus
This step is about presenting content that illustrates concepts explained. Don’t rely just on auditory cues to engage learners, stimulate them with visual aids, exercises, etc.
5: Provide Learning Guidance
After the stimulus or content presented you should provide guidance or instructions on how to use applications, tools and materials used in the learning event.
6: Elicit Performance
This can be as simple as periodic knowledge checks right after or during steps 4 and 5. By knowledge checks, we are concerned with questions that align to the learning objectives.
7: Provide Feedback
Feedback is critical. As a trainer you should be aware the feedback is positive whether is correcting a discrepancy or not. Feedback lets the learner know how they are doing as the progress through the course.
8: Assess Performance
This is all about practice, application of concepts and evaluating how learners perform with learner reaction surveys and training quizzes. If you are teaching how to use a software, a good level of proficiency is when the learner can describe screen navigation without looking at a screen. This practice is also helpful to incite insights and reflections as learner make mistakes during the learning process.
9: Enhance Retention and Transfer to the Job
In this step is critical that you reinforce the learners’ experience with resources and materials for supporting their performance on the job. After all, the purpose of a training course in L&D is to address the knowledge and skill gap learners have with a specific topic. The ultimate purpose is to see, witness and document the transfer of those skills to the job.
Summary
Gagné gave us the 9 Events of Instruction as an easy guideline to facilitate learning through gaining attention, presenting objectives, stimulating the recall of previous experiences and continuously evaluating progress through the course. If you were just assigned as a trainer or you are new to L&D; your chances of delivering better learning experiences are greatly increased by following this methodology in your courses.
