The first theory is the experiential learning theory by David Kolb. According to the theory, learning is a continuous process of dealing with conflicts and coming up with resolutions as a way of relating with the world. It is more interesting to note that contrary to the belief that learning takes explicitly place for academic excellence purposes or in a learning institution; the practice is a social adaptation process that results in behavior change.  Why does the theory have this point of view and is this what anyone is undertaking CPD needs?  From the course name, HRD is majorly concerned with developing human resources in a way that suits the needs of the modern day organization.

The theory goes to further to state that one learns from experience through what is known as a learning cycle.  One cannot adequately learn by employing one activity hence the reason why most theories and other related works of literature advocate for multiple learning processes. In this case, the authors highlight four important methods that make an individual understand his or her learning experiences. On the same note, they highlight the necessary abilities one needs to have for learning to take place. The processes include abstract conceptualization, active experimentation, experience, and reflective observation.  As such, a learner is required to understand the provided learning content, whether by group work or classroom teaching, relate the concepts to real-life applications and identify whether the two have an effect of significant relationship regarding aiding learning and development.

By learning human resource development by undertaking a CPD, I am ready and willing to adapt to human resource changes that can make an organization achieve its best at the same time make everyone more suited for their role in the organization.  The significant change human resource faces at modern-day organizations are that people are assigned tasks that they are not ready to commit to or perform their best because of various reasons.  I believe that the HRM is somehow possible in putting people in the wrong roles which in turn results to low productivity.  For example, I previously worked as an HR personnel in a textiles firm which preferred to employ men over women.  We had to turn down prospective good female employees at the expense of men, which in my view, resulted to poor overall productivity and demoralized the women because they felt that their hard work was not appreciated at all. Can we have employees whose expertise is ideally suited by their roles or that are an impossible task?   Incorporating this theory has helped me understand how I can use my knowledge to discourage such practice in an organization.

The theory is influential for most HRD practitioners and has increased the awareness of the different factors that contribute to the learning or prevention of learning in a school setting or at work. For instance, applying the four learning steps in my CPD has helped me in my workplace, especially when dealing with difficult employees and clients. For example, I can reflect on past experiences on how I have handled such situations, practice some of the ways I had used to solve such matters as well as incorporate new strategies by experimenting on better human resource development tactics. Such experiences have allowed me to grow in ways that my regular HR training would not have allowed me to. Although conventional teaching has played a part in my growth and development as an individual, student, and employee, it cannot compare to the real world understanding alongside personal growth that results from experiential learning.  Therefore, Kolb’s theory has become a classical model that represents the way people experience learning in work and everyday life. However, I do not entirely agree with Kolb’s theory.  Some of the essentials of learning such as its goals, purposes, intentions, and choices as well as decision making do not necessarily fit in the learning cycle as proposed by the theorist.  Some of these events are influenced by one’s morals, experiences or biases during learning that is transferred to the learning process as well as practice.

The Andragogy theory of 1984 by Knowles is the second one from the module.  The approach attempts to look at the specifics of adult learning given that most people undergoing development learning are adults. Andragogy is the process of incorporating adults in the learning structures without making them feel different to the younger learners.  The theory is guided by the principles that learners have to understand why what they are learning is essential; be shown how to conduct classroom and group learning; study topics related to the learner’s experiences; and that they must be motivated to learn. CPD learners such as myself are aware of what they need to achieve from going for further training although the whole process gets difficult and challenging for the CPDs because they have to mix with other younger students or in a general learning environment comprising mostly of younger students who might be indifferent or unwilling to cooperate with them.

Despite that, CPD ensures that I transfer the knowledge derived from a given course is disseminated and practiced in the work environment. Knowledge productivity in the workplace requires personal involvement alongside individual learning in a favorable social perspective. Having undergone an IHRD course, I need to take my work environment as a learning environment, and as such, I can come up with innovative knowledge that suits the HR requirements of my organization. The inevitability of my role as a CPD in my work environment has brought me together with other employees and management with whom share same passions, interests, responsibilities , career awareness, and reciprocal appeal which  I can use to challenge the current traditional power positions and other issues related to HR in my workplace.

One of the advantages of the theory is that it advocates for equal treatment for young and older students undertaking a particular course because after all, knowledge has no restrictions or boundaries and it depends on a person’s commitment to learning. It provides the learners with a chance to intermingle and share new and old ideas which can be modified or made better in the learning and practicing process. However, I feel that the educational structure to consider separating the young and old learners to enable them to be at ease with each other and avoid cases of dependent learning and development from the two.

The third theory learned from the approach is Learner Autonomy. The theory states that students have the most significant responsibility in ensuring that they learn by use of active and interdependent activities such as group work, classroom participation and working in firms or paces related to the content. The approach is considered the best because of its influences an individual’s ability to learn which in turn boosts the overall academic achievement.

Action learning/ Experiential/Problem –Enquiry Based theory is the fourth approach to learning and development. The plan is a social framework which encourages individuals to pool their resources together to solve a problem or take action. It allows learners to be their own managers and be accountable for the failure or success of their academic performance at the end of learning. The theory is applicable in this module as I was in charge of my learning, mainly when it came to group discussions and trying to integrate the knowledge at work. The primary advantage of the theory stems on the fact that an individual can decide on the best method to carry out the learning and development process so long as he or she achieves a higher academic and practical performance. To some extent, I feel that the theory is more theoretical than practical because learning is not all about working together but instead needs to be mixed with a personal initiative because some learners or individuals might not contribute much or have no clue of the issue under discussion.

The social learning theory

The Social Learning Theory is the fifth learning and development theory discussed in this module. According to this approach identified by Bandura, 1977, individuals learn by observing the attitudes, behaviors, and the attitudes of others. Also referred to as observational learning or modeling, this form of education is used to explain a wide variety of behaviors in an organization.

One thigh that stands out regarding learning human resource development by applying this theory is the fact that I have to be attentive, be able to retain information, use it in other situations, be motivated, and develop a learning curve.

Advantages and disadvantages

I can attest that the social learning theory has been very beneficial to me in my workplace.  For example, it has enabled me to take responsibility for my learning. I have managed to observe the positive attitudes of my superiors and managers thereby improving on my skills and agility at work.   On the same note, I have attended a lot of seminars dealing with human resource development outside the work office and also during training events that are paid for by work or by myself. During group discussions and classroom learning, applying the theory has enabled me to leverage all the expertise around me for example through the discussion forums, information from journals. I can access the exact information I need, and this can help me achieve assigned tasks. On the same note, I am continuously learning thanks to the knowledge gained from the social learning theory.

Finally, I have found it easy to foster better relationships as well as collaborate with the superiors, workmates and even schoolmates. People are naturally social beings, and we all need to feel like part of a group. In the course of this module, I was able to support fellow learners and my workmates and vice versa which made me feel part of something more prominent as well as being motivated.

However, the theory’s application has some disadvantages, the major one being that observing does not guarantee maximum retention of what is seen or learned. Sometimes I tend to forget about half of what I have observed. On the same note, not all the observations I make will apply to my situation or in the near future, and as such, I have to be very careful on the aspects I wish to copy from my peers and mentors in the long run.

 
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