The Ontario Broker - February 2018 - 31

KEVIN O'HARE, EDUCATION SUPERVISOR & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER, IBAO

etting licensed is the first step to
becoming a broker, but in some ways
that's when learning begins. Newly
licensed brokers are often guided
through a formal or informal mentorship as they
start to practice their trade. However, mentorship
requires a lot of time and effort from both the
advisor and the pupil. To maximize the value of
mentorship you'll want to consider current best
practices in adult education and how people
actually learn.
Children learn through play. They will explore
without being self-conscious - picking something
up, looking at it, rotating it, feeling the textures,
connecting it to other things, the sounds it makes,
even what it tastes like. Adults, however, don't
learn like children. Adults bring a lot to the table:
analytical skills, memory, articulate expression,
the ability to correlate concepts and their life
experiences, but they also struggle dealing with
failure and shy away from embarrassment.
Mentors are often guilty of overly protective
and supportive instruction, where the learner is
listening to the mentor but doing very little. When
mentoring a new employee, turn what you teach
into a series of independent projects. Projectbased learning is allowing that task or experience
to be done individually. It's essentially play, but as
play is defined for adults. Project-based learning
lets the adult use their faculties while exploring
the project's definition, boundaries, components

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and rewards. Tell the learner what they need to do,
where to go for their support, and when to come
back together. Then, cut them loose!
I always wanted to learn guitar. In guitar class,
fumbling through the chords with my instructor,
I wished someone could just upload the necessary
skills right into my head, like in The Matrix. He
assigned a song for me to learn at home. It took
hours of solitary practice, but eventually I got it.
At my next lesson my instructor wanted to play
along with me. Suddenly, it felt like my fingers
were made of dough. How did that song suddenly
become so hard when he sat in? The dynamic of
the situation had changed. I had learned to play
alone, but the lesson added a social context. In
addition to recalling the knowledge I had already
gained, I was self-consciously evaluating my own
performance. It was awkward and embarrassing,
but we continued until I was able to adapt.
It's often the mistake of an overly caring, nurturing
mentor to hold back, or protect the learner from
making a mistake, but mistakes are where the most
learning occurs. A mentor should stand back and
support when asked to, but seldom offer. Learners
need to apply their abilities to new situations
and learn through their struggles to achieve
their accomplishments. Don't force a connection
between mentor and learner, let the project
provide a meaningful bridge to each other. Like
playing guitar with an instructor, it may be hard at

first, but eventually you find your groove.
The key to teaching adults is allowing time to reflect
on their progress. Reflection should not be about
reaching the goal, but reviewing all the decisions
along the way in how they got there. The role of
reflection is to spotlight facts - what actions were
taken and what were the impacts of those acts.
It's important that self-criticism is encouraged in
learners, but not cynicism. Adults can be overly
hard on themselves, and for learning to progress,
adults benefit from positive encouragement. It is
the steps that make the journey, not its completion.
Miles Davis, a genius musician, was also an amazing
mentor. When drummer Airto Moreira joined the
band, he asked Miles what he should do when they
play together for the first time. Miles replied, "You
listen, and then you play". If Miles wanted him
to mimic what his band does, he would have had
Airto listen to the records first, but he didn't. He
listened to the band play and when he was ready to
he joined in, in his own unique way. You also have
capable, intelligent adults, how can you leverage
that in your education?
A mentor is really a guide - asking thought
provoking questions, providing challenges to
overcome, and pushing the learner to uncover
their hang-ups or biases. Mentors, with learner
reflection, will guide learners towards clarity,
simplicity and practicality.

FEBRUARY 2018

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Ontario Broker - February 2018