Learning Shire Consulting Services

Transformative Human Service Learning

Consultation with Patricia Webb

Whether we call it living or learning, we’re all breaking new ground in our experiences & our understandings every day. Much of our most important learning happens outside of formal settings like schools or training programs. In fact, the part of learning that transforms us – that really changes us, and so changes our lives – happens right in the context of our significant relationships through the reflective thinking that goes on in our own heads!

How can adult teachers & trainers harness the power of this
type of learning?

Adult education has indeed reached every corner of life, through –

– yet often the more structured the setting, the less likely it will support learning that’s creative or motivational, let alone transformative! Indeed, most program planners & instructional designers have their hands full just ensuring they’ve covered necessary content. Making such content lively & interactive is a challenge – structuring it as a transformational journey may lie beyond their comfort zone, and quite possibly beyond
their expertise.

This is where Learning Shire consulting services can help.

Patricia Webb has spent years refining the shift from instructional methods that impart information, to ones that integrate information with people’s lives… and from programs built on one-way communication directed by ‘teacher’ to ‘students’, into workshops built on multi-faceted group interaction, in which participants work together as both teachers & learners.

The results go far beyond the quality of people’s experience in the seminar room!

Experiential transformative learning creates high levels of initiative, responsibility, creativity and motivation among learners – as well as creating memorable experiences in which people have fun! Because this approach is premised on critical reflection & group interaction, participants engage in extensive decision-making, as well as applying the content they’re studying, thereby developing skills and increasing insight about their own strengths & weaknesses – and how best to extend their learning beyond the workshop day.

Learning Shire consultation also targets more than the formal learning needs of client groups. We design learning that addresses informal needs – encompassing the history, relational dynamics, and the learning trajectory from which a group derives. This level of customized consulting particularly benefits organizations working through complex or difficult periods of growth and change, as well as those whose service relies on more than knowledge – but on the integrated and creative application of knowledge by people working effectively together.

Consulting Services Directory

Three varieties of consultation services are available, targeted to meet three types of organizational needs:

Reflexive Group Process Training – on-site consultation & group facilitation support, employing international adult learning research to guide human service teams in applying deep listening, reflective thinking, and negotiated action to address field work stress and organizational challenges.

Seminar Facilitation – dynamic on-site program facilitation for a wide variety of original & customized seminars, built on well-researched transformative learning processes.

Transformative Program Development – off-site instructional design and customized program planning, including transformative enhancement of existing cognitive content modules.

Learning Shire consultation services are available on an hourly, retainer, or project basis. Contact Patricia at info@learningshire.com or call her mobile office phone at 724-321-6098 to arrange an appointment to explore your consultation needs and options.

Please note that many of the Learning Shire's program offerings are also able to be customized, responsive to the particular needs & goals of client organizations. Visit the seminars page on our website for more information. If one of our programs looks useful to you, don't hesitate to inquire about customizing it for your business, school, or community organization!