The learner-centered approach to training  A wise man (also a
former boss) once told me: “Training is what the instructor
does. Learning is what the student does.”  What the great J.
Kenneth Cerny, Ed.D., was speaking to was that he wanted his
instructional designers to be creating “learning systems,” not
“training programs.” There is a distinct difference between the
two.  The more traditional training program is very much a “me-
to-you” approach. The instructor is at the center, and the
course relies heavily on the instructor’s unique knowledge and
experiences being shared with the students.  There is a top-
down/trickle-down theory at work. Here, there is this vast pool
of knowledge and skills that can simply be transferred from one
person to another.  Although this type of training can be
enhanced with demonstrations, Q&A and other interactive methods,
the overall approach still puts the learner in a relatively
passive position.  Clean Slate  A learner-centered approach is
much more bottom-up. The learner c