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Final Guidelines for the Protection and Training of Workers Engaged In Maintenance and Remediation Work Associated with Mold 34 Appendix C. Principles of Adult Education These principles are taken from the newly updated 2005 NIEHS document, Minimum Health and Safety Training Requirements Criteria: Guidance for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) and All- Hazards Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, and Response. The vast majority of the WETP awardees students are adults who already posses the knowledge, skills, and abilities to work in their current occupations such as fire fighters, EMS, rail workers, construction trades, chemical process operators, utilities, and the like. The objective of HAZWOPER training is to provide the additional knowledge, skills, and abilities specific to this high-hazard environment to permit these workers to perform in their occupation in a safe manner in the unique HAZWOPER setting. The ability to effectively achieve this in the instructional setting requires that instructional materials, teaching techniques and methods, the instructional staff, and the instructional setting are based upon sound and proven principles of adult education that are tailored to the individual awardees training target audience. The following describe the basic principles of adult education: • Adults learn best by doing. This is the basic foundation of the OSHA policy with respect to computer-based training: knowledge alone is insufficient in the HAZWOPER environment particularly without demonstration of the necessary skills in hands-on exercises. • The training environment must be conducive to learning. HAZWOPER training has two distinct learning environments: the core off-site training and the site-specific training. The off-site training must provide the knowledge required to perform the work in the HAZWOPER environment and verify the satisfactory attainment of the related skills. On-site training is intended to verify that the student has gained the necessary knowledge and skills and can apply them in the actual workplace. Approaches to the on-site component vary according to the occupation, of course. • New skills should be based upon current skills. The new skills required by a fire fighter, heavy equipment operator, or laborer in order for them to safely perform their work in a HAZMAT or hazardous waste cleanup operation must be constructed on the individual's current occupational skills. You train the heavy equipment operator, for example, to operate his/her equipment in which he/she is already qualified under the unique circumstances of the hazardous waste cleanup site. This approach greatly facilitates learning, peer interaction, and retention as well. • Adults learn best when the training objectives and goals are relevant in their "real working world." • Adult learners need direct experience to apply new skills in the work environment. This principle is the underpinning of the need for the hands-on component of skills training. Scores on a knowledge test are not a satisfactory indication that new skills can be effectively and safely applied in the work setting. • Adults need frequent non-judgmental feedback. Adult learners need to know how they are doing in a manner that is not judgmental. Training must respect students existing knowledge, skill, experiences, and circumstances. Opportunities must be provided for constructive feedback to each student in the training course. • Small group activities are important to adult learners. This approach provides an opportunity for individual learners to share and discuss what they have learned with their peer students. • Adult learners respond better to learning when they have the opportunity to interact with peers. The WETP has recognized the critical importance of peer instructors since the inception of the program, and continues to do so.