TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01According to the current model of leader education and development, the three domains thatshape the critical learning experiences throughout a leader’s career (institutional training andeducation experiences, training and experience in operational assignments, and self-development)complement and reinforce each other. The leader gains knowledge and understanding from theinstitutional experiences, which transfer to the operational assignment in a continuous cycle ofprogressive and sequential events in the leader education and development process. Operationalassignments provide the best opportunities to learn from the “school of hard knocks” andinteractions with skilled leaders, peers and subordinates, and practice self-discovery learning. Asa leader’s career progresses, professional military education and functional training furtherdevelop reasoning, critical thinking, and operational skills for positions of increasingresponsibility. Self-development occurs wherever and whenever the individual participates instructured independent learning activities that expand his or her capabilities as a member of theprofession of arms.The evolving future leader education and development model (fig 5-2) keeps the bestelements of the current model but, in accordance with the lifelong learning paradigm, increasesthe role and responsibilities assigned the self-development arena. Self-development will evolveto a meaningful competency-based program that encourages individual initiative, results inimproved leader focus on the profession of arms, and enables a “train ahead” approach todevelopment allowing motivated performers to shape their speed of advancement. There will beat least six key enablers for effective lifelong learning. Distributed learning (DL) is the first. Ifthe ATLDP recommendations regarding DL are implemented, the benefits of DL as part of thelife long learning process will be communicated and understood by all leaders, DL will bedeliberately integrated into active component leader education (building on success in the reservecomponents), and much DL will be focused on providing the self-directed, self-developmentactivities leaders require. Mobile training teams (MTTs), which bring learning materials to theaudience in the field, provide a proven form of distance learning. An essential enabler will be aninfo-structure that creates a network-enabled adaptive learning environment with anytime,anywhere, access to learning content.113