Tips and tricks to help you develop a research-based training plan for your 4-H Volunteers!

Tips and tricks to help you develop a research-based training plan for your 4-H Volunteers (or a quick tip to share in your newsletter)!

Training to help volunteers reach their goals and provide high-quality experiences within their role is a foundational element of Volunteer Involvement across our CCE System (VIPP). Throughout the coming year, we’ll continue to highlight bite-sized, grab-and-go resources for you to add to your 4-H Program toolbox! Each lesson highlights practical ways to strengthen volunteer skills, deepen engagement, and keep your program growing with purpose. 

Today’s Highlight: Understanding Learning Styles — Helping Volunteers Teach with Impact

Not everyone learns the same way—and that’s what makes teaching in 4-H so dynamic! Some youth learn best by seeing, others by doing, and some by listening or reflecting. When volunteers understand these differences, they can create learning experiences that engage every young person in meaningful ways.

The Understanding Differences in Learning Styles lesson helps volunteers explore how learning preferences shape participation and success. Through hands-on activities, participants identify their own learning styles, discover strategies for teaching across multiple approaches, and learn how to foster a growth mindset. This engaging lesson helps volunteers adapt their delivery and design inclusive experiences where all youth can thrive.

The Understanding Differences in Learning Styles Activities, along with Fact Sheets and PowerPoint Slides for the Educational Design and Delivery domain, can be found on the National Volunteerism Resource Hub a project of the PLWG National 4-H Volunteerism Charter Group designed to house resources to support the preparation, engagement and utilization of 4-H volunteers.

These resources are based on the Volunteer Research Knowledge and Competency (VRKC) Taxonomy Model—a research-backed guide that maps out the key skills needed for volunteers to thrive in 4-H. From communication and organization to program management, educational design, and positive youth development, each skill area helps volunteers bring out the best in every young person they serve!

Questions? Reach out to Kelly Campbell (kmc86@cornell.edu )