The Army Learning Model gets the wheels turning at Regional Training Site-Maintenance-Fort Devens

By Master Sgt. Benari Poulten, 80th Training Command Public AffairsApril 8, 2016

The Army Learning Model gets the wheels turning at Regional Training Site-Maintenance-Fort Devens
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Abraham Keith, 318th Chemical Company, Birmingham, Ala. works on a Humvee during the first phase of the 80th Training Command's Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Course at Regional Training Site-Maintenance-Fort Devens, 31 March 2016. The three-week co... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The Army Learning Model gets the wheels turning at Regional Training Site-Maintenance-Fort Devens
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Dana Gault (l), 978th Quartermaster Co., and Spc. Ilmer Canales, 126th Brigade Support Battalion, remove a Humvee's engine during the 80th Training Command's Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Course at the Regional Training Site-Maintenance Fort Devens, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The Army Learning Model gets the wheels turning at Regional Training Site-Maintenance-Fort Devens
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Course instructor Sgt. 1st Class Jorge Gonzalez provides guidance to Spc. Michael Sweat of the 411th Chemical Co., Edison, N.J, as he disassembles parts of a Humvee during the 80th Training Command's Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Course at the Regional Tr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The Army Learning Model gets the wheels turning at Regional Training Site-Maintenance-Fort Devens
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Course instructor Sgt. 1st Class Jorge Gonzalez provides guidance to students during the 80th Training Command's Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Course at Regional Training Site-Maintenance, Ft. Devens, Mass., 30 March 2016, as they remove a Humvee's engine... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The Army Learning Model gets the wheels turning at Regional Training Site-Maintenance-Fort Devens
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Abraham Keith of the 318th Chemical Co. out of Birmingham, Ala. works on loosening the engine from inside a humvee as he and his fellow students take apart the engine block and remove the humvee's engine as part of a training task during the fir... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The Army Learning Model gets the wheels turning at Regional Training Site-Maintenance-Fort Devens
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Douglas Aho of the 110th Maintenance Co., Ft. Devens, Mass., re-connects the fuel supply line underneath a Humvee as he and his fellow students reassemble the vehicle. The students took the Humee engine apart during their final training task whi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Spc. Abraham Keith had never considered himself much of a mechanic before he arrived at Regional Training Site Maintenance-Fort Devens, Mass. The Reserve Soldier works as a cook in his civilian life, so in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., he spends more time fixing meals instead of cars.

Keith attended the 80th Training Command's Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Course at RTSM-Devens, and by the final week of the first phase, he was taking apart the engine block of a Humvee along with his fellow students. The three-week course teaches students the basics of maintaining and repairing four-wheeled military vehicles like Humvees and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

"At first, I couldn't get it," said Kieth, who's currently assigned to the 318th Chemical Company. "It was new to me. I just felt like, aw man, I'm not going to be able to do this."

Keith learned his new mechanical skills with assistance from other students and by staying late with his instructors.

"I was paired with people that knew [mechanics] and it just really helped," he said.

The concept of incorporating students' knowledge, skills, and experiences in the classroom stems from the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's 2015 Army Learning Model. The ALM reduces instructor-led slide presentations for a more facilitative approach designed for adult students.

"He's learning more every day," said Sgt. 1st Class Jorge Gonzalez, a course instructor. "His teammates, his classmates … the students themselves are actually teaching him."

Gonzales said, he believes that instructors and students both sharing their experiences provide a vibrant atmosphere of learning. Teaching others gets rid of fear, which makes an individual a stronger person, and a stronger non-commissioned officer, he added.

Keith said, learning to not to doubt himself was the most important lesson he learned at RTSM-Devens.

"If you think that's it, [then] say it," Keith said. "If it's not, then they're here to help you because you are here to learn."

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