Adult Educators Must Understand the Adult Learner

Adult Educators

From ancient times to Post modern times learning has been the most rivaled dialogue. Education has been a historical perspective and the underlying theme for individual and social evolution. Education in its broadest since (i.e. formal, informal, social, cultural, philosophical, teaching, training and instructing) is a course of action by which we transmit its accumulated values, skills and knowledge. Philosophical debate on the formulation of knowledge still exists today. Grundspenskis (2007) insists personal knowledge is the process that an individual needs to carry out in order to gather, classify, store, search and retrieve knowledge in his/her daily activities. Theories on learning and education have taken on many connotations and adult educator’s are in a position to lay the foundation for adult learners.

The central assumption behind the concern about improved training for adult educators is that it will lead to better performance “(Youngman and Singh, 2005). In recent years, many factors have converged to steadily increase the momentum toward professionalism in the field. The Adult educator’s, are currently being held to higher standards, and not only measured by the programs quality but also measured by learners. An educator of adults seeks knowledge for its own sake in order to gain a 'well-rounded' perspective on learning and to assist the learner with the appropriate tools. As indicated by Burns, Brauner, and Press, the possession of theoretical tools and techniques, and the use of philosophical educational tool make and evaluate decisions particularly pertinent to the field of educating adults (1962). McKenzie (1999) would insist measuring multiple intelligences and its components suggests a ...

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...der the preferred learning activities to support their learning mode. “we experience a deep psychological need to be perceived and treated by others as being capable for taking responsibility for ourselves” (Knowles, 1984, p. 6.5) I realize from both, the Adult learner and the adult educator, exerting power in the learning environment indicates or suggests an inclination to control the nature of the learning.

‘Learning may be as natural for human beings as breathing; it is something that individuals do on their own. ‘Learning is a pull strategy.’ Learners “pull” knowledge, and skills, so that they can be successful’ (Rothwell, 2008). Learning is the remedy to adult learner’s issues (i.e. employment, family, and education). The on-going professionalism of the field of adult education has made it essential to draw a distinction between teaching and learning.