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The saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, could be a bad assumption about adult learning. Learning new trades or skills should be a live long process for all adults. The idea of learning from Marcia Connor‘s perspective, on How Adults Learn, states “we learn from everything the mind perceives (at any age). Our brains build and strengthen neural pathways no matter where we are, no matter what the subject or the context” (Connor pg. 2). Andragogy, the theory of adult learning, has become a widely studied subject by educational psychologists. The jobs in our workforce today have become more skill based and require more knowledge and experience to complete tasks at an efficient level. It is important for good instructors to be knowledgeable of adult learning principles so they can apply this theory when designing training programs for an adult audience (Noe pg. 148).
Malcolm Shepherd Knowles is well known for his work in the adult education field. He held the position as the Executive Director of the Adult Education Association of the United States of America in the 1950s. Knowles is also the man to write the “first major accounts of informal adult education and the history of adult education in the United States (M. K. Smith pg. 1)”. Knowles’s theory on how adult learn was broken down into five theories. Our book lists them as, ‘adults need to know why they are learning something, adults needs to have a need to be self directed, adults bring more work-related experience into the learning situation, adults enter into a learning experience with a problem-centered approach to learning, and adults are motivated to learn by both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators’ (Noe pg 148).
The first theory states that if the adult...
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...emember the knowledge and skills that you just taught. As said earlier, the adults have to see a meaning or significance in the nature of the material retain the information being taught. The learners must also be able to identify and apply the information in their job as well. Stephen Lieb is again correct when he says, “retention by the participants is directly affected by their amounts of practice during the learning. Instructors should emphasize retention and application. After the students demonstrate correct (desired) performance, they should be urged to practice and maintain the desired performance” (Lieb pg. 4).
Works Cited
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm, http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-3.htm,
http://agelesslearner.com/intros/adultlearning.html
Adults are self-motivated. They learn best by building on what they already know and when they are actively engaged (Lindeman, 2010). The approach of adult education revolves around non-vocational ideals and is based on experience rather than subjects (Lindeman, 2010). It helps adults gain knowledge about their powers, capacities, and limitations (Funnell et al, 2012).
In this paper, I will present a critique of an adult education program that I designed and taught to a group of twenty-five adults for the Toronto District School Board. I will begin this paper by providing a brief overview of this program and the thought processes that helped me to design this program. In the second section of this paper, I will explore my biases and underlying assumptions about adult education, and how it impacted my teaching process. In this section, I will also explore theoretical perspectives through which I can approach adult education. Lastly, I will present two lesson plans that I have created through which I can engage my adult students in the learning process in an engaging, thoughtful, meaningful and constructive manner.
Mirriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A
This essay is to consider and discuss how I might apply the theories of Malcolm Knowles, in my own current or future training work. The essay will include a brief biography on Malcolm Knowles, and his theory on adult education / learning andragogy, to include definitions of andragogy and pedagogy, which has been the mainstay of all education theory for hundreds of years.
Merriam, S.B., Caffarella, R.S. &Baumgartner (2007) Learning in Adulthood: A comprehensive guide, san Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass
One theorist that is relevant to this study is Malcolm Knowles’s theory of adult learning. Though Malcom Knowles may not be the first one to introduce adult learning, he was the one that introduced andragogy in North America. (McEwen and Wills 2014). Andragogy means adult learning. The core concept of Knowles’s Adult learning theory is to create a learning environment or awareness for adults to understand why they learn .Knowles developed six main assumptions of adult learners. Those assumptions are the need to know, self- concept, experience, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and motivation. (McEwen and Wills, 2014)
Edward Lindeman is thought by many to be the founder of contemporary adult education. His work in the area of adult education included the writing of articles, books, public presentations, assistance in the collegiate system as a lecturer of social work and as an associate pastor in the church (Brookfield 1986). Lindeman and Martha Anderson traveled to observe and analyze the German Folk High School system and the worker’s movement. Consequently, Lindeman and Anderson’s comparative research lead to the breakthrough of the German perception of andragogy. Their studies define andragogy as the “true method of adult learning” (1986). In 1968 at Boston University, the initial use of the term “andragogy” to attain prevalent notice of adult instructors occurred when Malcolm Knowles who at the time was an instructor of adult education, presented the term via journal article. In his 1970 book publication, he defined “andragogy” as the art and science of helping adults learn. The concept of self-directed learning, or SDL, maintained below reveals Knowles’ definition of SDL:
The learning process for adults is never ending and can be very challenging. As an adult educator, teaching adult learners you will face many challenges in the learning process. It is our responsibility to keep the learners engaged, and to help them to realize their full learning potential.
The two International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (ibstpi) competencies that are most important to my practice of instruction in an adult learning environment are: Provide clarification and feedback and Promote retention of knowledge and skills. These two competencies allow students to codify learning in ways that they can receive feedback and apply new knowledge. For instance, instructors can create a venue to provide context for learners to request feedback on new knowledge application. Instructors may use a myriad of methods/techniques (e.g., case studies, demonstrations, etc.) to promote teacher-student engagement, allowing recommendations to flow smoothly. Students can also provide their own feedback
Analysis: having been through the adult learning experience I have realised the roll of learner and teacher in this approach. An effective teacher can facilitate the development of independence, self confidence, learning satisfaction and help students (the learner) to critical think. This experience has taught me that there are different styles of learning and teaching that I can adopt in my future.
Knowles et al(2011) state that “the goals and purposes of adult learning serve to shape and mold the learning experience” and cite that although Knowles suggested adult learning goals should be placed into three categories; individual, institutional and societal growth, “he did not directly link them to andragogical assumptions” (Knowles et al, 2011, p.148). As cited in Leach (2011) the first of Knowles’ principles is setting the physical and psychological climate to encourage learning. Next, involve the learners in mutual planning. Next, enable learners some input into identifying learning needs for themselves
As we know, human being keep learning though all their lives, Sometimes I am thinking how we adult learning. In this book, I found them--some related concepts about adult learning and ways to Self-Direct Learning(SDL). Before reading this book. I already knew what is the adult learner is. In China, students who are over 18 years old are the adult in General Principles Of the Civil Law. In some perspectives, University education can be called adult education. It is new for me to learn this knowledge, so I chose the first eight chapters of the textbook.
Teaching the adult student is a great and unique responsibility; Andragogy preaches that teaching the adult learner takes a certain skill set and approach in order to be highly effective. The adult teaching theory and approach is based off the characteristics of the adult student. Andragogy views the adult learner as a very highly motivated student, a student ready and prepared to learn, and a student that comes to class with expectations of learning (Knowles 1984, pg12). With such a capable learner in the classroom the teacher must make the necessary adjustments. When teaching the adult learner, the teacher will have respect for their students and respect the fact that each student will have their own individual learning style. The teacher will also allow the adult student to experie...
Adult learning does not occur in a vacuum. What one needs or wants to learn, what opportunities are available, the manner in which one learns-all are to a large extent determined by the society in which one lives. Whenever adults are asked about their learning, they most often mention education and training programs sponsored by the workplace, colleges and universities, public schools, and other formal organizations. They first picture classrooms with “students” learning and “teachers” teaching in a highly structured format. Yet when we ask these same adults about what they have learned informally over the last year, they typically respond with descriptions of learning activities outside these formal settings. They discuss, for example, remodeling a house, which has involved everything form reading and talking...
Within the andragogical model described by Knowles, Holton, and Swanson (2015), adults need learning experiences that are different than those found in the pedagogical model. Instead of waiting for experiences that are directed and controlled by a teacher, adults need to have a clear rationale and understanding for the learning, feel past experiences are valuable, and have a developed internal system for motivation in order to help a learning experience be successful. The connection and orientation to the learning task, the readiness to learn, and self-concept are other important ideas to adult learning.