New Learning Opportunities for Adult Learners
The concept of adults as learners emerged both in this country and in Europe shortly after World War I; however, only in the last few decades has the theory of adult learning matured. Knowles, Tough, Houle, and Park, among others, have written extensively on the idea of the adult learner. In Tennant's book (1997), he discussed Knowles' adult learning theory. Knowles used the term andragogy to label adult learning theory. The andragogical model of the adult learner is based on the assumptions that adults need to know; adults have a need to be self-directed learners and have a self-concept of being responsible for their own decisions and for their own lives; adults bring reservoirs of their own experiences that posed as a significant resources in the process of learning; adults come ready and motivated to learn what they need to know in order to cope; and while adults are aware of external motivators (better jobs, promotions), it is internal pressures (job satisfaction, self-esteem) that are the most powerful motivators (Tennant, 1997).
While adult learners are constantly seeking specific information and knowledge that is relevant to their immediate problems, and are aware that they would benefit from further education, many are not interested in a standard long-term course of study. They do not have the time or energy to become involved in a traditional education system, and their concerns are context-dependent, focused on specific information relevant to their immediate concerns (Tennant, 1997). Given this information, it is natural that educators look to this relatively new phenomenon technology, namely, the Internet for Web-based learning opportunities.
The W...
... middle of paper ...
... learners with a wide variety of learning styles.
References:
Henke, H. (1997). Evaluating web-based instruction design [online]. Retrieved January 24, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://scis.nova.edu/~henkeh/story1.htm
Lohr, L. (1998). Using ADDIE to design a web-based training interface [online]. Retrieved April 1, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.coe.uh.edu/insite/elec_pub/HTML1998/id_lohr.htm
McManus, T.F. (1995). Special considerations for designing internet-based education. Technology and Teacher Education Annual, 1995, 32, 51-57.
Tennant, M. (1997). Psychology and adult learning (2nd ed.) (pp. 9). New York: Routledge.
Twigg, C.A. (1994). The need for a national learning infrastructure [online]. Retrieved January 24, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://192.52.179.128/program/nlii/keydocs/monograph.html
In July of 2002, Congress swiftly passed the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investors Protection Act at the time when corporations like Arthur Anderson, Enron and WorldCom fell due to fraudulent accounting practices and bad internal control. This bill, sponsored by Mike Oxley (R-OH) and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), became known as Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).It sought to restore public confidence in publicly traded companies and their accounting practices, though the companies listed above were prosecuted on laws that were already in place before SOX. Many studies have examined the effects of SOX on corporations in the past eleven years. The benefits are hard to quantify and the cost are rather hard to estimate including the effect on market efficiency.
Animal cruelty is a rapidly growing nationwide problem. Animals are being battered and starved everyday. There are many forms of animal cruelty; some forms are scientific research, abandonment, and mistreatment.
Courtney I have to agree with your first characteristic, the adult learners have “readiness to learn things that are relevant to their job and personal life”. We are more motivated to learn something when we are sure that we would have a used for it. As we become older, time is more valuable and we are more motivated to use it more wisely.
Environmental concerns have been raised from time to time because of the dependency on the gasoline-fueled engine as the chief auto powertrain technology. This has resulted in exposing many automobile users to unpredictable prices of fuel. These issues were, however, the reason for the inception of Tesla Motors so as to bring into existence another set of automotive which serves the similar purpose; but uses another form of energy that being electricity to drive them instead of the disadvantageous gasoline-powered engine. This invention was influenced by a number of factors in terms of their planning and performance (Hunger, 2010).
ADULT LEARNING THEORY 2 Adult Learning Theory Malcolm Knowles Malcolm Knowles (1913-1997) was a key figure in America’s adult education in the second half of the twentieth century (Smith, 2002). Early Life “Born in 1913 and initially raised in Montana,” Knowles seems to have had “a reasonably happy childhood. His father was a veterinarian and from around the age of four Knowles often accompanied him on his visits to farms and ranches” (Smith, 2002, para. 2). His mother also played a critical role in his character building. During his campaign for the scouting prize, he developed a technique that would help him compete successfully (Smith, 2002), which he always thanked his mother for. In 1930, He entered Harvard University with scholarship, where he spent four dynamic years. Although job opportunities were extremely scarce, he still managed to find a job in Phillips Brooks House at Harvard (National Louis University [NLU], 2005), “a university organization dedicated to social work” (NLU, 2005, para. 7); he also volunteered to participate in many activities with immigrants at Boston's Lincoln House Settlement (NLU, 2005). In addition, he accumulated experiences in communicating with youth groups and counseling for immigrant Italian families. He was even elected President in Harvard's Liberal Club (NLU, 2005). He was soon found to be caught up in the Depression; however, he was not defeated by either the delivery job for the New York Times in the Cambridge area, or the errands he ran as a water boy for the Harvard football team (Smith, 2002). With the desire to work in the field of education, Knowles managed to get a job in new National Youth Administration in Massachusetts, where he was involved in “finding out what skills local em...
Preparing myself with the knowledge of best practices for teaching adult learners will be contributing to the learners’ learning styles. There are many workshops and trainings available that will help me to accomplish this career goal, such as the Effective Teaching Training Workshop. The Effective Teaching Training Workshop addresses the diversity of learning styles that are suitable for the adult learner, how to motivate the adult learner, and being able to recognize when the adult learner is approaching a pitfall. Radovan & Makovec (2015) suggested there is no doubt that one of the most important influences on learning is motivation, so a significant amount of research has investigated how to create learning experiences that are as motivational as possible in order that participants’ needs be met and satisfaction with learning be
Tesla is highly recognized for its excellent lead in the enhancement of a sustainable future. In summary, there is a need for protecting the environment to become cleaner, greener and sustainable one. With the number of vehicles that operate globally on petroleum and diesel, the environment will be wasted and totally degraded in a short time. It is important to apply such new technologies for the better of the future. Tesla been a pioneer in this industry has brought about changes that can be applied to change the world. For this reason, as many companies as possible should embrace the strategy of Tesla in the development of a sustainable future.
Andragogy offers a medium through which adult learning can be facilitated. It is essentially a humanistic educational process that values the individual learner. The powerful relationship between the instructor and student does not compromise educational values and learning expectations. Andragogy adds to the cognitive, affective, interpersonal and psychomotor domains of adult learners in order to bring about transformation. Knowles's version of andragogy presents the individual learner as one who is autonomous, free, and growth-oriented; therefore andragogy is an important and potentially useful avenue for both instructors and learners. The purpose of this paper is to involve initial work toward comparing traditional and adult learning theories and models.
Throughout the past several years major corporate scandals have rocked the economy and hurt investor confidence. The largest bankruptcies in history have resulted from greedy executives that “cook the books” to gain the numbers they want. These scandals typically involve complex methods for misusing or misdirecting funds, overstating revenues, understating expenses, overstating the value of assets or underreporting of liabilities, sometimes with the cooperation of officials in other corporations (Medura 1-3). In response to the increasing number of scandals the US government amended the Sarbanes Oxley act of 2002 to mitigate these problems. Sarbanes Oxley has extensive regulations that hold the CEO and top executives responsible for the numbers they report but problems still occur. To ensure proper accounting standards have been used Sarbanes Oxley also requires that public companies be audited by accounting firms (Livingstone). The problem is that the accounting firms are also public companies that also have to look after their bottom line while still remaining objective with the corporations they audit. When an accounting firm is hired the company that hired them has the power in the relationship. When the company has the power they can bully the firm into doing what they tell them to do. The accounting firm then loses its objectivity and independence making their job ineffective and not accomplishing their goal of honest accounting (Gerard). Their have been 379 convictions of fraud to date, and 3 to 6 new cases opening per month. The problem has clearly not been solved (Ulinski).
Merriam, S. B. & Brockett, R. G. explains the difference between Adult Learning and Adult Education. Adult Learning is a cognitive process. (Merriam, S. B. & Brockett, R. 2007,G p.5) Learning is acquiring new information gained from life experiences, reading to inform yourself and personal relationships. It differs from Adult Education because it is informal. For example, if one would like to live a healthier life style and obtain information on good nutrition by reading a self-help book, this is adult learning. If one attends a nutritional class with a nutritionist as an instructor, this is a form of adult education. Adults are lifelong learners because learning is an on-going process. Learning is constant, incidental and is everywhere. Lindeman beli...
Educations a key component to the development of mankind; however, there is a distinct difference in the education of adults versus the education of children. It is not practical to assume a learning style used for a kindergartener would be applicable for an adult business person. In fact, pedagogy, or the science of learning, can help explain the constructs required to teach and learn in life and the classroom. Understanding the class of learners and the distinct backgrounds they may have is critical to effective teaching (Kelly, 2006). A class of adults from one state or region may not learn the same as one from another; therefore, understanding the specific needs of an audience is imperative to effective learning.
Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences. As adults mature they grow a vast base of experiences that could create a foundation of knowledge. People attach more meaning to learning they gain from experience than those they acquire ...
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...
Abstract: Recently, there has been a rush to create web-based instructional courses. The approach that is being taken to create web-based courses is to create websites that will function as the central distributors of information and materials. Based on the format and content of the course, the student is to go through lesson by lesson to complete courses. In this paper, I address some of the problems inherent in this approach, especially with respect to 18-22 year-old undergraduate education.