Adult Learning Theories

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The essay aims to present the evidence-supported adult learning theories and approaches. The three theories include Socio Cultural, Social Ecological, and Experiential Learning. The adult learning theories reflect the ways in which the adults assimilate skills, attitude, knowledge, and information. The theories are the organised set of principles, which explains the process through which adults gain, retain, and recall the knowledge. In the field of education, the learning theories have played an important role in understanding the process of learning. These theories are widely used by the teachers and instructors in as guidelines, which significantly help in selecting appropriate tools, techniques, and strategies that can facilitate the learning …show more content…

In the adult education setting, the educators are required to act more responsibly and focus on understanding the needs and requirements of the adult learners so that they can shape the process accordingly. Vygotsky theory suggests that knowledge is dependent on the needs of the individual. For example, the adults interact with each other using language as a tool and as a result of social interactions, the individuals are able to learn and develop skills and capabilities. The social-ecological theory indicates that there are five environmental systems throughout the lifespan that influences and affects the learning and behaviour of individuals. These systems include the micro system, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and the chronosystem (Khalid, 2015). On the other hand, the experiential learning is based on direct experience, which acts as a critical component of adult learning (Biniecki & Conceicao, 2015). The success of experiential learning is based on linking the current tasks to the past experiences. It has been seen that the transformative learning is based on understanding the need for change. The self-reflection acts as a framework, which helps the learning to become more integrated into the life of the learners. The theory has helped in understanding that the adults can learn through working unconsidered perspectives. Each learning theory is different from others, is based on different principles, and can be applied differently. The adult learning programs are designed and developed to ensure a safe and supportive environment where active learning and interaction are prominent features (Nylander, et.al.,

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