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Reflections on adult learning
Adult education introduction essay
Reflections on adult learning
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Andragogy Malcolm Knowles who is known for his work in adult education discovered the need to alert institutions about caring for the interests of adult learners. For Knowles (1980; 1984) the best approach for teaching adult learners to learn is through experiences based on cooperative and guided interactions between the instructor and learner (Blondy, 2007). Carlson (1989) indicated that these learning experiences would help the learners develop his or own full potential (Blondy, 2007). According to Knowles (1980)
“the five assumptions of andragogy are that adults are self-directed learners, adult learners bring a wealth of experience to the educational setting, adults enter educational settings ready to learn, adults are problem-centered
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Knowles believed that instruction was based on conditions defined by the learner needs and not on the structured curriculum (Blondy, 2007). Furthermore, this theory determined that adult learners would most likely learn better if they were actively engaged in the process of education. The learners’ experiences were another factor acknowledged by Knowles (1984) because of the roles adult learners have in society (Blondy, 2007). Knowles (1984) recognized that certain experiences such as the way adult learners thinks, act, or defined themselves could negatively influence their learning experiences (Blondy, 2007). Based on these negatively influences, Knowles (1984) believed educators should help learners become more open-minded as this would be beneficial for them (Blondy, 2007). The implication of Knowles (1984) theory is
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.
L. The Role of Aging in Adult Learning: Implications for Instructors in Higher Education (2004,December)
What is andragogy? Andragogy consists of a theoretical model of six assumptions that was developed by Malcolm Knowles in order to “distinguish adult learning and adult education from other areas of education” (Mirriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007, p. 83). And so, andragogy might also be defined in terms of the efforts of “multiple researchers and scholars” (Henschke, 2011, p. 35) searching for a way to “establish andragogy as a proven theory and strong method for teaching adults” (Henschke, 2011, p. 35). But why is the topic of andragogy important for both adult learners and teachers? It is important because in order to effectively teach adult learners we must first “be cognizant of the differences which adult students bring to the classroom” (Schultz, 2012, p. 1) and to also understand that among adult learners, there exist “varying expectations and reasons for learning” (Schultz, 2012, p. 1). Andragogy is more¬over important to adult learners and teachers because both “learners and educators alike can use [it] to strengthen the learning transaction” (Mirriam et al., 2007, p. 84). With this brief definition of andragogy, along with the corresponding reason for its importance in mind, what now follows is what this paper is going to be about. The topic of this paper is an evaluation of whether or not the traditional learning environment is conducive to learning for adult learners as opposed to the andragogical environment. And the dual purpose hereof is to first briefly relate my own personal experience in a traditional learning context (under the heading of a ‘Traditional Learning Environment’), and then to reflect upon whether or not that traditional context (this time under the heading of ‘Andragogy Reflection’) i...
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.
Knowles, M., Holton, E., & Swanson, R. (2011). The adult learner. (7th ed.). Burlington, MA: Taylor and Francis.
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)
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 facilitation of this model allows adult learners to be active and self-directed in their learning.
Andragogy, made famous in the United States by Malcom Knowles in 1967, is the art and science of teaching adult learners as opposed to pedagogy which is the art and science of teaching but not distinguishing what age group (Rachel, 2002). Knowles implemented andragogy through the use of a learning contract, in which learning objectives, strategies and resources, achievement, and methods for evaluation are all determined by both the learner and instructor (2002).
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.
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...
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.
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...
Since we talked many ways and type of adult learning. In the sixth chapter,I recognized that experiences are so important to adult learning. Deway (1963)pointed out “not all experience are educative, some experiences may be the factor of leading a wrong way and I do really agree with this statement. Then, the next section described Kolb’s model of learning by experiences. Meanwhile, other adult educators developed three models from different perspectives. Jarvis(2006) considered the deep into a processing ; Tennan and Pogson(1995) tried experiential learning in an instructional angle ; Fenwick(2003) more prefer put philosophical lens of viewing the experiential learning. This is the most engaged part to learning. While the next section about “reflective practice ad situated cognition” was distanced of learning in this chapter. That is not means I repudiate these are two other ways to explore the relationship between experience and learning, it need to be