Traditional Learning Environment for Adults Learners

“Andragogy is based on a number of assumptions about the adult learner. The European…meaning “the art of science of helping adults learn,”…” (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2007, p. 84) Adult learners need to have the ability to be self-directed, to be accepted as a peer, to have their experiences acknowledged, to have assistance and respect from the instructors, staff, and colleagues. Adult students do not learn the same as younger students because experience and past knowledge has formed a great wealth of wisdom in the adult’s informational range. Adult learning is in direct relation to the knowledge gained by the adult students.

TRADITIONAL LEARNING CONTEXT

How does one learn from only a lecture? This question has been asked many times but just as often, there is no real answer. I, for one, am not a lecture learner and struggled in a few of my undergraduate classes. I was attending Henderson Community College and to cover all of my general education requirements I had to take two history classes. I had decided to attend summer classes, through an online format so my family and I could camp and take vacations during the summer. The class that I struggled with the most could have been described as non-traditional and traditional.

This particular history class, History of Kentucky was being taught out of Eastern Kentucky University and had two, one hour required live seminars weekly. During the live seminars the instructor would lecture continuously, there was no interaction between student and instructor, and no visual aids of any kind. For a solid hour I was required to sit and listen to an even-keel drone speech from an instructor that had a thick southern accent. The true purpose of the lectures were never clear to me...

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...I had yet to find.

CONCLUSION

The difference between a traditional learning environment and an adult learning environment is vast. The traditional learning environment generally will take place in a brick and mortor institute; whereas an adult learning environment can take place within any higher learning capacity. As I described my own situation, I took an online class and was still thrust into a lecture environment. The lecture environment is teacher centered in contrast to the adult learning environment that is more student centered. Finally the adult learning environment is based on the individual adult, how they view things, their past experiences, their motivations for learning, and their own initiative.

Works Cited

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.