Learning Strategies for Adult Learners
Adults do not learn in the same ways children learn. Traditional pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning are not always applicable to adults in learning environments. Teaching adults requires the implementation of special accommodations, an understanding of the ways in which adults learn, and some measure of flexibility and understanding for the efforts that adults make to continue in higher education. Adult learners are typically people with other pressing concerns, including work-related duties, family matters and financial obligations. In short, the adult learner has much more responsibility than simply sitting in a classroom and learning material. It is important for instructors, then, to recognize the unique ways in which adults learn, but also to provide the support, guidance and feedback to ensure each adult learner is successful in their chosen educational pursuits.
Learning is a group effort and knowledge is the collection of all learning. All learners, including adults, can benefit from the experiences of others. Working collaboratively affords adults the opportunity to become active in their own learning. Working in team groups, adult learners are able to communicate, experiment, and exchange information that is personally and/or professionally useful and relevant. In this way, the construction of knowledge is an active and reciprocal process. The reciprocity that occurs in collaborative working groups can, in turn, allow for a greater understanding and appreciation of the differences and diversity in all individuals.
Ruey (2010) observes that adult learning depends, in large measure, on the maturation and experiences of the adult student. Wang, Sierra & Folger (2003) believe that the goal of teaching adults must strive to help each adult...
Adult Learning: Andragogy Adult learning as a concept was first introduced in Europe in the 50s (QOTFC, 2007). But it was in the 70s when American practitioner and theorist of adult education Malcolm Knowles formulated the theory and model he called andragogy. He defined andragogy as "the art and science of helping adults learn (Zmeryov, 1998 & Fidishun, 2000 as qtd in QOTFC)." It consists of assumptions on how adults
310). This seems entirely true, but I believe that it is seldom put into effect. The institution that was most relevant here was, of course, the hospital and the health system as a whole. Learning in a hospital is very different from learning in school. This is something that we failed to attend to with sufficient care as we worked with our adult learners. One of the key differences between
Adult Learners Ages 40-50 More adults are going back to college and learning new things, and these adults have different challenges than younger students. For example, many of them have been working, have become parents, or have delayed their college entrance by at least one year. A large group of these students are still under 40, but increasingly greater numbers of students aged 40-50 are entering the classrooms at colleges, some
Adult education has two branches. One can be called the purpose of education and the other can be named the practice of education. Many times it happens that in a practical set up the difference between the purpose and practice of adult education results in some sort of tensions in the working area. Tension does not necessarily mean that a problem arises that cannot be solved but it just means
2. How does this particular author support his/her claims? The author uses several means to argue and support her claims. First of all, she bases most of her assertions of learning theories as the starting base of her descriptions and assumptions. For example, the learner-driven curriculum is drawn from the constructivist theory, a theory of learning. Building upon the basic premises of constructivism, she is able to create the claims on
Motivating the Adult Learner Being educated through conventional mode of educational process involving the classroom and teacher motivated approaches, adult learners are perceived as unreceptive learners. Society is characterized by more of adults in comparison to the youths and with more number of matured adults the society as a whole is visualized as more educated and exhibits variety of culture and racial milieu. In order to maintain the current status of
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