The Adult Learner

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The Adult Learner
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"The art of teaching is the art of assisting
discovery."- Mark Van Doren
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What is Learning?

• Learning involves change.
• concerned with the acquisition of habits,
  knowledge, and attitudes.

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What is Learning?

• It enables the individual to make both
  personal and social adjustments.

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What is Learning?

• Learning is a change in the individual, due to
  the interaction of that individual, and his
  environment, which fills a need and makes him
  more capable of dealing adequately with his
  environment.

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What is learning?

• Learning is a change in human disposition or
  capability, which can be retained and applied.

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Key Assumptions about Adult Learners

1. Adults are motivated to learn as they experience
   needs and interests that learning will satisfy.

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Key Assumptions about Adult Learners

• 2. Experience is the richest source for
  adults learning.

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Key Assumptions about Adult Learners

• 3. Adults have a need to be self-directing.

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Deweys Key Concepts of Teaching

• All genuine education comes about through
  experience.
• Democracy/Participation - promotes quality human
  experience

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Deweys Key Concepts of Teaching

• Continuity - builds upon experiences that are
  worth while
• Interaction/Participative- its a social process

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What Adults Need to Know Prior to Learning

• how learning will be conducted
• what will be learned
• why it will be valuable

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"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at
twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning
stays young."- Henry Ford
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Breakdown of the Principals of Adult Learning

• Learning is enhanced when it can immediately be
  applied in a real-life context.

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Learning is enhanced when adult learners have
control or influence over their educational
experiences.
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Learning depends on past and current
experiences.
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Learning is enhanced when people are active
participants.
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Learning requires an environment of comfort and
respect.
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Learning is enhanced when self-directed.
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Adult learningis enhanced when participants
experience success.
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KWL What do we know?What do we want to
know?What did we learn?
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Show me and I forgetTeach me and I remember
Involve me and I learn.- B. Franklin
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Jane Vellas 12 Principles of teaching adults
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Principle 1

• Needs Assessment.
• Learners need to participate in naming, what is
  to be learned

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Principle 2

• Safety
• Learners need a safe, nurturing environment in
  which there is trust.

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Principle 3

• Sound Relationship
• Friendship without dependency
• Fun without trivialization
• Dialogue of peers

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Principle 4

• Sequencing.
• Small to big
• Easy to hard
• Slow to fast

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Principle 5

• Action with reflection.
• Description / Analysis /
• Application / Implementation

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Principle 6

• Control.
• Learners as subjects.
• Learners as decision makers.

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Principle 7

• Feelings / Emotions
• Learning through pictures / sound / opinion /
  discussion.
• Learning through the learners experiences /
  beliefs.

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Principle 8

• Immediacy.
• Learning that is practical, can be used in
  their workplace, learning directly relevant to
  tomorrow.

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Principle 9

• Clear Roles.
• Clearly defined roles and who does what in the
  learning process.

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Principle 10

• Teamwork.
• A social aspect to the learning. Adults need
  to network, learn by facilitation with other
  peers.

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Principle 11

• Engagement.
• Learners are active participants with an
  investment in the learning beyond the classroom.

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Principle 12

• Accountability.
• Learners expect results.
• What was planned for should be seen/reviewed in
  an outcome.

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REFERENCES

• http//honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/Fac
  DevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-1.htm
• Merriam, S. B. and Caffarella, R. S. (1991)
  Learning in Adulthood. A comprehensive guide, San
  Francisco Jossey-Bass.
• Knowles, Malcolm,(1978), The adult learner a
  neglected species, Houston, Gulf Pub. Co.
• Vella, Jane, (1994), Learning to listen, learning
  to teach, San Francisco,Jossey-Bass Publishers

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