Adult Development Perspectives

1
Adult Development Perspectives

• Physical/Biological Aging external and internal
• Psychological Changes cognitive/personal
• Social and cultural factors changes in adulthood
  determined by sociocultural context
  (eg.characteristics of higher social status -
  employed, live longer, stable social class
  shapes choices and opportunities social roles
  determine learning needs)

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Biological aging

• External noticeable (grey hairs, wringkles,
  changing body contour, gaining weight)
• Senses see, hear, feel
• Nervous system reaction time
• Intelligence fluid crystallized
• Memory short long term
• Disease related fatigue

3
Psychological development

• Intellectual development (stable until 60s,
  on-going research)
• Cognitive development (concern thinking pattern,
  dialectic vs relativistic)
• Personal development (sequential patterns, life
  events, transitions)

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Adult Development -- Phasic

• Changes that occur during relatively fixed
  periods of life/age-related periods
• central preoccupations and focal tasks that frame
  ind. perspective shift with age
• educational opportunities perceived in light of
  developmental task to attain stability
• further research exploration of particular
  sub-groups, ed. roles in life structure

5
Adult Development -- Stage

• Focus on changes not correlated with age but
  biological development
• Physical/psychological/cognitive development
• implications matching instruction and curriculum
  to the different type of learners
• implications classroom process is jointly
  affected by the stage of teacher and learner

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Adult Development Implication to learning

• Developmental tasks Havighurst
• Teachable Moments Havighurst
• Margin in life (P/L) McClusky
• Life Transitions

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Skills for growth/development

• The ability to
• select learning activities
• plan learning activities
• execute learning activities
• evaluate learning activities
• The ability from both individual and social point
  of view (no self actualization without social
  acceptance and participation i.e. experiencing
  self fulfillment through achie- ment
  individually, socially and culturally.

8
Personality characteristics for growth and
development

• Self awareness
• interest in this world and hereafter
• interest in other people
• desire to achieve
• internalizing standards/criteria for making
  judgements

9
Learning Theory

• Learning process by which bahavioral cahnges
  take place through reacting with an encountered
  situation
• Theory an effort to summarize a large amount of
  knowledge concerning the laws of learning a way
  of analyzing, communi---cating and conducting
  research
• Use of Theory guidance/improvement

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Process of Learning or Learning System as a Black
Box
Theory explains whats happening inside the box?
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General Learning Theories

• Behaviorist -- learning occurs as a result of
  outside factors
• Cognitive -- learners psychological, physical
  and social fields are important consideration
• Social Learning -- learn in social setting by
  observing others
• Humanist -- considers motivation, needs, interest
  as factors influencing learning

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Behaviorism application

• Rewards and punishments
• Responsibility for student learning rests
  squarely with the teacher
• Lecture-based, highly structured

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Cognitive application

• Inquiry-oriented projects
• Opportunities for the testing of hypotheses
• Curiosity encouraged
• Staged scaffolding

14
Social Learning Theory application

• Collaborative learning and group work
• Modeling positive responses and high expectations
• Opportunities to observe experts in action

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Humanist Theory Application

• Modifies information processed by people through
  changing value system
• Provide intrinsic motivation to fulfil needs
• Inculcating faith in ones ability to solve
  problem

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Aspects Kids vs Adults
Learner Concept dependent Independent, self directed
Learner Experience insignificant Rich in resource learning
Learner Readiness Based on physical, mental, social dev. Based on need
Relevancy Later application Immediate application
Environment Subject-centred, authority-oriented, formal, competitive Problem-centred, collaborative, informal, respective
Planning By teacher Mutual
Needs By teacher Mutual/self-diagnosis
Lesson Design Sequenced in terms of subject matter, content focused Sequenced in terms of need, problem focused
Activities Transmittal of information Experiential technique
Evaluation By teacher Mutual
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Evolution Adult Education Theory

• The Meaning of Adult Education by Eduard Lindeman
  in 1926 marked the beginning of adult education
  as a field
• Adult educators began to look for a unique adult
  education knowledge base
• European adult educators began to use the term
  andragogy in the 1950s
• Andragogy finally surfaced and became part of the
  educational language in 1967 with Malcolm
  Knowles, a prominent scholar in the field of
  adult education

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Five principles of Andragogy

• Self-Concept Adult learners are directing their
  own plan. (teacher directed vs. self directed)
• Experience Adult learners bring an ever growing
  reservoir of experience and knowledge to the
  table.
• Readiness to learn Adults are focused and ready
  to learn those things that will have a direct
  impact on themselves/family/work.
• Orientation to learning Problem centered rather
  than subject centered.
• Motivation Adult learners are learning for a
  reason, and they push themselves from within.
  They are sparked by an inner source and have a
  sense of urgency about their learning. (internal
  vs. external motivation)

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Models of Self-directed Learning

• Sequential (Tough, 1991)
• What, where, how, set deadlines, get proper
  resources, find time, increase motivation
• Interwoven (Brockett Hiemstra, 1991)
• Self-directed learning occurs when need is
  matched with opportunity
• Instructional (Grow, 1991)
• From relying heavily on the teacher for guidance
  to taking full responsibility for learning
• self concept moving from dependence toward self
  directed

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Questions on self-directed learning

• What is involved when adults take control of
  their own learning?
• How do they set their learning goals?
• How they locate appropriate resources?
• How do they evaluate their learning?
• How deliberation and serendipity intersect?
• What about social and peer group supports?
• The influence of culture/SES on learning?

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Contemporary Theories of Adult Learning

• Transformational Learning
• Learning lead to empowerment and transformed
  world view
• Gradually or through sudden experience (with
  sequential steps)
• Informal Incidental Learning
• Informal learning unstructured learning in the
  hands of the learner
• Incidental learning a byproduct of interactions,
  trial-and-error, etc.
• Can be enhanced by well-planned educational
  intervention.

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Mezirows Perspective Transformation
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Contemporary Theories of Adult Learning

• Context-Based Adult Learning
• Learning is shaped by the nature of the
  interactions and contexts
• involves development in personal, interpersonal
  processes
• Postmodern Theories
• Knowledge is socially constructed and form in the
  eyes of the knower
• One kind of learner, one learning goal, one way
  to learn dont exist
• Critical Theory Worldview
• Prejudice/oppression become common-sense viewing
  lenses
• Learning through critical reflection and
  consciousness raising

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Lessons from Learning Theories

• Feedback and Reinforcement is necessary
• Practice is important/Clear Objectives
• Material must be meaningful
• Learners must be involved
• The Trainer must be credible
• Learners must be able to see the benefits
  achieve incremental successes

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Questions on Critical Reflection

• How adults make sense or meaning from their
  experiences?
• What are the dynamic involved in modifying
  meanings?
• Why certain adults can be highly critical on
  issue related to ideologies but not on others?
• To what extent is critical reflection associated
  with personality characteristics?

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Questions on Experiential Learning

• Is experiential learning a natural phenomena or
  shaped by culture?
• Is length of experiential learning connected to
  intensity of learning?
• Are there any difference in impact between adults
  and youngsters participating in experiential
  methods such as games, simulations, psychodrama,
  case-studies etc.

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Assumption about Adult Learners

• They are diverse, bringing wealth of life
  experiences. Active learning connects content to
  learners meaning structures
• Diverse in ages, abilities, job experiences,
  cultural background, personal goals
• Range in education 0 many years
• Personal experiences and learning resources

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Assumption about Adult Learners

• They want to relate content to specific contexts
  in lives. Thus they are
• Pragmatic learners
• They want to improve performance
• Expect class time to be well spent
• Hope that courses will solve problems

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Assumption about Adult Learners

• They prefer to have some degree of control over
  their learning. They
• Tend to be voluntary learners
• Believe the decision to go to school is an
  important one
• Believe education will be helpful

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Assumption about Adult Learners

• Their sense of self has a significant influence
  on the meaning of the learning situation. They
  may
• Feel embarrassed on returning to school
• Feel embarrassed joining classes with younsters
• Hold negative impressions of their abilities
• Hold negative impressions of school and teacher