The Adult Learner

"The art of teaching is the

art of assisting discovery."

- Mark Van Doren

What is Learning? Learning involves change.

concerned with the acquisition of habits, knowledge, and attitudes.

What is Learning?

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

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.

What is learning?

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

Key Assumptions about

Adult Learners:

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

Key Assumptions about

Adult Learners:

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

Key Assumptions about

Adult Learners:

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

Dewey’s Key Concepts of Teaching:

All genuine education comes about through experience.

Democracy/Participation - promotes quality human experience

Dewey’s Key Concepts of Teaching:

Continuity - builds upon experiences that are worth while

Interaction/Participative- it’s a social process

What Adults Need to Know Prior to

Learning: how learning will be conducted

what will be learned

why it will be valuable

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether

at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps

learning stays young."

- Henry Ford

Breakdown of the Principals of Adult

Learning

Learning is enhanced when it can

immediately be applied in a real-life

context.

Learning is enhanced when

adult learners have control

or influence over their educational experiences.

Learning depends

on past and current experiences.

Learning is enhanced

when people are active

participants.

Learning requires an environment

of comfort and respect.

Learning is enhanced

when self-directed.

Adult learningis enhanced when

participants experience success.

KWL

What do we know?

What do we want to know?

What did we learn?

“Show me and I forget;Teach me and I

remember; Involve me and I learn.”

- B. Franklin

Jane Vella’s 12 Principles

of teaching adults

Principle 1

Needs Assessment.

Learners need to participate in naming, what is to be learned

Principle 2

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

Principle 3

Sound Relationship

Friendship without dependency

Fun without trivializationDialogue of peers

Principle 4

Sequencing.Small to bigEasy to hardSlow to fast

Principle 5

Action with reflection.

Description / Analysis / Application / Implementation

Principle 6

Control.

Learners as subjects.

Learners as decision makers.

Principle 7

Feelings / Emotions

Learning through pictures / sound / opinion / discussion.

Learning through the learners experiences / beliefs.

Principle 8

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

Principle 9

Clear Roles.

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

Principle 10

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

Principle 11

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

Principle 12

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

REFERENCES http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/F

acDevCom/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

http://eflclassroom.ning.com