15/04/23 Tutor Training 2015 1

Adult LearningReflection Exercise- Consider your own learning journey as a river or road – Draw what you perceive it to have been.

What barriers did you face?

What approaches/strategies did you embrace?

Did you take a ‘deep’ or ‘surface’ approach to learning?

Would you consider learning to learn an important concept? Why?

15/04/23 Tutor Training 2015 2

Theories of Adult LearningTheories of Adult Learning

Let’s examine 3 theories of adult learning and their

relationship to adult literacy.

• Malcolm Knowles- Andragogy Malcolm Knowles- Andragogy

• Carl Rogers- Person-CentredCarl Rogers- Person-Centred

( Humanist)( Humanist)

• Paulo Freire- Transformative Paulo Freire- Transformative LearningLearning

(Literacy for change)(Literacy for change)

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Malcolm Knowles American Malcolm Knowles American Educator- Educator-

Andragogy-Andragogy-

1. Adults –self directed and autonomous. Not always the case!!!!

2. Life experience to draw upon. Skills and knowledge attained.

3. Immediate requirement –learning required for application in immediate situation.-Driver Theory/ Children’s homework / Time- sheets

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Knowles’ - Theory of AndragogyKnowles’ - Theory of Andragogy

• Are all adults self-directed?- Learner may require all powerful tutor!- Can lead to dependence- Lack of motivation.

•Readiness to learn- Is this always present? Need to identify and sustain motivation- Set achievable goals together and review progress.

Not so much a theory but a set of guidelines for literacy practice.

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Carl-Rogers: Person - centred approach

Goal through learning is to become fully functional person.

•Humans have a natural inclination to learn.

•Learning must be relevant to needs.

• No external threats should impinge on the process.

•Learning to learn –Important aspect of theory.

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Carl Rogers’ Carl Rogers’ influence on Adult on Adult LiteracyLiteracy

•Places emphasis on the whole person- Personal development alongside functional skills of R, W, L, S etc.

• Needs to be empathy and realness in the facilitation of learning- Be yourself / Recognise the effects of literacy difficulties.

• Cites learning to learn as important component–Vital aspect of literacy provision. Adults returning to learning.

( Work on thinking, organisational and learning skills)

• Requires a safe learning environment. Implies no threats or pressures from outside. Confidential/Trusting/Respectful/ Recognise the effects of past learning experiences.

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LEARNING IS CHANGE IN PARTICIPATION

Liberating power of education- Theory influenced by a mix of Marxist philosophy and Christian

Liberation theology.

Worked with poor, illiterate population of Brazil.

“ Pedagogy of the Oppressed”

Method based upon dialogue between learner and teacher.

Learning from each other- Learning is a social act.

Paolo Freire- Brazilian Literacy Educator

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• Understand ‘the word and the world’- Literacy learned within the context of transformation/change.

• Active experience – Student centred / Problem posing. Not traditional (banking) method.

• Implies that it’s the problem that’s central to the dialogue and not the person’ as in Roger’s theory. Implication for teaching then is exploring the problem together to see where meaning can be constructed.