prepared byDavid Hedley, Amr Kebbi, Ashley Northey, Patricia Robson, Serge Turchanikov

DU-TEAC1980-S2-W15 : Adult LearningAssignment #3 : Group Presentation

Observations about Learning Stylesin Adult Learners

Introduction

Five professional adults decided to take the “Adult Learning” course as part of the train

the trainer certification program. Henry, Holly, Mary, Keith, and Salim each with a different

background and reason to take the course were exposed to the adult learning theories as

part of the learning material.

Consequently, each one of the adult learners was able to reflect on the theories in a unique

way based on his or her experience and character. This assignment will dive into the journey

of each of the five adult learners, their background, their motivation, their learnings, and theirof each of the five adult learners, their background, their motivation, their learnings, and their

conclusions.

Henry is in his mid-20s, he has been out of school for 12 years, working various construction

jobs. A couple of years ago, he stumbled upon a maintenance job with the local transit

company. With a year under his belt, a light bulb sparked and he realized there is an

opportunity to make a future under this employer. Furthermore, he took it upon himself to

reach out to higher management to find out which courses would benefit him going forward.

Upon enrolling in the Adult Training Course, Henry found out he resonates most with Maslow’s

Hierarchy of Needs Adult Learning Theory. Needless to say, Henry is “motivated to fulfil basicHierarchy of Needs Adult Learning Theory. Needless to say, Henry is “motivated to fulfil basic

needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs” (www.psychology.com, 2015). He is

a simple person and lacks motivation from time to time. Maslow’s Theory made him realize

his learning deficiencies and he strives to acknowledge the problems that arise to neglect his

learning.

Meet the Students : Henry

Holly is a 47 year old mother of 2 who left the work force 20 years ago to raise her children. Faced

with the sobering reality of looking for work she has found that without current work experience

and post-secondary education her job prospects were dismal. Mary is determined, with the support

of her family to restart the learning process. As part of her path to attain a diploma, Holly has

enrolled in an adult learning course. Upon entering the program Holly was wrought with

insecurities, generally a feeling of very little confidence in her ability and not being able to catch

up no matter how hard she studied. up no matter how hard she studied.

Holly’s learning style is a new concept for her. Holly understands that in order to be successful

in her studies she needs to be supported by her family and requires a safe, clean, organized work

environment, these basic needs were things Holly did not have growing up. She is very motivated

to finish her studies as she realizes that this is the means to a better job.

Holly’s learning style resonates with the Maslow theory of learning; it is based on a pyramid

arranging human needs. They all build on each other with one motivating the next to reach the

ultimate goal of self-actualization (“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”). It is very interesting that Maslowultimate goal of self-actualization (“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”). It is very interesting that Maslow

choose these levels as tools for building oneself, to ultimately be the best they can be. Maslow has

described his own childhood as unhappy and very lonely. Even though Maslow’s needs come from

a desire to grow as a person not from the lack of something, I can see a very clear connection from

his childhood experiences to the steps in his theory (Cherry, 2015).

Meet the Students : Holly

Keith has been working as a copywriter and illustrator in a small-sized advertising agency for

a number of years where he oversees a number of junior colleagues who are just entering the

workforce. Prior to working in the smaller agency, Keith performed many roles in a larger

agency, which gives him a broad base of knowledge to rely upon in his work. More and more

Keith finds himself mentoring the younger workers, and he enrolled in an adult learning course

in order to develop training methods and enhance his instructional techniques.

Keith exhibits several of the characteristics Malcolm Knowles ascribes to adult learners. He isKeith exhibits several of the characteristics Malcolm Knowles ascribes to adult learners. He is

task-oriented, prefers to learn experientially, and feels that taking the course is relevant to his

future goals (Knowles, 1984).

Keith tends to think in images but is also quite structured. He has a background in the visual

arts and a vivid imagination. He has trouble following lectures and becomes impatient with

lengthly verbal instruction. He has a strong preference for independent work and research.

The main challenge for an instructor teaching Keith is accommodating his preferred method

of visual intake while still conveying methods that will enable him to reach students of allof visual intake while still conveying methods that will enable him to reach students of all

learning styles.

Meet the Students : Keith

Mary has been out of school for almost 30 years, and is a little nervous about the amount ofwork involved in online courses. She is interested in teaching at the local community college,and decided to take the Adult Learning Course to work towards her Train the Trainer Certificate.

Mary is a people person and likes to have face to face communication to develop a personalrapport with colleagues. She is also very social outside of work, and often the key organizerof her circle of friends. She is confident and works independently. She likes to set aside timeto work on her online course material in a quiet place so she can focus, and put some thoughtto work on her online course material in a quiet place so she can focus, and put some thoughtinto the reflection pieces at the end of each unit.

Mary’s learning style resonates with Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. According to Cherry(n.d.), Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory is based on the premise that we learn byobserving others, but to learn we must pay attention, retain and reproduce the information andunderstand our motivation to learn. The challenge for the instructor is to ensure there are avariety of course components so Mary can interact with her peers, receive feedback and spendtime on personal reflection.time on personal reflection.

Meet the Students : Mary

Salim has more than 15 years of key accounts management and sales management experience.

He had the opportunity to train adults before, but it was never a major role. As an account

manager, he is well trained to connect with people in order to discover their needs. He lives

the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in his daily interactions with customer, colleagues, and family.

He recently got interested in the adult learning subject after some discussions with his PhD

student spouse majoring in curriculum studies. His idea was to support trainers with some

sales training. This will add to their ability to understand their audience and supply them withsales training. This will add to their ability to understand their audience and supply them with

what they are looking for. As a consequence, he decided to take the adult learning courses so

that he understands more about adult learning theories and interact with other trainers. He

was motivated by an idea that he would like to test and explore.

With a job and a young family, finding time was a challenge for Salim. He was searching for

an online course believing it will be more practical in his situation. It was the first time he took

an online course since he finished his MBA in 2002. 10 years ago online courses was not an

option. Time and online format were not the only challenges. The material was completely new.option. Time and online format were not the only challenges. The material was completely new.

He questioned himself several times to drop especially that the course has no direct impact on

his career. What kept him motivated and continue was the new discoveries.

Meet the Students : Salim

Henry : looking to advance at his current job by taking the trainer course.

Holly : working towards earning a diploma to re-enter the work force.

Keith : planning to become an instructor as a future career path.

Mary : interested in teaching at the local community college.

Salim : motivated by personal and professional growth.

Summary of Students

To help achieve Henry’s goals in this course, as well as applying Maslow’s Theory, the

instructor can assure the learning environment is a comfortable setting. In particular,

make sure the room is at a comfortable temperature, is well lit, and provide breaks.

Furthermore, educate and outline the course standards and make sure everyone, including

Henry understands.

To sympathize with Henry, as well as the rest of the class, the instructor will engage on all

class happenings, and reach out to everyone about any questions or concerns they mightclass happenings, and reach out to everyone about any questions or concerns they might

have. To add to that, Henry and others will be welcome to stay after class to engage in further

discussions. Using these teaching methods, this will attempt to give Henry motivation going

forward as he is in a secure setting and the instructor is consistently engaged with Henry

and all other individuals.

Instructor’s approach : Henry

An integral part of Holly’s success will be based on securing a foundation of support and creating

a safe, comfortable environment and to keep an open mind when teaching. The instructor may

have students, like Holly, in their class that are missing parts of the basic levels of Maslow’s

hierarchy, basic comfort needs to be a position to advance in the learning process. Since not

all students have the same backgrounds and experiences, it will take understanding and flexibility

to accommodate for a lack of such important basic human requirements. This can be done in a

number of ways; the instructor can give Holly a feeling of genuinely caring about her progressionnumber of ways; the instructor can give Holly a feeling of genuinely caring about her progression

and be supportive in class.

Cultivating a personal learning experience and presenting material in a way that is organized and

interactive. Creating an interactive environment will effectively engage a student like Holly and

help contribute to her confidence building, a skill she will undoubtedly need to achieve her

personal goals.

Instructor’s approach : Holly

The instructor is a facilitator, outlaying well in advance the entire structure of the course in

order to allow students to acclimatize to the pattern of deadlines and projects. The instructor

chooses to appeal to Keith’s sense of imagery and need for structure by referencing Bloom’s

Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.

By illustrating the stages of learning as tiers of a pyramid with clearly defined categories

and stages of lower-level and higher-level processes, Keith can evaluate his competence and

comprehension of the course material in an objective and visual framework.comprehension of the course material in an objective and visual framework.

In addition to independent processes such as reading the syllabus and observing pre-recorded

lectures, the instructor underscores the need for well-roundedness by including group

projects, group discussion, and peer review to broaden the spectrum of classroom activities

that Keith will be participating in.

The instructor suggests gaps in skill-sets are growth opportunities, and outlines goals that

are currently outside of Keith’s comfort zone but are introduced in a positive environment

with ample time for posititve self-reflection.with ample time for posititve self-reflection.

Instructor’s approach : Keith

To help Mary be successful in the course, and considering Bandura’s Social Learning Theory,

the instructor will help her work towards a positive self-efficacy by ensuring the classroom

is well lit, quiet, comfortable, etc so she can focus on the material being taught. A positive

learning environment where there is mutual respect between the instructor and Mary,

with opportunities for group work will help Mary develop rapport with her classmates.

In addition to lectures or readings, the instructor could incorporate activities or small group

discussions so Mary can apply and retain the information she is learning. Having thediscussions so Mary can apply and retain the information she is learning. Having the

opportunity to complete self-tests or peer reviews throughout the course, will give her the

chance to receive and give feedback in a timely manner, and supplement more formal

evaluation methods. It also gives the instructor a quick snapshot of Mary’s understanding

of the material before moving along.

Encouraging Mary to set goals at the beginning of the course, and provide self-reflection

opportunities throughout will allow Mary to evaluate her progress. By providing Mary with

positive feedback, in a supportive environment, she will naturally develop a positivepositive feedback, in a supportive environment, she will naturally develop a positive

self-efficacy.

Instructor’s approach : Mary

The online platform was new for Salim and caused him some challenges to get through the first couple ofweeks. Once he got used to the platform, he enjoyed the features. As an assimilating style learner based onKolb’s Learning Style Inventory, Salim enjoys theories and concepts. He learned a lot form the readings,videos, reflection questions, and discussions. The discussion forum was a valuable source of informationthat allowed the learners to interact and share their thoughts and experiences.

Salim discovered and learned more about his character and learning style. He identified himself with thecharacteristics of adult learners (Lieb, 1991). He enjoyed filling the “Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory”,characteristics of adult learners (Lieb, 1991). He enjoyed filling the “Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory”,and he was not surprised to discover his correlation with the “humanistic education” philosophy or educationfor self-actualization. He was fascinated by the learning cycle and the various stages that learners passthrough (Kolb, 2007). He also understood the preferred learning styles as a personal preference to initiate thelearning cycle and not as a character description.

Reaching week six was a joy, he was exposed to Bandura’s Self-Efficacy concept, Bloom’s Taxonomy ofLearning, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. On the other hand, Salim did not relate to Gardner’s MultipleIntelligences Theory. He believed it might limit the options of learners due to its classification of learners’Intelligences Theory. He believed it might limit the options of learners due to its classification of learners’aptitudes.

Instructor’s approach : Salim

He not only saw applications for sales training in adult education, but also he found applications for

adult education theories in sales. Leading a sales team and managing a complex account is challenging.

A successful sales operation includes educating the customer about the characteristics of the products or

service. The education process should be focused on the customer’s needs. Although Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Needs is well used in sales operations, there are applications to Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning and

Bandura’s Self-Efficacy. With some modifications, Blooms Taxonomy of Learning can be related to brand

awareness. Applying this theory can help answer questions related to the level of brand awareness and howawareness. Applying this theory can help answer questions related to the level of brand awareness and how

to improve it. While Bandura’s self-Efficacy can be applied within the sales teams to motivate and improve

their skills by teaming up and exchanging successful habits and skills. In addition to theories, “The Learning

Contract” is a technique that help sales people have their own plan to develop their skills.

Salim enjoyed the learning journey, and this journey stimulated many ideas for the future.

Instructor’s approach : Salim

ConclusionThis journey is not unique to the five learners. In one way, it has personal aspects; on theother hand, it holds general aspects that can face any adult learner. The first aspect is themotivation to learn something new. Professional adults at a certain point feel the need toexpose themselves to new ideas or old ideas with a new perspective hoping this willpositively affect their future objectives. The second aspect is connecting to the materialby relating it to their previous experience and bringing their experience to the classroom.The third aspect is reflecting on the learning material and drawing projections for futureThe third aspect is reflecting on the learning material and drawing projections for futureapplications.

References

Cherry, K (2015). Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds.htm

Cherry, K. (n.d.). Social Learning Theory, How People Learn by Observation. Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/sociallearning.htm

Kendra, C. (2015). Biography of Abraham Maslow (1908-1970). Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesmz/p/abraham-maslow.htm

Knowles, Malcolm (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species (3rd Ed.). Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing. Knowles, Malcolm (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species (3rd Ed.). Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing.

Kolb, D. A. (2007). Kolb Learning Style Inventory. Page 2.

Lieb, S. (1991). Characteristics of Adult Learners. Week 2 course notes: Cultivating Adult Learning.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. (2002). Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/maslow/