2. "The art of teaching is the
art of assisting discovery."
- Mark Van Doren
3. What is Learning?
ï§ Learning involves change.
ï§ concerned with the
acquisition of habits,
knowledge, and attitudes.
4. What is Learning?
It enables the
individual to make both
personal and social
adjustments.
5. 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.
6. What is learning?
Learning is a change in
human disposition or
capability, which can be
retained and applied.
7. Key Assumptions about
Adult Learners:
1. Adults are motivated to
learn as they experience
needs and interests that
learning will satisfy.
10. Deweyâs Key Concepts of
Teaching:
ï§ All genuine education
comes about through
experience.
ï§ Democracy/Participation
- promotes quality human
experience
11. Deweyâs Key Concepts of
Teaching:
ï§ Continuity - builds upon
experiences that are
worth while
ï§ Interaction/Participative-
itâs a social process
12. What Adults Need to
Know Prior to Learning:
ï§ how learning will be
conducted
ï§ what will be learned
ï§ why it will be valuable
13. "Anyone who stops learning
is old, whether at twenty or
eighty. Anyone who keeps
learning
stays young."
- Henry Ford
14. Breakdown of the
Principals of Adult
Learning
Learning is enhanced
when it can immediately
be applied in a real-life
context.
15. Learning is enhanced when
adult learners have control
or influence over their
educational experiences.
37. REFERENCES
ï§ http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/Fa
ï§ Merriam, S. B. and Caffarella, R. S. (1991)
Learning in Adulthood. A comprehensive
guide, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
ï§ Knowles, Malcolm,(1978), The adult learner : a
neglected species, Houston, Gulf Pub. Co.
ï§ Vella, Jane, (1994), Learning to listen, learning
to teach, San Francisco,Jossey-Bass Publishers
Ask/Think about: âWhat is learning?â; âWhat is the learning process?â; âWhat is the difference between teaching and learning?â
How can learning be measured?
Seeing value in what they are learning is criticalâŠ. I.e. âbuy inâ. Basically, adults want and need to be treated as adults. Similarities in learning in children and adults?
Seeing value in what they are learning is criticalâŠ. I.e. âbuy inâ. Basically, adults want and need to be treated as adults. Similarities in learning in children and adults?
Seeing value in what they are learning is criticalâŠ. I.e. âbuy inâ. Basically, adults want and need to be treated as adults. Similarities in learning in children and adults?
Acknowledge and respect the knowledge and experiences of adult learners.
Activity: If using this as a training, in small groups, have participants list what kinds of things adults want to know about what they are going to learn.
Acknowledge and respect the knowledge and experiences of adult learners.
Activity: If using this as a training, in small groups, have participants list what kinds of things adults want to know about what they are going to learn.
How/What/Why Think about it from your own perspectiveâŠ. Isnât this what you want to know going into a learning situation?
Ever know anyone that has quit learning and growing? Ever know someone âolderâ that embraces learning new things?
Activity: If presenting this as a training, in small groups, have participants make a list of specific things that people think are important to adult learners.
How can you link what you are teaching to real-life experiences? (What do we all like to get from a conference⊠things we can take back and immediately use!) If learners can make connections to the concepts you are presenting this ensures a higher degree of understanding and retention. Adult learners want information that they can use. Also⊠if they can relate what you are saying to life experiences that theyâve had, the concepts you are presenting will make sense to them. Encourage learners to relay connections theyâve made. Real-life stories are remembered longer by learners.
How can you give staff members/learners some control over the learning process? When people have input, you will get more âbuy in.â It conveys respect when participants have some say in the process.
Learners rely on their frame of reference. (Sometimes when people are resistant to classes or training it is based on their previous experiences â school was not a positive experience for everyone.) How can you draw from participantâs past experiences? Incorporating the experiences and knowledge of participants conveys respect for what they know and their skills. Often adult learners have much to offer, building upon what is being covered.
How can you involve learners? (How much did you learn from college instructors that simply lectured?) We know this concept to be true with children! Asking questions and involving participants will assist you in assessing how much information they are understanding and retaining. Activities also âbreak upâ training⊠and can make it fun. Breaking up into small groups for activities encourages the socialization process, and will solicit participation from some learners that may not speak up in the larger group.
How can you create an atmosphere of comfort, respect and acceptance? (Have you ever been in a classroom that was stiflingly hot? Could you focus?) Learners need to feel comfortable, safe, and accepted in order to participate⊠both physically and emotionally. Although we are used to sitting in child-sized chairs, they are not conducive to an hour or more of sitting!
Adults like to have some say in what it is that they are learning. Often we can âwalk them throughâ the process of choosing an area they could benefit from additional information on. (âWhat is your biggest challenge?âŠâ) Encourage or help them to set continued learning goals. How can you help them to be self-directed in their learning?
Reinforce attempts at new behavior and any successes. How can you help to ensure success with new behaviors or skills? Do participants feel like they can do or achieve what it is we are teaching?
Assess current knowledge
Define what is of interest &/or of value to participants
Recap what was learned (after)
Thoughts on this quote? Is it true, based on your experiences? How does it relate to the information presented?
CAbraham/2005
