Lesson 1: Adult Education and Learning PDF

PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO KEY CONCEPTS Lesson 1 - Adult Education and Learning > Lesson 2 - What is Transformative Learning > Lesson 3 – Perspective Transformation > Lesson 4- Domains of Learning > Lesson 5 – Meaning Schemes and Perspectives > Lesson 6 – Types of Reflection ▪ Distinguish educati...

PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO KEY CONCEPTS Lesson 1 - Adult Education and Learning > Lesson 2 - What is Transformative Learning > Lesson 3 – Perspective Transformation > Lesson 4- Domains of Learning > Lesson 5 – Meaning Schemes and Perspectives > Lesson 6 – Types of Reflection ▪ Distinguish education and learning ▪ Describe adult education ▪ Compare pedagogy and andragogy ▪ Define the concept of adults ▪ Illustrate the self-directed learning process ▪ Gives examples of experiential learning In this lesson, you are presented with the key concepts of adult education and learning, and the foundational theories of adult education. ▪ Education is an activity undertaken or initiated by one or more agents that is designed to effect changes in the knowledge, skill, and attitudes of individuals, groups, or communities. The agent of change is the educator who designs activities to induce change. ▪ Learning is the act of process by which the behavioral change, knowledge, skills, attitudes are acquired. The agent of learning is the learner in whom the change occurs or is expected to occur. (Boyd, et al., pp. 100–101). ▪ An adult is a person who reaches the age at which he/she can reproduce (biological definition), reaches the age at which the law says he or she can vote, marry without parental consent, get a driver’s license (legal definition), start performing roles typically assigned to adults (social definition), and arrive at a self-concept of being responsible for his or her lives, of being self-directing (psychological definition). ▪ Adult education refers to “activities intentionally designed for the purpose of bringing about learning among those whose age, social roles, or self-perception define them as adults.” (Merriam and Brockett, 1997). ▪ Andragogy. Malcolm Knowles (1980) defined andragogy as “the art and science of helping adults learn” (p. 43), in contrast to pedagogy, which focuses on helping children learn. According to Knowles (2014), adult learners are different from children in terms of the need to know, the learner’s self-concept, the role of the learner’s experiences, readiness to learn, orientation to learning, and motivation. Pedagogy Andragogy Need to Know Children only need to know Adults need to know why they that they must learn what the need to learn something before teacher teaches if they want undertaking to learn it. to pass and get promoted Learner’s Self- Children have dependent Adults are responsible for their Concept personalities. own decisions and lives. Role of Learner’s Children’s limited experience Adults’ volume and quality of Experiences has little importance as a experience plays a significant source of learning. resource for learning. Readiness to Children become ready to Adults are ready to learn those Learn learn what the teacher tells things they need to know and be them they must learn. able to do in order to cope effectively with their real-life situations. Orientation to Children’s learning is subject- Adults are oriented to learn those Learning centered oriented. things about life, tasks, and problems related to their social roles. Motivation to Children are motivated by Adults are motivated by external Learn external motivators (e.g., (better jobs, promotions, higher grades, teacher’s approval, salaries) and internal (job awards). satisfaction, self-esteem, quality of life) motivators ▪ Self-directed learning. Adults are self-directed learners. SDL highlights two aspects of learning: processes of learning where learners have the primary responsibility for their learning pathway, and products of learning. According to Knowles (1975), “Self-directed learning describes a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes.” ▪ Experiential learning. Since adults have a great volume and quality of experience, experience plays a central role in the learning process. According to Kolb (1984), learning “occurs when the learner directly experiences the realities of the theory, concept, or fact that they are learning.” Keeton and Tate (1978): “Learning in which the learner is directly in touch with the realities being studied. It is contrasted with the learner who only reads about, hears about, talks about, or writes about these realities but never comes into contact with them as part of the learning process.”  ▪ Transformative learning. According to Mezirow, transformative learning is defined as the process by which we transform problematic frames of reference (mindsets, habits of mind, meaning perspectives) – sets of assumptions and expectation – to make them more inclusive, discriminating, open, reflective and emotionally able to change. Such frames are better because they are more likely to generate beliefs and opinions that will prove more true or justified to guide action. Test the students’ knowledge by asking these questions: ▪ How does education differ from learning? ▪ What is an adult? Do you consider yourself an adult learner? ▪ What is adult education? ▪ What is the difference between children and adult in terms of the motivation to learn? ▪ Enumerate in order the process of self-directed learning. ▪ Give examples of experiential learning. Directions: Share an experience where you took the initiative to learn. The story should include the following elements: diagnosis of learning needs, learning goals, identification of learning resources (human and/or material), identification of strategies, and learning outcomes. For example, When I was in the 10th grade, I had difficulty computing the acceleration of falling objects [learning need]. If I wanted to pass my physics subjects, I needed to understand Newton's second law of motion [learning goal]. I asked the help of Carl, the top student in our class [human resources]. We arranged a schedule for a tutorial in our home during the weekend. I also watched videos about Newton's laws of motion and did some practice exercises in our textbooks [learning strategies]. When the result of the test came out, I was able to get a score of 22/25 [learning outcome]. In your narrative, indicate the elements of self-directed learning. ▪ Foley, G. (2020). Introduction: The state of adult education and learning. In Dimensions of adult learning (pp. 3-18). Routledge. ▪ Mezirow, J. (2014). A critical theory of adult learning and education. In Education for adults (pp. 124-138). Routledge. ▪ Rogers, A. (2001). Learning and adult education. In Supporting lifelong learning (pp. 18- 34). Routledge. ▪ Knowles, M. S. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers. Cambridge Adult Education. ▪ Knowles, M. S. (1980). The Modern Practice of Adult Education; Andragogy versus Pedagogy. Cambridge, the Adult Education Company. ▪ Merriam, S. B., & Brockett, R. G. (2011). The profession and practice of adult education: An introduction. John Wiley & Sons.