Adult Learners: The Top Twenty

1. Adult Learners:The Top Twenty Cora M. Dzubak, Ph.D. Concept Penn State York cmd14@psu.edu ATP 2007 On-line Workshop Jim Valkenburg, HBPE Narrative Delta College jcvalken@delta.edu

2. Agenda • General learning principles • Adult learners • Comparing the ages • The top twenty • Facilitating the adult learner • FAQs • Finis

3. How you put it in is… …how you get it out Multi-sensory Learning(using learning styles wisely)

4. A Brief Aside About Language Language symbols Broca’ Area Wernicke’s Area Language Signs Symbols Wernicke Broca

5. Multi-sensory Learning(using learning styles wisely) • Multiple modes of sensory input (attention-concentration) • Multiple methods of processing (comprehension)

6. Multi-sensory Learning(using learning styles wisely) • Multiple storage sites (retention) • Multiple access (memory)

7. Making connections Seeing relationships Incorrect or partial prior knowledge. Reluctance to change prior knowledge or beliefs. T. Angelo-University of Akron Prior Knowledge and Learning: Four Key Points

8. Diversity Among Adult Learners • Ages, abilities, goals, jobs, and life experiences • Educational backgrounds (GED - advanced degree) • Identities (personal, career, and educational) • Learning resources (reservoirs of experience)

9. Pragmatic learners Multiple roles Priorities Values Purpose Relating Class Content to Life Context

10. Independence and Control • Voluntary and purposeful learners • Once the decision to return to school is made, motivation is high (if there is no “choice”) • Strong belief that education will contribute significantly to the future and career progress • Value choice and independent decision making

11. Adolescents • other directed (social) • dependent (passive) • learn what they are told • as a group, much alike • concerned about length of time Adults • self directed (personal) • autonomous (active) • learn best when they perceive applicable outcomes • as a group, diverse • concerned about effective use of time Comparing the Ages

12. Comparing the Ages: Continued Adolescents Limited experiential base Generally learn quickly Open to new information and readily adjust their views Readiness to learn is linked to both academic and biological development Adults Broad, rich experiential base May learn more slowly, but just as well or better More likely to reject or “explain away” information that contradicts their beliefs Readiness to learn is more directly linked to needs (depending on their roles and purpose for learning)

13. Comparing the Ages: Continued Adolescents view learning as being of future use externally motivated “loose” expectations about learning Adults more concerned about immediate and functional use internally motivated strong expectations about applicability and use of information

14. The Top Twenty:What We Know About Adult Learners Motivation 1. Engagement: generally willing to become actively engaged in learning 2. Purpose: see learning as a means to an end 3. Self esteem: is a strong secondary motivator for active engagement in learning 4. Life events: seek out learning experiences that coincide with life events such as a change in job

15. The Top Twenty Curriculum 5. Integration: prefer to integrate new ideas and information with what they already know; associate old with new 6. Conflict: new information that conflicts with old is integrated more slowly (it forces re-evaluation) 7. Overlap: new information that has minimal conceptual overlap with what is already known is integrated more slowly 8. Interference: complex, fast paced, unique tasks interfere with learning

16. The Top Twenty Curriculum 9. Theory: prefer single concept or single theory courses that apply to current, relevant problems (compared with “survey” courses) 10. Speed: older adults might be slower in SOME psychomotor tasks than younger adults, but tend to be more accurate 11. Personalize: tend to take errors “personally” and are more likely to take fewer risks (comfortable with the “tried and true”) 12. Anchors: new concepts should be explained, or anchored, in different value sets and different stages of a process

17. The Top Twenty Classroom 13. Self-directed: often prefer self-designed projects or activities over “group-learning” experiences 14. Control: tend to prefer projects in which they can choose the topic, control the pace, and practice 15. Environment: tend to be annoyed by long lectures and lack of opportunity to “practice”; use “hands on” activities 16. Expectations: prefer clear, concise expectations from the start

18. The Top Twenty Classroom 17. Participation: encourage relevant discussions and sharing of “real-life” and practical experiences 18. Feedback: use open-ended questions and provide clarifying responses 19. Opinion: encourage opinions, multiple solutions, and opportunities for creativity 20. Behaviorism: “hands-on” activities used to apply theory

19. Keys to Facilitating Adult Learning Set specific learning goals Combine knowledge with skills (experience) Provide a “low risk” environment (non-threatening) Create opportunities for active learning Review older, previously learned information

20. Use multi-sensory teaching strategies Maximize use of multiple intelligence Establish “adult to adult” rapport Recognize individual differences Create opportunities for problem solving Emphasize higher order thinking skills Keys to Facilitating Adult Learning

21. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Does our intelligence keep increasing as we age? A: Intelligence appears relatively stable until our sixth or seventh decade. Q: Does learning take longer as we age? A: We need more time to learn new things as we age. However, when adults control the pace of learning they compensate for their lack of speed.

22. FAQ’s Continued Q: Does memory decline as we age? A: Long term memory does decline. Adults are not as able as younger learners in tests of recall but difference between older and younger learners in tests of recognition are small or nonexistent. Q: Does “old learning” interfere with learning new information? A: There tend to be problems reassessing old learning in order to accommodate new information, but that does not negate the possibility of it happening.

23. Please go to the Discussion Board and complete the prompt you will find there about this module. Thank you. Thank you