Misconceptions of Teaching the Adult Learner

1. Misconceptions of Teaching the Adult Learner Mark Jurczak EDU643.90

2. What is the Adult Learner? Adult learners come from all walks of life. They are men and women who range in age and differ in ethnic and cultural backgrounds, abilities, beliefs, income levels, and education. Every learner is unique – a combination of their upbringing, education, beliefs, physical characteristics, motivations, and theories.

3. What can educators do? “Adult learning focuses on the different theories, their major proponents, and the focus of learning, the purpose of education, the role of the teacher, and the ways in which these theories are manifested and in the practice of adult education.”  (Merriam, Caffarella, Baumgartner, 2007) The challenge to adult educators has been the ability to communicate and support such a diverse population effectively and implement the different adult learning theories to combat these misconceptions and help adult students succeed.

4. Misconception 1 – Any adult can be a successful learner “As he characterized them in the andragogical model, the successful traits of the adult leaner according to Knowles are: learners are self-directed; they enter educational programs with a great diversity of experience; they become ready to learn when they experience a need to know or do something; they are life-centered, task- centered, or problem-centered; and are motivated by internal self- esteem, recognition, better quality of life, and self-actualization.” (Harris, 2003)

5. Knowles’ 5 Traits Of Adult LearnersSelf-conceptAs a person matures his/her self concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directed human beingAdult Learner Experience As a person matures he/she accumulates a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning.Readiness to LearnAs a person matures his/her readiness to learn becomes oriented increasingly to the developmental tasks of his/her social roles.Orientation to LearningAs a person matures his/her time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge to immediacy of application, Motivation to LearnAs a person matures the motivation to learn is internal (Pappas, 2014)

6. Misconception 2 - Adults need formal environments to learn and will not embrace untraditional methods of education As adult learners are self –directed and motivated in their educational pursuits, they are actually becoming excited and eager to learn how the new technologies and advancements at their fingertips

7. Theory in Practice The use of new technologies by adult learners comes from the implementations of the Cognitive Learning Theory. Also known as information processing, the cognitive theory has two basic assumptions: “the memory system is an active organized processor of information, and that prior knowledge plays an important role in learning.” (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2007) As adults adapt to their new classroom environments and settings, they will become more and more comfortable as they strive for success in their educational pursuits.

8. Misconception #3 – Adult learners have opinions and unchangeable perspectives Students are actually collaborating with classmates through discussion and learning by hearing and observing different perspectives.

9. Theory in Practice The Social Constructivist learning theory combines elements from both behaviorist and cognitivist orientation, and is responsible for people to learn by observing others. “By observing others, people acquire knowledge, rules, skills, strategies, beliefs, and attitudes.” (Merriam, Caffarella, Baumgartner, 2007) The traits in this theory stand out because much of today’s online classrooms are designed around collaborative learning between classmates.

10. Conclusion The adult student is a serious student. An adult student is one who takes charge of their personal motivation and faces new challenges in order to pursue their goals. As the world and everything in it continues to change, so will the ways in which people teach and learn. With more and more adults pursuing educations later in life, it is vital for educators to continue to seek new and inventive ways to engage, motivate, and teach students of all ages. By implementing the adult learning theory, educational administrators need to continue to develop new ways to reach the adult learner.

11. References Dinevski, D. Radovan, M. (2013) New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education. Summer2013, Vol. 2013 Issue 138, p61-69. 9p. Harris, S. (2003). An Andragogical Model: Learning through Life Experiences. Kappa Delta Pi  Record, 40(1), 38-41. Herbold, K. (2011). Giving student choice in online learning environments: Addressing adult learner needs. International Journal of Technology, Knowledge & Society, 7(5), 117-125. Kretchmar, J. (2014). CognitiveTheories -- Research Starters Education. 2014 Edition, p1-6. 10p. Lewis, C., Scott, M. (2011) International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. Vol. 6 Issue 4, p1-10. 10p. Merriam, S.B., Caffarella, R.S., & Baumgartner, L.M. (2007). Learning in Adulthood, a comprehensive guide. (3rd Ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Pamuk, S. (2012). The need for pedagogical change in online adult learning: A distance education case in a traditional university. University of Gaziantep Journal of Social Sciences, 11(2), 389-405.