Adult Learning Theory-Based Learning Theories

In an effort to determine how adults learn, experts examine and evaluate studies that have been done that involve the adult learner. The more that experts understand how the learner processes information, the better the understanding will be on how to structure their learning environment. Research is continually changing in this area, and educators know there are differences in how each adult learner attains information. In the two articles, “Adult Learning Theory for the Twenty-First Century” by Sharan B. Merriam, and “Adult Learning Theory: Applications to Non-Traditional College Students” by Kenner and Weinerman, different theories are discussed.

Looking at learning theories through two different views was interesting. In the article, Revisiting Adult Learning Theory through the Lens of an Adult Learner, it was the basic guidelines and idea of adult learning theories. In the article, Revisiting Adult Learning Theory through the Lens of an Adult Learner, the article was written from the view of an adult student and covered what some of the first article had addressed. Author discussed about how some adult learners make their own learning theories. Also, saw some of the pressures that adult students can be faced with and they were addressed in the article. It was about how some adult learners make their own learning theories some of the pressures

Knowles posits that adult learners are self directed and autonomous. They are goal oriented, practical and must see and understand the relevance of any training. Adults bring an abundance of experience and knowledge, experiential learning, with them. Most importantly, “…adults need to be shown respect.” (Lieb)

The national league for nurses defines critical thinking in the nursing process as “a discipline specific, reflective reasoning process that guides a nurse in generating, implementing, and evaluating approaches for dealing with client care and professional concerns” (Kozier, 2008). This definition is imperative to help a nursing student learn how to think in terms of nursing care. Nursing students must achieve a comprehensive understanding of critical thinking in order to understand the nursing process. The purpose for this paper is for nursing students to learn how to use the nursing process, how to properly document their findings and assessments, and correctly implement APA formatting in a formal paper.

Simulation in the undergraduate education of many nursing schools is gaining more and more steam. There are many needs of nursing students and their various styles of learning. Nursing educators must adapt and find ways to help students to be able to critically think. “The ability to think critically is an essential attribute for today’s nurses” (Kostovich, Poradzisz, Wood, and O’Brien, 2007, p. 225).

Nursing theory is what connects phenomenology of nursing science with nursing practice. Theory can be grand or most commonly middle range. Some theories are borrowed and they identify new thoughts or ideas related to patient care. Theories may not always be measurable; yet, theory can still describe what nurses do. According to McEwen & Wills (2014), “It is widely believed that use of theory offers structure and organization to nursing knowledge and provides a systematic means of collecting data to describe, explain, and predict nursing practice” (p. 25). Theory provides nurses expansion of knowledge through research and practice ultimately contributing to optimal patient outcomes. Theory and theoretical models contribute to the nurses critical thinking skills and decision-making process. Theory contributes to nursing values and effective ways of delivering patient focused care. Theory should be taught across all levels of nursing education. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) encourages nurses to be partners in healthcare, leaders of change given the demands of our changing health care system and technological advances and the American Nurses Association supports the incorporation of nursing science to advance the nursing profession.

The current business environment is continuously changing and it is vital that Google provides their workforce with effective training and development to ensure that the corporation retains the market position and stay ahead of competitors. However, to propose a suitable training method within an adult workplace, it is important to understand the variety of training models that can be applied, which sets of hypothesis and theories that form the foundation of adult learning and the key principles (Delahaye 2011). The adult learning process is complicated and extremely subjective, there is no single theory that can explain how adults learn. Therefore it is important for educators to understand the fundamental surrounding the process of adult learning, to ensure that the delivery of their training is effective and can respond to the needs of the adult learners (Delahaye 2011).

The adult learning theory Also known as andragogy is the concept of Adult learning as a science in the field of education. Created by Malcolm Knowles , the theory is comprised of four different concepts. A fifth concept was later added by Knowles. within these different concepts, Knowles set forth compilation of expectations for educators within the Adult Education community. Firstly, he suggests setting a corporative climate in the classroom for learning. (Knowles, 1984, p.76) An assessment of the learners needs and a compilation of objectives and educational activities to help learner reach needs

The goal of adult learning is to advance knowledge and proficiency, and to enhance performance by transferring knowledge directly to work

I have several expectations for the course. In addition to learning additional information about human development, I plan to further explore learning across various stages of adulthood. From my experience, the learning experience of people in early adulthood can be very different from the experiences of people in middle adulthood. Often people in early adulthood are using an educational program to prepare for or explore a new career. People in middle adulthood may be enrolled in an adult education course to fine-tune their skills. They may have recently lost their job

There were two questions developed for the purpose of this research. According to Mann (2012), the two questions were as following: (1) How do nursing students use critical thinking skills and clinical judgment to resolve a healthcare dilemma? (2) Does grand rounds as an educational strategy promote development of critical thinking and clinical judgment in nursing students?

In “Knowledge mobilized by a critical thinking process deployed by nursing students in practical care situations: a qualitative study“ by Lechasseur, Lazure, & Guilbert (2011), research was conducted on how nursing students use various types of knowledge within their practice setting, and how the usage of the critical thinking process aids them in their practice. Leschasseur et. al believes that student nurses in practice are not given enough critical thinking training, and that leads to an inability to contextualize their knowledge during clinical care. This paper is a summary of Lechasseur et. al’s study, methods, results, and conclusion.

This study investigated the effects of concept mapping in improving the critical thinking skills of nursing students. The results of study as following:

A nurse has to be competence to a certain level in other to apply critical thinking to a situation. The Benner’s interpretation of the novice to expert theory has explained the concept from critical thinking strategies to the improvement of competence. As Benner analyses, a novice nurse approach to patient’s care is from memorizing rules, that are, strictly from the book or what he or she was instructed to do. After a few years of experience (advanced beginner), there is an advancement of skills more understand of situations. As a competence nurse, he or she is able to use the rules, apply critical thinking to solve a problem, putting ideas together, and making judgments. As a proficient nurse, he or she is able to apply skills learn and inter pre-information from different departments to problem –solve a situation. An expert nurse unconsciously walks into a situation and immediately initiates a solution. This is base on his or her experiences and the application of the same skills over and over (Kaminski, 2010). With every stage, the nurse builds skills that help him or her to improve

My impression of adult education has changed immensely. First and foremost, the first lesson learned that teaching adults are a separate, intensive, and long debated process. Portions of certain theories learned illustrated below. I have extended knowledge about Meizrow (Transformational Learning) and Knowles (Andragogy). The six key features of Adult Learners are: