Education: Learning Environments

The learning material should be relevant to their social positions and lifestyle, and because the learning material directly concerns their lives, they would want to be involved in the whole process – from the introduction of information to the outcome. Adult learners zero in to the elements that are of most relevance to their immediate needs and conditions. Those aspects that well give them the necessary knowledge and skill to resolve life-centered or problem-centered learning experiences.

Adult learning is having a clear picture of how adults learn and how this in turn affects the program planning process. Many adults are not sure about what they want to do with their lives after high school. There are many programs that will help you to decided, what you want to do with your life. This is where adult education programs can help you decided on the importance of education. There are three content areas that connects with adult learning and planning education within the adult. Knowles state that the adult learner, learns from their experiences. Experiences is how adults live their everyday lives and make concise

"The resource of highest value in adult education is the learner's experience. Therefore all genuine education will keep doing and thinking together"¦experience is the adult earner's living textbook," so said Edward Linderman in his work The Meaning of Adult Education. For generations, education has tended to shy away from experience-based learning in favor of more structured models. However, utilizing experience within the process of education is still a powerful tool for instructors of students of all ages. Adult education students can benefit the most, as they already have a wealth of experiences and resources to bank on in their quest to adopt new learning into what they already knew and experienced. Therefore, it is true that within the context of the adult learner, experience is one of the most crucial learning resources.

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, M. S. (1980). The modern practice of adult education from pedagogy to andragogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Cambridge Adult Education.

"Education is life--not a mere preparation for an unknown kind of future living…The whole of life is learning; therefore, education can have no ending. This new venture is called adult education--not because it is confined to adults but because adulthood, maturity defines its limits." (Lindeman, E.1926p.6)

When did adult learning begin to take a stance in the field of Education? Adult Learning started to be considered a professional career in the early 1920 's. The basis of the adult Learning method cannot be summed into only one Theory of how Adults Learn . We can however, note the similarities and differences of adult learning based on relevant information that compares and contrasts how individuals act and react to different theories . Many different theories exist in the Adult learning world although there are two theories that will be compared. These theorists are, Malcolm Knowles and David Kolb. Although differing in theory Knowles and Kolb bring uniquely different insight to the Adult Education world. Exactly what is the Adult learning theory ?

The world of adult learning was changed by Knowles’ (1973) when he identified four assumptions about andragogy, meaning “the art and science of helping adults learn” (Knowles, 1970, p. 42). These assumptions are: self-concept; experience; readiness; and orientation. Knowles later added two more assumptions; the critical need to know, and motivation (Knowles, Holton & Swanson, 2015; Knowles, 1980). Knowles’ second assumption, experience, plays a significant role for individuals to create, retain and transfer knowledge based upon prior knowledge and skill, (Argote, McEvily & Reagans, 2003, p. 575). I will search for evidence on how the elements of Knowles’ theory align with the knowledge retention and engagement.

Adult learner engagement should be at the forefront of any teaching philosophy, with this in mind, we have designed a new orientation program that will set the tone for autonomy and validation of prior learning and experience. In analyzing our first year orientation delivery, we discovered that we are missing many key components as discussed in FCP 601. In order to meet the information gathered from our FCP course, we have redesigned our year one orientation with international and domestic students in mind. Merriam and Bierema (2014) suggest, “adults want to know why they need to learn something and how what they learn will apply to their immediate situation.” Updating our orientation process is pivotal in setting the tone for the program,

ADULT LEARNING THEORY 2 Adult Learning Theory Malcolm Knowles Malcolm Knowles (1913-1997) was a key figure in America’s adult education in the second half of the twentieth century (Smith, 2002). Early Life “Born in 1913 and initially raised in Montana,” Knowles seems to have had “a reasonably happy childhood. His father was a veterinarian and from around the age of four Knowles often accompanied him on his visits to farms and ranches” (Smith, 2002, para. 2). His mother also played a critical role in his character building. During his campaign for the scouting prize, he developed a technique that would help him compete successfully (Smith, 2002), which he always thanked his mother for. In 1930, He entered Harvard University with

Adult learners use their life experiences and knowledge to make connections which allows adults to have a better understanding of a specific concept. " Adults have lived longer, seen and done more, have the tendency to link their past experiences to anything new and validate new concepts based on prior learning" (Pappas, 2013). As a teacher, I am constantly asking my students to make connections so they can relate to what they are reading or learning about in class. This is a skill. Adult learners have had the time to develop this skill and master it. This is yet another concept children must learn so they can use it in their adult life to effectively learn.

Gadbow believes it is the duty of adult educators to instill a life-long love of learning into their students, "helping adults learn how to learn is the most important thing a teacher ever does" (p. 53). The first responsibility of educators working with adults is to help them identify their learning styles and differences as well as other special learning needs, and then provide effective strategies to adapt to these individual learning needs (53). The author's contention that all learners are special means seeing the possibilities as well as the problems or particular needs of each student as they present themselves.

The way that an instructional designer defines learning and what is believed about the way learning occurs plays an important role in situations where the facilitator wants to make a change in how people do a job or they need to learn something new on the job. This paper focuses on Malcolm Knowles adult learning assumptions and how to apply them in instructional strategies and techniques for facilitating learning. It also explores some of the critics concerning his assumptions. Knowles assumptions concerning adult learning are each addressed and an example provided on how to apply these assumptions to ISD using technology. The information presented here provides the

“The resource of highest value in adult education is the learner’s experience (Dewey, 1961).” I believe this statement by Dewey to completely true and of the utmost important for learners of any age. Experience is what drives a person to

Malcolm Knowles was an American educationist who firmly believed that adults learn differently compared with children, which led him to later propose the adult learning theory (Smith 2002). He introduced the term "andragogy" as the art and science of helping adults learn (Kaufman 2003; Kaufman & Mann, 2010).