Why Adults Are Better Learners

Foreign language classes are often put off until high school due to the fact that this is when people believe students are most ready to learn another language. This belief is widely accepted despite the fact children are able to learn to speak like natives in foreign languages, whereas teenagers and adults usually are not able to learn how to do this. Speaking “like a native” entails being able to think in a foreign language without having to translate (Nadia 1). The ability to speak like a native in a foreign language can be easier to obtain when taught the foreign language during elementary school. Once a student passes the prime learning stages, learning a foreign language can be extremely difficult. Adults starting to learn a language have to work through an established first-language

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.

Throughout the year I would see all my students grow by learning about each other and helping each other with language development. Children can be the best teachers in situations like these due to the lack of pressure from other kids. They can always figure out how to communicate especially when it's something they love, like recess!

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

I love my friends and family, and I love talking to them, but sometimes I can’t. As you might not be able to tell, I am mixed, even if it doesn’t say so on my birth certificate (thanks, Dad.) My father is white, but my mom isn’t. Her side is Puerto Rican, Italian, and Spanish. She has three sisters in which married wither a White, Dominican, or African American man. Altogether, her side of the family can speak English, however most switch to spanish when they talk to one another because it is more comfortable to talk in a native tongue. Plus, my great grandmother doesn’t even speak English, so I just end up nodding along. Also, family friends and even most of the people I am around in Massachusetts speak spanish. It’s great to learn another language because you want to, but wanting to learn because you want to be able to communicate to family is a different story. I never know how much time I have left to talk to them. This has made me love learning about any language. I memorized words and phrases from Spanish, Japanese, Swiss-German, Italian, and more by getting interested in the language and looking information up online. Again, I am not fluent in any other

Finally, many people wrongly believe that being raised around two languages will cause their child to be delayed in their speech

The babies communicate using pictures and emotional feelings to the others but is hard for them to communicate in this manner so they try to use their linguistic abilities.

But, when their snack was over, they told me they were very eager to learn and were interested in knowing what they were going to be doing that day. It surprised me that they were very open with me and that their mood completely changed when I started teaching them the lesson. I expected them to love hands on projects so they were very excited when I asked them to draw. They loved receiving help and wanted me to help them draw pictures they had a hard time with such as a gorilla and an umbrella. At this point, the two were laughing with each other and looked like they were great friends. Their English was a lot more advanced than I thought it would be and I was excited to see that. There were times that they did not understand what I was saying, but I stayed calm, focused, and showed them that I was there for them. This visit made me wonder how long they had been speaking English and how long they have been in the United States. I also questioned if they would always be this cooperative when they started learning. In the weeks to come, I can imagine exploring the different ways and approaches that will help these children learn. I know that no two children are the same, whether they speak the same language or not, so I am excited to explore them as individuals.

Lastly, it is important to include Norm Chomsky every time we talk about language acquisition. Through his studies we can say that children can learn a new language because of their innate ability in their brain to be able to classify different words, specifically grammatical terms. He suggested that we have a device in our brain which he called a Language Acquisition Device that allows children to notice the differences between two languages. In my opinion if all of us have this device. All the child needs to stimulate it to be able to learn those important first words that a child is going to need as they further exposed into a language.

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 ?

Adults and children learn differently. The terms to describe the ways in which each learn are pedagogy and andragogy. In pedagogy, the way children learn, the teacher dictates what the student will learn. In andragogy, the way adults learn, the adult that is learning dictates when and what will be retained. Both are ways to educate and learn. We first learn through pedagogy in school and as adults, we have to make the active choose continue the pursuit of knowledge. We can do that with online education and self-direction instead of sitting in a classroom and being instructed by a teacher. In this age of technology and information, we must move into a learner-based society and move away from relying on teachers to be our main source of education (Bethel University, 2013). In my current job, most of the training is done virtually now or with modules. You have a point of contact to ask questions but there is little to no time spent in a classroom anymore. In the workforce, this is a necessary step for most companies now.

• Before evaluating the defendant, there are a few things I would be interested in learning from the lawyer. According to Rosenberg and McGarry, attorney ignorance is common and attorney's showed a lack of understanding about the legal standards for incompetency and the difference between a mental disorder and insanity. Therefore, it is important that I speak with the attorney about why the issue of competence was raised. Since the attorney expressed that the defense had difficulty communicating about the alleged offense, I would first need to approach the psycho-legal issue of competency. As an examiner, I would need to know if the defendant has difficulty currently understanding and participating their defense throughout trial (competency) or if the defendant has difficulty being able to control and understand their own actions at the time the crime

When first deciding how to move forward with the Reflection Paper, I specifically went back to the basics: Sight-read and define; moreover, a brief analysis of the terms, before attempting to read the chapter. This is how the title, Social + Context = Themes of Adult Learning. was generated. Social. Immediately the vision of, people and friendly came to mind; Context -The first thing that came to mind was, meaning and situation; Themes - ideas and thought; Adult Learning; confident, smart, astute, disabilities, fear, money, average and below average. Furthermore, after the completion of reading Chapter One, it was safe to say; "I was on the right track." Therefore, ready to proceed adequately, however, overwhelmed by the personal question

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

This involves a learning process that engages the learners. Attention is moved from the teacher to the learners through practices such as role playing, group work and problem-based approaches, for instance. These activities put the learners in a situation where it is up to them to use available learning resources to solve problems, hence causing active learning.