MOST REWARDING AND DISTRESSING ADULT LEARNING EXPERIENCE 1

Most Rewarding and Distressing Adult Learning Experience

by

Bhagwani Bai

LEAD 7500

Department of Leadership

University of Memphis
 MOST REWARDING AND DISTRESSING ADULT LEARNING EXPERIENCE 2

Introduction

Experience and adult learning are two factors cannot be separated from each other.

Different scholar and theorist has acknowledged importance of experience in adult learning and

brought the concept of lifelong learning. The term lifelong learning is broad, includes formal,

non-formal and informal learning. Believing in lifelong learning I am sharing non-formal and

formal adult learning experiences - both most rewarding and problematic. In the second part of

this paper these experiences were analyzed with lens of adult learning theories and finally the

insights form adult learning experiences were concluded.

The Most Rewarding Adult Learning Experience

The most rewarding adult learning experience was in non-formal set up back in 2010

when Pakistan went through one of the worst flood disaster due to heavy rains that effected

almost 20 millions of the population. I was directed to work for child protection in emergencies

and sent to one of district office to start working on child protection in emergencies. On that

time, I was managing operations of Child Rights Unit in my organization. When I reached to

Jamshoro district office, relief interventions were already being started. On my first day, I

decided to visit field areas and see the situation so that I develop my plan to work on child

protection component. I travelled 200 kilometers and had not seen any settlement with people,

everything was under water. People were living on road sides without shelter. I wanted to ask for

child protection interventions but they didnt listen me because their top priorities were food,

water and shelter. I didnt understand, from where I should start my work. I was expected to start

work as soon as possible. Whole team in emergency cell was busy in relief activities. I was the

only person in child protection section of emergency cell. I started collecting data on the loss and
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tried to access to human rights organization by sending proposals and SOS calls to several

organizations. One of my proposals was accepted by UNICEF and I along with 430 child

protection team members provided safe learning and recreational places to about 100,000

children in camps and villages in four flood effected districts. I managed that project with

another implementing partner organization. It was challenging but very rewarding as well.

Keeping in view the success of the project, my organization received two other projects and we

were offered to take over another child protection project in our province that we denied due to

distance from our program area.

Although there was no formal teaching learning set up but during working in emergency I

learnt a lot, through interacting with people, managing huge team, with huge infrastructure,

networking with national and international human rights organizations and felt satisfied with my

meaningful work. The satisfaction and feeling of fulfillment of personal goals and values made

my learning experience more exciting where I worked and learned beyond my job

responsibilities. One thing that need be noticed is that my higher authority gave me

independence in my work and that helped me in shaping my learning experience and the

achievements encouraged me work for my communities. It all become possible by teamwork -

every member of the team played its role efficiently. The teaching learning were two-way - as a

learner I learnt from my colleagues, communities, children, funding agencies, other like-minded

organizations and as an educator they learnt me form working experiences.

Most Distressing Adult Learning Experience

I do not call it the most distressing and unrewarding but it was problematic experience in

several aspects in a formal adult learning set up. I took a course and I was distressed during
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whole semester due to various reasons. The first and most problematic aspect of my learning

experience was the language and course contents, I struggled in understanding the language of

teacher as well as other class fellows as I was an international student and had some

understanding of English but southern style was difficult for me. The second most problematic

aspect was the content of the course that were specific to the local context. The teacher did not

consider needs of an international student. I felt left out and could not participated in the class

discussions. Third problem was the quantity of reading material that I was unable to comprehend

because, I had to understand the context first and then read the material and reflect. I missed

several readings, and those I read could not comprehended and due to language barrier I could

not got it clarified in the class discussion. The fourth issue with me was that I was expecting

teacher for presenting the weekly reading summary so that everyone would have understood and

then further discussion should have been conducted for better understanding of the learners and

in the end the discussion should have been concluded. Instead, it was all student led teaching

methods that I felt hesitation in participation. I had limited interaction with other students as they

were working and dont have time for discussion after class and they all were good friends of

themselves.

Analysis of Adult Learning Experiences

Let me analyze the factors that made learning experience rewarding keeping in view

adult learning theories. The first question comes in my mind is can we call it learning? My

answer is yes, then was it a self-directed learning? Was it experiential learning? Was it

transformative learning? Were the characteristic of adult learner considered during the learning

process? Lets start answering these questions?

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Can my experience be called learning?

Learning is constant process not limited to classroom but it takes place while interacting

with people, dealing with personal and professional day to day tasks, building communities

because all above factors require new information, procedures, technologies (Meriam &

Bierema, 2010, p. 1) and skills, and attitudes. It occurred in different setting such as formal, non-

formal and informal. (Coombs, Prosser, & Ahmed, 1973. As cited in Meriam & Bierema, 2014.

P. 16) Formal learning is educational institutions sponsored, non-formal is institutions, agencies,

and community based groups sponsored not necessary have educational goal and informal

learning occur in everyday life. (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 18) Now it became apparent that

my learning experience fit in non-formal learning setting.

Was it a Self-Directed Learning?

When, I have chance to reflect back of my most rewarding learning experience it seems

that it was self-directed learning. I dont have clear direction what to do in that emergency

situation? And whatever initiatives I took were my own - collecting data, networking to other

organization working on child protection, writing proposals on my own (taking some technical

support from international Child Protection in emergencies protocols) were self-directed. Can it

still be called SDLP?

Yes, as Jarvis 1987, p. 11 as cited in Merriam et, al. 2007, p. 5 says that Learning, even

self-directed learning, rarely occurs in splendid isolation from the world in which the learner

lives; . . . it is intimately related to that world and affected by it In my experience, it would had

not been possible to learn without having relationship with our team, communities, children,
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funding agencies, other relief organization. I was not aware of Knowles SDL process but my

experience followed that process. Although I was assigned to work in emergency by my higher

authority, I took responsibility and initiated tasks by compiling the data of the context, setting the

goals by learning about child protection in emergencies projects and keeping in view the data

finalized area of focus that was providing safe learning and recreational places to avoid the child

protection risks in camps and villages where parents were mostly busy in getting food and

shelter, identifying human and material resources, by doing networking with several

organizations, choosing and implementing appropriate strategies by writing proposals requesting

to funding agencies for support, and evaluating the learning outcomes by ongoing monitoring

and weekly reviewing the progress and discussing in children protection cluster meeting to

avoid duplication, and integrating with other relief inputs. (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 63) I

would conclude that Clardys definition of induced SDL is more resonate with my experience

where I was mandated to learn by my higher authority.

Was it an Experiential Learning?

Learning is not only that we receive in structured formal way but life experience and

other motivational factors make the learning lifelong. Role of experience is central in

understanding adult learning. From early adult learning theorist and scholar to contemporary

theorist of adult learning agree on the concept of lifelong learning and value adult experience in

learning process. (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 105) I think that my experience is more towards

Tennant and Pogson (1995 as cited in Boucouvalas & Lawrance in Kasworm, et, al. 2010, p. 40)

levels of experiential learning prior experience where my previous experience of working for

rights of children helped me learning in new situation of emergency, and my learning from the

loss - the experience of disaster and loss in my areas was the pushing factor in my learning.
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Experience of loss made me part of my community at large and I wanted to play my role in

minimizing the impact of disaster. Cases of missing and separated children made me part of

suffering of those families and children and motivated me even go beyond my capacity. This

factor of shared pain was validated by Wall and Louchakova (2002) who found that shared pain

and sense of oneness help in transcending the loss and activate the shift in consciousness and

cultivation of larger of sense of self. (Kasworm, et, al. 2010, p. 40) Overall, my experience of

working in child protection in emergencies brought new experiences even beyond my goals.

Was it transformative learning?

As discussed earlier, the sense of shared pain motivated my learning process, and other

contributing factors that become cause of change in my frame of reference or world view. I

worked in partnership with another organization outside of our program area. I have some beliefs

regarding people of area that they are clever and untrustworthy and I had fear of being cheated in

loose structured working relationship but my belief of helping people in needs motivated me to

work with them. Experience of working with them changed of my previously existed perception

regarding them. Travelling at night in those areas was not considered safe but I travelled at nights

and never encounter any unpleasant situation. My experience is more resonate to transformative

learning as it is the process of changing a learners frame of reference by challenging ones point

of view and habit of mind. (Mezirow, 1997, p. 5)

The most exciting part of my learning is not a change in thinking about certain group of

people but all this process created meaning in my life. It was ontological experience that

strengthen my relationship with people and enhanced sense of responsibility as being part of

whole community. I found it meaningful to work for people in need because it restored my
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beliefs and values and I felt more satisfaction in my work. Lange, 2014 established that

transformation is not just epistemological process where ones world view or thinking habits

change but it is ontological where one feel change for being in the world and forms of

relatedness. (p. 137) Meaning making in the life is key factor in transformative learning. As the

studies found that transformative and restorative learning is vital for fostering active citizenship

(Lange, 2014, p. 121)

I see the presence of spiritual aspect in my learning experience. As, spiritual knowing or

learning is also about meaning-making: (Merriam, et, al. 2007, p. 199) the unconscious symbols

and rituals guide in construction of knowledge. Boucouvalas & Lawrance in Kasworm, et, al.

2010, p. 38) The experience of working at scale for needy children and their family made me

think of meaning of my life and I felt spiritual connection with my work as well. As Tesdil

writes that spirituality is about connection, meaning making, identity development, constructing

knowledge through unconscious and symbolic process (Cited in Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p.

137)

How Characteristic of adult learner was considered during the learning process?

My rewarding experience was self-directed but the problematic one is formal academic

setting which need to be discussed. As we have studied about different non-western perspective

of learning and know that different cultures have different learning and teaching approaches.

Merriam and Associates 2007 writes that world is under the domination of western intellectual

and conceptual colonization. (p. 4) It felt in same way during the class, I was looking my teacher

as a guide but he was more focusws towards self-directedness and critical thinking of the
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students. Although, there is plenty of research work on diversity of characteristic of adult learner

but still challenges to meet the divergent needs of adult learner in formal academic setting exist.

Hansman & Mott, 2010 in Kaswrom, et, al. 2010, p. 21) In my case, being a learner, I should

have to be prepared for the new context and being adult educator my teacher should have

considered about my needs instead he focused only the majority of students.

Conclusion

Reflecting on both rewarding and distressing experiences provided me opportunity to

think about the learning experiences with the lens of adult learning theories. The most insightful

point of these experience is that when learning activity has meaning in your life it become most

exciting and motivating. Such as my experience in working in flood affected areas. Although, I

had a lot of work burden but the meaning and stratification in doing that work pushed me to learn

new knowledge and serve to the community. The feeling of connectedness to the community,

area, country and world have great impact on ones learning.

Learning environment play major role in achieving the required goals at learners end. My

second experience become distressing because of learning environment. If my teacher, had

created an environment where I can participate and felt part of team and I being an international

student should have prepared for new learning and teaching approaches, my learning outcome

would have been different.

Reference:

Kasworm, C. E., Rose, A. D., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of adult and

continuing education (2010 ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE.

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Lange, E. (2004). Transformative and restorative learning: A vital dialectic for sustainable

societies. Adult Education Quarterly, 54(2), 121-139.

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A

rd
comprehensive guide (3 ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory and practice. New Directions for Adult and

Continuing education, 74, 5-12.