Adult

Learning

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 Definitions

1 Andragogy- the art and science of helping adults learn.

2 Pedagogy- the art and science of helping children learn

3 Adult Learner- a person more than 18 years old who

seeks new skills or information and
who exhibits self direction and
autonomy.
 Definitions

4 Self-direction- the opportunity for a person to determine

the ways in which she will learn.

5 Autonomy- achieving the state of self-directed learning

and independence.
 Is there really a big
difference?

Do the adults learn on significantly different

way, if compared with children?

What is different in case of adults?

 Adult Learning

Adult learners have a different approach to learning

Adults learn best when learning is focused on them,

not the teacher. This is called andragogy, the process of

helping adults learn.

 Andragogy

• Consists of learning strategies

focused on adults.
• Originally used by Alexander Kapp (a
German educator) in 1833
• Was developed into a theory of adult
education by the American educator
Malcolm Knowles.
• Knowles asserted that andragogy (Greek:
“man-leading”) should be distinguished from
the more commonly used pedagogy .
 Assumptions based on
Knowle’s Theory
1. Adults need to know why they are learning
something
2. Adults have a need to be self-directed.
3. Adults bring more work-related experiences into
the learning situation.
4. Adults enter into a learning experience with a
problem-centered approach to learning.
5. Adults are motivated to learn by both extrinsic and
intrinsic motivators.
 ADULT LEARNING TECHNIQUES

• Icebreaker
• Group Discussion
• Brainstorming
• Case Study
• Team presentations
• Learning games
 PRINCIPLES OF ADULT
LEARNING

• Adults are autonomous and self-directed
• Adults have accumulated a foundation of life
experiences and knowledge that may include work-
related activities, family responsibilities, and previous
education.
• Adults are goal-oriented.
• Adults are relevancy-oriented.
• Adults are practical, focusing on the aspects of a lesson
most useful to them in their work.
• As do all learners, adults need to be shown respect.
• Adults learn best in an informal environment.
 Characteristics of Adult
Learners
Learning Characteristics

1. Adults continuously grow and learn.

2. Adult learning is often self-initiated and aimed at an
immediate goal.

3. Adults learn and process materials in a variety of

ways.
4. People have preferences in subject matter or skills.
5. Adults use only part of their intellectual potential
during their lives.
 Characteristics of Adult
Learners

Experiential Characteristics
1. No adult is the same as any other adult because each
has a unique past and a unique perception of that past.

2. An adult’s self-concept is the product of past

experiences.

3. Through experiences and past decisions, adults

narrow the possibilities open to them in the future.
 Characteristics of Adult
Learners

Physical Characteristics

1. The adult body enters a catabolic (breaking down)

process.

2. Adults have habits.

 Characteristics of Adult Learners

Role and Relationship Characteristics

1. Adults belong to many groups and play many roles

during a single day and during a lifetime.

2. The motivational needs of adults change in different

roles with different developmental tasks. These needs
affect relationships.

3. Adults have relationship preferences that influence

their sense of self and affect decisions and actions.
 Motivating the Adult Learner

Social relationships
External expectations
Social welfare
Personal advancement
Escape/Stimulation
Cognitive interest
 Critical Elements of Learning

1. Motivation

2. Reinforcement

3. Retention

4. Transference
Research shows “that students who, over an extended
period of time are treated as if they are intelligent,
actually become so. If they are taught demanding
content, and are expected to explain and find
connections as well as memorize and repeat, they
learn more and learn more quickly. They think of
themselves as learners. They are able to bounce
back in the face of short-term failures.”

Making America Smarter

Lauren Resnick, 1999
 When you are learning, what
physical, environmental, and
geographic factors are important to
you?