WSL Volume 2
One of the aspects that I have found most useful about this course so far is the emphasis on Adult education. One part we looked at today was some of the chatractoristics of adult learners. These are quite different in many ways to student learners. Here is my take on some of the:
- Adults are self directed and need to be integral in the learning process.
- Adults learn through concrete experiences where they can interact with the others and discuss.
- Adults must work in a climate of respect, trust and regard/concern for the other learners
- Adults need the program to be meaningful, relevant and immediately useful
- Learning creates change and change creates anxiety. This can have huge impacts on the persons responces, attitude and behaviour.
- Adults come to the table with many experiences etc that will influence their learning. Past experiences cloud judgements, alter motivation and influence knowledge.
(SOURCE: summarised from resources from B.C.Teachers federation)
This is important as a teacher I am used to working with students who are in many ways easier to teach. Changing to adult education does require a shift in process and consideration of these points.
Multiple Intelligences
One of the other task we undertook was to use a questionnaire on Gardner’s MI to work out our most prefered and least prefered Intelligences. Once we had these we were grouped into our LEAST prefered MI and asked to do a presentation on a key issue effecting the Asia Pacific region in the style of that Intelligence.
Boy, this was revealing.
The motivation level and enthusiasm of not only myself, but also of the group was at a very low ebb as none of use enjoyed working in this mode. People were hard to motivate, slow in providing answers and disengaged. This was a group of top teachers from the whole of AsiaPac who had volunteered to be here.
It stressed to me how important Learning styles and specifically in this case Intelligences are. A student working in their least prefered mode is not going to be productive.
Methods of Learning
Another exercise of interest was looking at most and least prefered methods of learning. On the walls around the room were placed learning approaches and people were asked to position themselves by their least and most prefered modes. The methods were:
- Discussion
- work alone
- work in groups
- worksheets
- lecture
- music
- noise
- role playing
- visual
- hands on
Its was interesting to see the approaches/methods people like and disliked. Its an exercise well worth doing and then reflecting on your own teaching style.
More to follow…
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:03 am
Thank you for your notes, Andrew. I nodded as I read through the list of ways that adult learning is different to student learning; the points are both accurate and relevant. Keep us posted.
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September 23rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Some interesting thoughts on adult learning. But didn’t the group find it interesting to try out and practice an unfamiliar (and least preferred) intelligence or learning style? I was surprised how demotivated the group was. I wonder if people were also concerned more about their own success or comfort in using the method they were practicing rather than in understanding the method.
Then I was reminded of the recorder lessons I take, and one particular book filled with pieces that are difficult to play, dissonant and hard to like but do offer fabulous practice if you can just get through them. It is easier to do this, though, when you know that no one is listening.
I also recognize how much my preferred ways of learning have changed somewhat over time.
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