Palm Beach State College Adult Learning Research Paper
Section A
- focusing on being able to identify the successful elements of adult learning experiences. Also consider your own learning experiences as an adult and what elements may have made those experiences successful or unsuccessful.
Post a description of an adult learning experience that you have had personally or that you have viewed that you see as successful. Be sure to include details like content area, learning environment (online, brick and mortar, work setting, etc.), and any other pertinent information about the experience. Discuss what you believe made that experience successful and relate those elements back to the core principles of adult learning presented in The Adult Learner in Figure 1.1.
Section B
Taking the time to reflect on your own learning styles and to identify how they may have evolved since you were a child can help you become a better educator of other adults. You will find the theme of assessing your own learning styles and previous learning experiences throughout this course. As you gain understanding of the theories behind adult learning, you may also begin to contextualize the experiences you have had.
To prepare:
- Consider your own learning as an adult.
- Take the Personal Adult Learning Style Inventory found in Chapter 17 of the Knowles, Holton, and Swanson (2015) text to explore the extent to which your teaching/learning styles are pedagogically or andragogically oriented.
In 2–3 pages, address the following:
- Score and report your results from the inventory.
- How consistent are the results with what you thought they might be? Explain the extent to which your teaching and learning may be pedagogically/andragogically oriented.
- How do you believe your style has evolved since you were a child? Support your answer with elements of the andragogical theory.
Resource
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., III, & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (8th ed.). Abingdon, OX: Routledge.
- Chapter 1, “Introduction to Adult Learning”
- Chapter 2, “Exploring the World of Learning Theory”
- Chapter 3, “Andragogy: A Theory of Adult Learning”
- Chapter 17, “Personal Adult Learning Style Inventory”
