Principles of Adult LearningAdult learners studying a second language enter the classroom with a fear of vulnerability, a misunderstanding of formal education, and a strong desire for success. Malcolm Knowles (1980) explains in The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy that many bad habits such as dependency or low self-concept are carried over from the learner’s previous schooling. As teachers we should not accept this mindset from our students. When we design ESL courses, it must be our goal to help the learners take an active role in the learning process. We can do this by providing early positive and successful experiences.
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Environment |
PHYSICAL
The teacher should be able to:
The students should be able to:
PSYCHOLOGICAL In andragogical theories, there is emphasis placed on lowering the fear of failure, providing encouragement, promoting effort through teamwork, and learning through a group mind. Therefore positive reinforcement creates a healthy psychological climate in the classroom, builds trust among learners and the instructor, and increases the learner’s self-efficacy (Schunk, 2012). Knowles (1980) listed in the principles of androgogy that a teacher should seek to build relationships of mutual trust and helpfulness by refraining from inducing competitiveness and judgmentalness. A supportive environment builds positive self-concept and supports a healthy psychological climate in the classroom, both of which can mitigate fear and promote feelings of achievement. |
ExpectationsMotivation |
Adult learners are sensitive about time, money, and feelings of vulnerability (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2005). Adults expect class to start and finish on schedule because they do not like to waste time or money. Also, adults do not like being placed in embarrassing situations. Most adult learners are risk-adverse and will take their time to do a task correctly on the first attempt so as to avoid mistakes.
Before accepting a different way of doing something, adult learners want to understand the advantages of adopting this new approach or behavior; they need to know why they are learning something before they are willing to invest time and energy in learning the material. Dr. Will Thalheimer (2006) blogs about the importance of learning objectives in instructional design. Objectives must be clearly presented in order to 1) focus the learner’s attention on the key points in the objectives, 2) let the learners know what to expect, and 3) let them know what level of importance they should be working towards. Knowles (1980) explained that adults view themselves as self-directing and develop a deep psychological need to be seen by others as self-directing. Adult learners improve their self-concept and increase their self-efficacy by being a self-directed learner and therefore these improvements allow for learning to easily occur.
Providing relevant and authentic learning tasks in the classroom will elicit greater participation and motivation to learn new skills. Schunk (2012) elaborates on the importance of situated cognition by emphasizing that, “good instruction can raise motivation for learning and motivated learners seek effective instructional environments.” Sparking motivation may be deeply rooted in the deprivation of needs within Maslow’s Hierachy. Schunk(2012) explains that many adolescents are preoccupied with belongingness and esteem. This can be true for adults as well. We all seek a positive regard in how we perceive ourselves and how we are perceived by others. One method for including competition in the classroom comes from the Contemporary Model of Achievement Motivation. To avoid looking incompetent, ego-involved students will focus on learning in order to avoid appearing incapable. More importantly, Schunk (2012) continues, “ego involvement is promoted by competition which fosters self-evaluation of abilities relative to those of others… Students compete for teacher attention, privileges, and grades.” In summary, although competition, fear, and social comparison strongly influence motivation, the most effective way to sustain motivation through out the learning process is to focus on intrinsic value and self-satisfaction. this is more likely to occur when the content is relevant and fulfills the learners' needs. |
Resources to explore:
Adult Learning in Under 3 Minutes: Episode 1
Positive Learning Environment: Developing Strategies
Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy: Adult Learning Theories
Adult Learning in Under 3 Minutes: Episode 1
Positive Learning Environment: Developing Strategies
Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy: Adult Learning Theories
References
Thalheimer, W. (2006, June 1). Will at Work Learning. Retrieved November 25, 2015, from http://www.willatworklearning.com/2006/06/new_taxonomy_fo.html
Knowles, M. (1980). What is Adrogogy? In The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From pedagogy to androgogy (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Association Press.
Knowles, M., & Holton, E. (2005). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (6th ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Schunk, D. (2012). Learning Theories an Educational Perspective, Sixth Edition. Pearson: Boston, MA.
Knowles, M. (1980). What is Adrogogy? In The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From pedagogy to androgogy (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Association Press.
Knowles, M., & Holton, E. (2005). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (6th ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Schunk, D. (2012). Learning Theories an Educational Perspective, Sixth Edition. Pearson: Boston, MA.