Christina Hartman Teaching the Adult Learner Professor Buban

 Misconceptions of Adult Learning Misconceptions  Extrinsic motivation is the strongest influence for adults  Course materials do not need to be personally relevant  Adults’ experiences don’t enrich a learning environment New Understandings  Adults are more motivated by internal factors  Adults have a desire to seek relevance in what they learn  Experiences can enrich a learning environment

  Motivation is what drives people towards a goal (Gom, 2009).  As adults age, there is a greater emphasis on internal motivators (Kiely, Sandmann, & Truluck, 2004).  Intrinsic motivation involves the desire to learn simply for the pleasure of intellectual activity, gaining new knowledge, and increasing self-esteem (Gom, 2009).  Motivation is one of the assumptions of Andragogy (Kiely et al., 2004). Motivation

  The desire for personal relevance is referred to as adults’ need to know in Andragogy (Houde, 2006).  Adults want to know why they should be learning something before engaging in it.  Adults are busy and time is valuable, making relevance essential (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007).  Not knowing why can lead to low motivation (Houde, 2006).  A state of amotivation can be changed to motivation by connecting course material to personal goals and values (Houde, 2006). Personal Relevance

  The idea that adults have a diverse body of experience is another assumptions of andragogy (Kiely et al., 2004).  The unique experiences that adults possess, are a valuable resource in the classroom (Houde, 2006).  Experiential learning is the process of reflecting and reconstructing ideas based on experience (Zepke & Leach, 2002).  ‘Eye witness’ accounts provide depth and understanding to course material (Zepke & Leach, 2002). Experience

 Educators should:  Allow students to be in charge of their learning  Offer students a choice of topics  Provide thorough feedback  Develop a detailed syllabus with course objectives clearly listed  Act as a facilitator  Allow for the sharing of personal experiences Principles in Practice

 Overview (“Constructivism,” n.d.)

  Constructivism adult and training applications. (n.d.). Constructivism ETEC 512 FrontPage. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from aining%20Applications  Gom, O. (2009). Motivation and adult learning. Contemporary PNG Studies,  Houde, J. (2006, February 22-26). Andragogy and motivation: An examination of the principles of andragogy through two motivation theories. Paper presented at the Academy of Human Resource Development International Conference (AHRD), Columbus, OH. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED492652).  Kiely, R., Sandmann, L. R., & Truluck, J. (2004). Adult learning theory and the pursuit of adult degrees. New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education, (103),  Merriam, S.B., Caffarella, R.S., & Baumgartner, L.M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.  Zepke, N., & Leach, L. (2002). Contextualised meaning making: One way of rethinking experiential learning and self-directed learning. Studies in Continuing Education, 24(2), doi: / References