Perhaps more than any force beside diligence, knowledge will impact one's success, translating into the capacity to make good decisions, to evade costly errors and to behave in a manner that is essentially ethical. This is why, according to Merriam's (2001) report, transformational educational strategies have emerged as among the preferred means of helping continuing learners through the process of professional educational engagement. Merriam remarks on the transition in conventional thinking which would move the discussion on professional education toward these transformational strategies.
Today, professional development education has attained a unique place in the discourse over learning philosophies and approaches. With respect to our consideration of transformative learning strategies, this is relevant because the needs of adult learners fall into their own distinct instructional and cognitive categories. One reason at the base of this distinction is the diversity of motives which inclines adults to seek education. Accordingly, Bash (2003) reported that adult learners age 25 years or older represent more than 47% of all students enrolled in higher education. These professional learners continue in their education for a variety of reasons. Among some of the reasons noted by our research...
This significant population of our
educational system has long been relegated to secondary consideration and more frequently than not is lumped in with higher education age groups where
theory is concerned.
However, organizations and firms have begun to push for a reconsideration of this approach, recognizing instead the direct correlation between the professional development of individual members of the firm and the growth of the firm's own knowledge economy. For many
professional organizations, the logic has become yet more preeminent that the continually evolving employee is also an increasingly valuable asset to the firm. It is thus that the options for
continuing education and the opportunities facilitated thereby are becoming greater all the time. As the discussion here denotes, the business and professional worlds are changing at an incredibly fast pace. It is the responsibility of the individual professional to keep up with this pace.
Works Cited:
Bash, L. (2003). Demographics and projections in adult learners in the academy. Bolton,
MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc.
Carter, C.; Bishop, J. & Kravits, S.L. (2007). Keys to College Studying: Becoming an Active Thinker. Pearson Education.
Merriam, S. (2002). The New Update on Adult Learning Theory.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
