Adult Learning Personal Learning Style: Strengths, Weaknesses,

Adult Learning Personal Learning Style: Strengths, Weaknesses, Improvement Every student has a personal learning style. Although this is true for students of all ages, this notion is particularly pronounced in adult learners. Perhaps this is the case simply because adult learners have had ample time to become "set in their ways" with regard to what they feel comfortable with in the classroom.

However, mere comfort can be deceiving, and many of the "ways" of learning adult students have become accustomed to utilize do more harm than good in their learning processes. In my case, I have found that my particular learning style can help, as well as hinder my academic progress -- this is particularly true considering issues of time management, research, and analysis skills. There is little question that in my case, I seem to value autonomy in my learning style much more than I did as a younger student.

This means that I do not seem to feel comfortable with detail-orientated in class "busy work." For instance, when it comes to writing a research paper or even an essay, I find it unbearable to develop in class outlines, sit in peer-review circles over multiple drafts, or any of the other "hand holding" exercises designed to teach the writing process or keep the students "on task." However, this is not to say that I don't require a set "schedule" of specific deadlines and class expectations, for without those, I can quickly sink into the mire of procrastination or even "over-saturation" from working on a particular project for too long.

Of course, at first, I imagined that this deep desire for autonomy and self-paced learning was unique to me. However, after reading some of the literature on adult education and the characteristics of the average adult learner, I found that many (if not most) older students also place a high regard on autonomous learning. In fact, after reading the landmark The Inquiring Mind (Houle, 1961), I began to understand just how prevalent it is for adult learners to undertake their continuing education with an independent nature.

In Houle's work, he states, "...behind any decision to learn something new lies a complex network of motives, interests, and values, and behind them, yet another layer of complex inter-linked factors; "a cataract of consequences" (p. 29). I believe that my and other adult learner's preference for autonomy is a result of the sum of these "consequences," and that my strong draw toward "self-learning" is a natural part of my inclusion in the adult learner demographic.

Interestingly, however, my mere preference for independent learning does little to explain some of my learning challenges that I seem to encounter on a regular basis. As I previously mentioned, I sometimes run into trouble with my research, time management, and analysis skills. However, according to the 1997 work by Kolody, Conti, and Lockwood, Identifying Groups of Learners Through the Use of Learning Strategies, much of this difficulty can be explained by understanding my place within five distinct "learning strategy" groups based on learning styles.

These styles are as follows: Navigator: High % of transfer students, high GPA, good planning skills. Good at locating and using information as well as organizing the information. Like outlines, schedules and defined deadlines. Monitor: Use comparison skills to assess self-progress. Older students, good at using the best resources available as well as seeking out "expert" and secondary sources. Good time managers, they rely on avoiding distractions and set time periods for work. Rely on visual models to compare work progress.

Critical Thinker: Good at adjusting personal learning processes as well as applying past experience to solve new problems. They prefer to test their assumptions and methods against each new situation, and prefer hands-on learning, experimentation, an avoidance of memorization, and enjoy open-ended questions. Engagers: These learners "love to learn." They place heavy emphasis on enjoying the topic or the learning process, and gain confidence and pride each time they complete an assignment successfully.

Like to be "engaged with the subject" meaning that they somehow personally identify with the subject matter at hand. These learners enjoy group projects. Networker: Prefer to learn material from many sources, including dialogues, networking and discussions. Use past experiences to solve problems, prefer interactive learning, teamwork, barnstorming techniques, as well as in-class discussion. These learners enjoy guest speakers and media as supplements to professor or text lead learning (Kolody, Conti, and Lockwood, 1997).

Thus, when I consider my particular learning style, I notice that I am a definite "navigator" in that I am good at locating relevant sources of information -- for instance for use in an assigned research paper, and I am also good at organizing that information.

However, unlike the "monitor" I am not so good at finding the most relevant sources, nor am I good at knowing when "enough is enough." In short, I tend to saturate myself with research, and can so overdo it that I get "mired in the details" and hardly know where to begin.

Further, because, like the stereotypical navigator, I like defined schedules and deadlines, I can easily get behind schedule if a project is just a little too "open-ended." Sure, if I were in the "critical thinker" category this may be right up my alley, however, I find that my natural tendency to overwork things can cause problems if a particular class is laissez-faire in the deadline department.

One of the main reasons that I have found this discovery of my place in the world of learning styles is that I can now fairly well predict how much, and more importantly, what kind of problems a particular class or project will present to me personally due to my personal learning style characteristics.

For instance, if, on the first day of class, I realize that much of the coursework will be based on critical and open-ended thinking, I can allocate more time for that class simply because I know that this is not in my area of strength. Additionally, I can also identify those areas in which I am weak, and actually work on strategies for dealing with those weaknesses.

For example, if I know that a particular class has one large project with no particular due date (or sets of due dates), I can set a due date for myself, all the while reminding myself of my potential to procrastinate or over-work an issue. Another way that I can benefit from knowing my particular learning style as a "navigator," is by allowing myself to use my strengths as much as possible in my educational plans.

For instance, I know that I am a good researcher, planner, outliner, and good with deadlines. Thus, when it comes to completing large projects, or even a thesis or dissertation, I can plan on using those skills to my advantage, perhaps by choosing.