How to Help Adults Learn Using Technology

¶ … validity and legitimacy; the sources add to the value of the information presented, which is the strategy that many scholarly articles follow. Knowles, et al., Definitions On page 7 of the article the authors use references provided by Knowles (1980), Knowles, Holton, and Swanson (2005), Tough (1979), Mezirow (1991), and MacKeracher (2004). First of all it is interesting that the range of dates provided by these references jumps 25 years from 1980 to 2005.

I have chosen these references which help provide the "primary principles of adult education" because: a) adult education is the primary topic being researched and analyzed; b) the bullet points direct the reader to the important concepts of why and how adults learn; and c) Knowles' work is cited over a period of 25 years, so Knowles follows and investigates the digital revolution from when it first began to take shape in 1980, to nine years ago, 2005. On page 7 Knowles, et al., provide some of the most important information in the article.

The adult education information provided by Knowles and others encompasses the following: a) Adults go through their lives experiencing situations so they are ready to learn more; b) adults know what their personal learning needs are; c) adults are "self-directing" as they learn; d) teachers in adult education classes should be facilitators of information rather than strictly lecturers; e) adults learn by collaborating with others; f) a great deal of learning for adults takes place outside the institutional part of education; g) adult education must adjust to the various styles and pace of students; and h) the experiences adults have had up to this point provide valuable insights into what they are learning today (LeNoue, et al., 2011).

An example in my own life -- when I relied on the work of others -- was when I helped a senior citizen group.