Teaching Considerations: The Adult Learning Environment

¶ … Teaching in an Adult Learning En Vironment

This study will set out thoughts on teaching class in an adult learning environment. Included will be influential variables including classrooms, teachers, and students. The adult learning environment involves a great diversity of individuals from various backgrounds, racial groups and ethnicity as well as being differentiated by their life experience in terms of career background and academic achievement background. The adult learning environment is likely to have individuals whose first language is other than English and these individuals are in various stages of mastering the English language. In addition, the learning environment will be characterized by individuals whose ages are in a wide range from individuals in their early twenties to individuals who are senior citizens as more baby-boomers will stay in the workforce far past retirement age. Added to this the adult learning environment will be inclusive of individuals who are technology savvy as well as individuals, especially seniors, who have never mastered the use of a computer or Smart-phone. Classrooms should be equipped with computers to enable adult learners to utilize the computer in their learning experience. For those who are computer-savvy, this is not so critical as for adult learners who are not familiar with the use of computer technology and for these adult learners it is very important that they learn basic use of the computer for it is certain that nearly all venues of employment in today's world will require the use of at least basic computer skills. Many of schools today utilize an online learning environment in addition to the classroom environment so it is certain that computer skills will be critically important to adult learners.

The term Androgyny is used to describe the process of helping adult learners and includes five assumptions which must necessarily be considered when assisting adult learners in their learning experience. The first assumption of Andragogy is that the adult learner is able to provide direction to their own learning and that the adult learner has, over time, gained many life experiences that assist in their learning. The third assumption is that the adult learner's needs in learning are linked directly to their shift in their role in society and fourth that the adult learner has the intentions of applying their learning very quickly. Finally, the adult learner is assumed to be someone that is intrinsically rather than extrinsically motivated. This model of learning is attributed to Malcolm Knowles. The primary principles of the Androgogy learning model include that adults should plan as well as evaluation their own learning and that all life experience, both positive and negative formulates the basis for adult learning. Also a principle of the Androgogy learning model which focuses on the adult learner is that adults are more interested in learning that is immediately beneficial to their career or personal life and that rather than being focused on content, adult learning of focused on problems.

Therefore with these principles in mind, it will be of utmost importance that the adult learning environment is providing learning that will assist the adults in gaining knowledge, skills and experience that is immediately beneficial to them and which is highly relevant in their roles which are understood to be undergoing a shift or change. Adult learners should be involved in directly and planning their own learning experiences as well as being involved in evaluating their learning progress. Adult learners are highly interested in bettering their career and personal life trajectory and adult education classes offer the opportunities for these adults.