Characteristics of the Adult Learner | Origin: ED208
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Adult Learning Theories --> Characteristics of the Adult Learner
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
I joined the US Nuclear Navy in the fall after graduating high school, and became an instructor training high school and college graduates how to operate a nuclear power plant.
After discharge ten years later, I was an adult learner obtaining a BS in Chemistry in three years, while working full time in food processing industry as an environmental engineer, with a wife, 3.5 children, a mortage payment, etc.
I migrated to the semiconductor industry, back to the food industry, then back to the nuclear industry, before coming back to my Alma Mater to teach technical students, at age 58. I had taught back in the Navy 30-40 years ago, and weekly to youth and adults in church sunday schools.
Coming back to teaching adults in college was challenging. As an adult learning, i did NOT master the LMS system and it caused significant problems between my students and i the first three semesters i taught. The Alma Mater didn't really prepare me for the use of LMS, beyond what i thought was a way to organize presentations... It really has a lot of capabilities i did NOT master. sadly.
A new teacher orientation checklist, coving all the "how to teach" functions, and use of the LMS would have been really beneficial (not just the one hour drinking from the fire hose daily orientation), but a semester long "teaching assistant" function guided by the program chair, and or department head. Sadly this was compounded by the Alma Mater changing LMS systems to a new one...so as an adult.... one adult characteristic was "why bother" learning the old one well, when it is going to be replaced.... being told partly that "I didn't have to use the LMS".
Well. The students relied on the LMS as the plan of the day, or plan of the week, and it would have been really helpful to me, and to my students if i gained at least a rudimentary understanding of the capabilities of the LMS, beyond organizing presentations.
The "teacher assistant role" could have prepared me to teach better, had they had me 1) generate an attendance role in the LMS 2) take role throughout the semester 3) grade assigments that were submitted on line 4) review the quizzes in the LMS for accuracy and completeness, 5) upload new teaching materials, 6) upload assignments due 6) grade exams, mid terms and finals, 7) zoom calls, 8) and a variety of other preparations. These things would have brought me back into a teaching mindset, and made me more prepared for my first and second semesters teaching....when i was taking attendance on paper, and expecting students to hand in assignments on paper.
The first semester was a generational challenge with Gen Z... or rather Gen Alpha. The second semester with an adult learning and others much more oriented as Adult learnings (still Gen Z), but adults returning back to school with some experience.
and i found that some things i that i taught i really knew... some researchers call this "Crystalized knowledge" other things i knew, i had to relearn, in order to teach, stimulated by some questions that i was not as prepared for... and still other thngs, in my training and life long experience, i didn't know in the first place and had to learn new. This took much longer than expected. and with some of the students, patients wasn't a virtue.
Oh, and i realized in years of teaching sunday school, i didn't have to grade homework, or prepare final exams... i was there to instruct, not judge - that is someone elses responsibility. and the weekly pace was much easier than the three classes a day schedule. Oops
It really took until the 4th semester to get a better handle on teaching again... to realize it is fun. That conveying knowledge from a variety of experiences, providing analogies to the students... helping them to learn, then challenging their understanding makes it rewarding.
Well: Lessons learned.
As an adult learner myself, this module speaks to my personal career goals and motivations.
I have learned that adult learners learn best when able to link learning to their life experience and when they can link their life experience to the objectives of the task or skill
Adult learners have various characteristics but one common theme is that they bring their life experiences into the learning environment.
They wish to advance in their jobs or preparing for a new one
I learned that adult learners typically have a particular goal in mind. I'm an instructor a beauty college, I feel as though my students have chosen a career, that I call, "a passion career," so half the battle is done for me; my goal is to keep them motivated by presenting the material in ways that are easy to comprehend to keep them motivated.
Adult learners are very important in CTE classes because they bring valuable life and work experiences to the classroom. They often have clear goals and are motivated to learn skills that can help them improve their jobs or start new careers.
I've learned that processing and organizing new information may take adult learners a little more time than it takes younger learners, but that they have the capacity to master new information. I've had confirmed the fact (observed in my personal experiences) that they typically have a wide range of motivating factors, many of which are more characteristic of adult learners; and I've had confirmed that the challenges they face in learning are often about their circumstances / their larger contexts.
I am taking this course to obtain CTE SOS certification, and it also makes me an adult learner. Looking forward to this module as it talks about myself.
17-24 is not what I think of as an adult learner. There is a big difference between each of the decades of life as to how adults learn.
Our school has a mix of younger and older adults. I feel that each group has their own skills and motivations, but they tend to pull each other along with their individual strengths.
Adult learners can bring life experiences into the classroom.
I now have a clear understanding of the principles of adult learning.
I have found that it's absolutely true that if my education or training is not immediately applicable to my job, I will likely tune it out. I need to find ways to make my classes relevant to my adult learners; maybe connecting goal of some sort to what they are learning.
I would allow the adult learners to express their strengths of experience, time management and multi-tasking in certain activities to help them feel as though they have something to offer, which they do.
Adult learning is different from learning when you are a child. You bring your experience, history, and different motivations.
As an adult learner, I bring a unique perspective to the classroom, motivated not only by career goals but also by a desire to develop social relationships, meet the expectations of authority figures, and contribute to my community. Many of us pursue education to stimulate thought, learn for the sake of learning, and cultivate a greater sense of purpose in our lives. This deeper motivation enriches classroom discussions as we connect course material to real-world applications and offer mature perspectives.
The motivation for adult learners is different than that of non-adult learners so the strategies to empower their learning and retention has to be strategic.
It's hard for me to put a 24 year old fully into an "adult learner" framework, but this module suggests that 17-24 year olds are the most common age of adult learners. I am eager to see how this all ties together throughout the module.
