It is my conviction that the noble profession of instructing teachers is the greatest, most powerful contributor to nation-building. Teachers, within the school system, have the responsibility of imparting knowledge, acting as agents of socialization, creating responsible, productive members of society, and guiding students towards the achievement of their goals.
It is, therefore, important that great emphasis is placed on training teachers since, in Education, teachers are viewed as significant contributors to the quality of students produced. Thus, the input by teachers will have a direct bearing on strategies and materials needed to aid the learner in educational pursuit to achieve at the highest possible level. As an adult instructor at the Cyril Potter College of Education where teachers are trained to be professionals, the main goal of the college is to create learning experiences that would, "…help individuals satisfy their needs and achieve their goals," the ultimate goal being "human fulfillment" as is encouraged in the writings of Knowles (1980) p.27.
The concepts of adult education and adult learning varies from person to person and theorist to theorist. It is important to note that there are marked similarities between Adult Education and Adult Learning. Thomas (1991) states that "…education cannot exist without learning…" since they both contribute to the personal and societal growth of the Adult Learner. These learning experiences are, therefore, integrated into the curriculum of Adult Education. This gives the Adult Learner greater liberty in directing their learning and its outcomes. In some cases, learning practices are even adjusted with the discovery of new research.
Another similarity existing between Adult Education and Learning is that both can take place in formal and informal settings. A formal setting, as described by Stephen Brookfield's (Course Video), is characterized by "…rows of desks neatly arranged with heads meticulously bent over them reviewing content." Adult Education and Adult Learning consist of a combination of formal and informal settings from which experiences are gained. These experiences expose the Adult Learner to different methods of learning and encourage them to incorporate the skills attained into study practices and to life situations as a whole. Here, I reflect on pursuing my Degree in( Geography). This area was chosen because it was in keeping with my career goal. I learned in formal and informal settings. Upon completion of this program, a certificate was awarded. It is worthy of mention that Adult Education depends on the Adult learning outcomes, which are rewarded by certificates, diplomas, and degrees.
However, there are differences that exist between Adult Education and Adult Learning. One such difference is that Adult Education occurs through planned activities geared to appeal to the cognitive ability of the Adult Learner while Adult Learning "is the unplanned, incidental learning that is part of everyday life…" as is cited in the writing of (Merriam & Brockett, 2007.p.7). I recall learning to bake bread from my mother, who was a Home Economics teacher attached to the school I attended. Her classes were theory-based, which highlighted the ingredients to the texture of the dough and the process to attain the right texture. However, I never got my bread just right. Subsequently, I viewed a program on a cooking channel on television and decided to bake a pan of bread for dinner. To my surprise, it was the best-baked bread I had ever eaten. This comment may be viewed as subjective. Nevertheless, the essence of this is that learning isn't limited to the classroom for an Adult Learner. Adult Education, on the other hand, occurs through planned cognitive processes, which are not always the best method to employ to Adult learners, as was highlighted in my scenario.
A benefit of Adult Learning manifests itself as I recall the former years of my teaching career. At this point, I was no more than four years older than my students-many of whom considered me as their peer. This process was plagued with many trials and uncountable errors. Some of these errors ranged from screaming at the top of my lungs to control an unruly class while contributing to the noise also, to dismissing students who showed no interest in learning. Today, I am much wiser -thanks to the experiences I've had. It was after instructing my "peers" in the Secondary school that I knew I wanted to be an educator. Merely imparting knowledge to students was no longer enough; I wanted to instruct teachers on appropriate methodologies based on my experience and the expectations of the curriculum and of society at large. Today, I am better able to employ strategies to deal with similar situations and to also deal effectively with new ones. This is portrayed in Stephen Brookfield (course video), where 'adulthood' is viewed as "… a range of experiences upon which adults can draw" and grow as individuals.
One drawback of formal Adult Institutions where Adult education takes place is that a lot of emphases is placed on theory. This leaves the learner unable to apply this information to real-life situations or solve problems. Later, this can contribute to problems in the adult's work environment since there is very little one can draw from and identify with. One may be seen as a liability rather than an asset to one's employer. Another drawback of Adult Education is that adult learners are unable to build on the experience gained and cannot apply it to the learning situation since they are emotionally incapable of change. A third drawback of Adult Education is that Adult Learners are all taught the same way. Adulthood comes with many challenges ranging from social to economic in origin. With this in mind, Adult Educational institutions can benefit the Adult learner by:
1. "Encouraging the Adult learner to practice teaming both in and out of the school environment through teaching teams, thus developing partnerships with other organizations.
2. Creating avenues for the Adult Learner to function in authoritative positions. By doing this, it creates a sense of belonging and worth.
3. Promoting collegial inquiry which can be brought about through writing and dialogue.
4. Mentoring."
These are seen as "pillars practices," as is stipulated in the writing of Drago-Severson (2008).
Finally, I will seek to examine the kinds of experiences that can be transformed into learning. The term "Andragogy" is the theory of adult learning put forward by Malcolm Knowles. This theory is supported by theorists such as Tough, Merriam, and Pratt, where they emphasize that adults have a need for being "self –directed." "Self –directing" is the process where adults exercise control over their learning and its outcomes. Pratt (1988) states that "…not all adults appear to be equally ready for self-directed learning, nor is an individual equally prepared for self –directed learning in every situation." Many factors will determine how effective this approach to learning will be. As a teacher instructor, it is important that my teaching strategies are in keeping with the level of "self –directed readiness" shown by my teacher-learners, as is recommended by Grow, (1991).
A further experience that can transform into adult learning is when the learner can draw from experiences and apply them to solving problems. This type of learning is described as "performance centered."
The third kind of experience that can be transformed into adult learning occurs when adults learn from each other. This type of learning is informal and helps the learner to analyze and critically address areas of concern. Wilson (1993) suggests that "…adults learn inexperience as they act in situations and are acted upon by situations, rather than the traditional assumptions that adults learn from experience."
In conclusion, it is safe to say that Adult Education and Adult Learning both contribute to the development of knowledge and the necessary skills needed by adults to conduct their daily lives. They both give the opportunity to all people for the full development of the personality (UNESCO, 1977,p.2) states.
Works Cited
Knowles, M.S. (1980) The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy (2nd.ed.). Chicago: Association/ Follett.
Thomas (1991). Diversity Management: A New Organizational Paradigm http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1005907602028#page-1
Brookfield, S. D. (2003). Adult education learning model. In A. DiStefano, K. E. Rudestam, & R. Silverman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of distributed learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Retrieved from http://sage-ereference.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/view/distributedlearning/n9.xml
Merriam, S., Caffarella, R., and Baumgartner, L. (2007) Learning in adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Courtney (1989). As cited in Merriam, S. B., & Brockett, R. G. (2007). The professions and practice of adult education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Drago- Severson,E .2008. Four practices that serve as pillars for adult learning. Journal of Staff Development 29(4),60-63
Pratt, D.D., 1988. Andragogy as a relational construct. Adult Education Quarterly,38,160-181. http://www.academia.edu/3625772/Andragogy_After_Twenty-Five_Years
Grow, G.1991. Teaching learners to be self-directed: A stage approach. Adult Education Quarterly,41(3), 125-149. http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/pdf/6.1.3.pdf
Wilson, A.L.1993. The promise of situated cognition. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education
Volume 1993, Issue 57, pages 71–79, Spring 1993
Laureate Education. Inc. (2011). What is Adult Learning? Retrieved on January 12, 2014, from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4197471_1%26url%3D
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