The November 2002 issue of College Matters featured stories from seven learners who had recently joined an LBS college program. All were from different colleges. Their combined stories present a realistic picture of the challenges adults face as returnees to school. Through their stories, we discover what led them back to school, where they hope to go with their education and how they felt about starting.
TASK:
Go to Appendix C. Read
and reflect on the stories of the other seven LBS students. Develop a
composite of these seven students. Consider their demographics, goals,
motivators and barriers. If you were designing a program for these students,
what kinds of program features and program supports do you think would
be needed to help them succeed?
notes:
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Adult Learning Principles
If you are new to the field of adult education, you will want to explore several theories that attempt to explain how adults learn (andragogy). Theories of adult learning abound, but one of the first, best known and most influential theorists was Malcolm Knowles. While his work is very comprehensive and often complex, his conclusions about adult learning can be distilled into a few key statements:
- Adults need to know why they are learning.
- Adult learners have life experiences that can be used as a resource for ongoing learning.
- Adults are capable of self-direction and need to be responsible for their own decisions.
- Adults view learning in a practical way and are motivated to learn when they feel it can help them solve problems in their own lives.
Log on to the following web site to see what the implications of Knowles’ principles of andragogy are for teaching and learning: http://claweb.cla.unipd.it/home/cwhigham/cam_hy_whig/andragogy.htm