Adult Learning Principles

Cox, A. W. Presentation at Indiana Summer Institute: Evidence-based Practices for Children with ASD. Indianapolis, IN. June 13, 2008. National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders, FPG Child Development Institute, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Session Topics

Differences in ways children and adults learn Assumptions/framework of adult learning Selected principles of adult learning Implications of principles to instructional

design

Objectives for Presentation

1. Describe attributes of adult learners.2. Identify practical applications to selected key

adult learning principles3. Discuss adult learning principles used in online

course on ASD.

What is Adult Learning?

• Andragogy – Adult Education• Children:

Rely on others to decide what is important to be learned.

Accept the information at face value Have little or no experience to draw upon Expect what is learned to be useful to long-

term future Little ability to serve as a knowledgeable

resource

What is Adult Learning?

• Adults: Decide for themselves what is important to

learn Need to validate the information based on

beliefs and values Expect what is learned to be immediately

useful Have substantial experience upon which to

draw Serve as a knowledgeable resource

Education is…..

Education is an activity…that is designed to effect changes in the knowledge, skill, and attitudes of

individuals, groups, or communities.

Knowles, Holton, Swanson, 2005

Learning is ….

Learning involves change. It is concerned with the acquisition of habits, knowledge, and attitudes.

Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2005

Assumptions and Framework of Adult Learning

• Adults tend to prefer self-direction.• Adults’ experiences are a rich resource for

learning.• Adults learn and retain information easier if they

can relate it to past experiences.• Adult learners’ needs and interests are the

starting points and serve as guidepost for learning activities.

• Adults are competency-based learners and want to learn a skill they can use immediately.

Selected Key Principles/Concepts of Adult Learning

• Leadership

• Experience

• Appeal

• Respect

• Novel styles

Leadership

• Adult learners enter learning situations as self-directed individuals.

• Adult learner wants a leadership role in their learning; their self-concept includes responsibility for actions.

• Implications: What do you think? Need to know why they need to learn

something. Others??

Experience

• Bring background of experiences that are rich resources for themselves and others

• Implications: Wide range of individual differences and

experiences Need to tap into these through group

discussion, group exercises, peer-helping activities

Others??

Appeal

• Appeal is the power of attracting or arousing interest

• Adults are motivated to learn when they need to know.

• Implications: Frameworks for organizing learning come

from life and/or work-related situations Motivated by task performance and problem

situations they confront Others????

Respect

• Energy diverted from learning if learner feel dis-respected.

• Learners need a climate of learning that conveys respect

• Implications: What do you think?

Novel Styles

• Adult learners have unique learning styles and preferences

• Adult learners respond when new material is presented through a variety of instructional methods.

• Implications: What do you think?

Example: Online Instruction

• What features of the online instruction fit with adult learning principles? Let’s discuss.

Summary

• Adult learners learn by…. Doing, not by being told what to do Applying ideas to real-life situations Reflecting on information presented in

multiple formats Modeling and simulation/case situations Others?