Adult Learning Essay Example for Free

Adult Learning Essay DISCUSSION BOARD Do you believe they have any benefit for teaching adults? Why or Why not? Share a personal example of each that supports your view. Based on your own experiences, do you believe that children and adults learn differently? Give examples to support your thoughts. Metaphors, rehearsal, imagery and mnemonics are concepts used for teaching children. These tools benefit teaching creating venues that will effectively and efficiently nurture learning. For teachers, the more tools and bag of tricks the teacher has, the deeper and wider student learning styles he can reach, whether his students are adults or children. Studies show that children are fast learners as seen in their growth rates compared to adults. However, due to the innate nature children in as much as it could benefit teaching adults. Teaching adults as a general practice involves introduction of new concepts, facilitating learning processes and of human beings to learn using their mind, heart and hands, it is safely assumed that man’s learning is continuous and does not end with being adults. From experience, adult learning takes into consideration integrative tools to get the concepts across. In a way, if the teacher is able to create an atmosphere where adults can become children again, learning can become faster and insightful. Metaphors and the ability to use them denote higher literacy levels due to the cultural shades the metaphors require. For adults, the use of metaphors for learning is effective in evocative process of teaching. The adult learner by its manipulation of thought, experience and words, can further deepen their insights on the subject being learned. For example, in teaching a second language to adults involves using learning tools that can help the learners claim a new vocabulary. It usually takes six kinds of experiences or activities before non-native speaker acquires new vocabulary. Using metaphors will help the adult learner visualize, analogize and understand the new concept via exploration of likeness. The word blue can be analogized as â€Å"cool†, â€Å"sky†, or â€Å"water†. Another reason why metaphors are effective is that in adult learning, high level of inhibitions needs to be broken up before the learners start to let go and trust the teacher and their co-learners. Metaphors are good tools to slowly break the barriers of communication especially when the topic that is being discussed is sensitive. For teachers, when adult students use their own metaphors, the teacher can get a new perspective on how the student was able to digest the concepts being imparted. Rehearsals are exercises that instill mastery skills. Adult learning includes mastery of skills especially when the concepts that need to be learned involve tactile efforts. Rehearsals can range from mental rehearsal of knowledge as well as physical rehearsal of skills. An example of rehearsal in adult learning is the teaching of artistic craftsmanship, selling and management techniques, or any hands on skill. Computing is mastered through repeatability of the ability. Repeating something like cooking is a kind of rehearsal. The use of imagery is effective in adult learner where collaboration is imperative. With adult learning, the teacher’s imposition as all knowledgeable is less. The teacher’s role lies more on bringing tools such as images that can stimulate knowledge, skills and attitudes. Just like in children where the visuals can stimulate sensory skills, adults can develop the power of their own senses to stimulate their mind, relax their bodies and imbibe more learning in a healthier way. Malcolm Knowles takes this collaboration in adult learning into the organizational level. â€Å"When applied to the organization of adult education, a democratic philosophy means that the learning activities will be based on the real needs and interests of the participants; that the policies will be determined by a group that is representative of all participants; and that there will be a maximum of participation by all members of the organization in sharing responsibility for making and carrying out decisions.† (Knowles, 1980) An example of using imagery in adult education is using film as take off point for classroom discussions. Visual stimulus can be a painting just like in children’s education but in adult discourse, the insights are more mature and evoked from varied experience. Mnemonics helps teachers increase confidence of adult students in recalling vocabulary and concepts. Teaching through mnemonics is as much fun and rewarding to adults as it is on children. The memory enhancing strategy is usually used to teach information that’s already known but need to be easily recalled. The use of this technique accommodates students from a wide age range. In adults, it is easier because with rich and diverse experience, the class can create more associations to a word, making it easier and more fun. â€Å"Most people believe that their memory gets worse as they get older. This is true only for people who do not use their memory properly: memory is like a muscle the more it is used, the better it gets. The more it is neglected, the worse it gets. While in education most people have to use their memory intensively simply to remember facts and pass exams. When people leave full time education, they tend to cease to use their memory as actively, and so it starts to get flaccid.† (Chennai Interactive, 2002) Adult education that uses mnemonics will be able to help adults that have ceased to use their memory after leaving formal learning venues. The memory muscle just like any adult muscle will be able to recall its ability to remember vocabularies, theories and concepts with the mnemonic type of learning. People who learn how to bike, never forgets to how to bike. Even the concepts of mathematics will easily be recalled if mnemonics is used to recall mathematical jargons or concepts of other subjects. Adult learning is very much parallel children’s way of learning. There is no better challenge for adult educators to prime their students into the level of child like learning where the student is more open to new ideas, prepared to embrace new experience and able to digest their new knowledge into the levels of reflection and insight. REFERENCES Chennai Interactive Business Services (P) Ltd., 2002. Memory Techniques. Retrieved October 27, 2006, from www.chennaionline.com/education/2002/mete.asp Knowles, Malcolm S., 1980. The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall/Cambridge.