Click Summary: This week’s readings focused mainly on adult learning. Svinicki & McKeachie’s (2014) three chapters started with the motivational theories and how important the adult educator need this knowledge to equip him/her with the strategies and skills to create learning environment that maximizes students’ learning goals toward mastery than performance. From the reading, the authors seem to be telling adult educator to use motivational strategies that promote and enhance adult learning by creating environment that minimizes constrains impede the progress of adult learning that is already embedded with external problems. The next chapter of the part 3 talks about diverse students’ instruction. This chapter shows how the adult educator should not assume or not ignorantly interpret diverse students’ behaviors or speech style. It discusses the need for educators of diverse students to know their students better due to differences in culture. This help them get proper meaning to their behaviors and adopt strategies that maximizes their learning. The third chapter deals with the different challenges that come along with adult learning that make students put up different behaviors and strategies educators can use to help ease these problems and maximize success and completion of programs. Merriam & Bierema (2014) also discuss adult learning starting with adult learning in the contemporary information and technological world, though the learning theories to the detailed discussion of ‘Andragogy’ (the art of teaching adults or helping adult learn). The authors show how the world has become knowledge society which is technology driven and therefore the need for adult to learn in order to be abreast of time. In our information and technology world of today, education has become a commodity of the marketplace and one become successful in it with the possession of the appropriate knowledge. The authors use the components of globalization to make the known to readers. Merriam & Bierema (2014) discuss the five learning theories (behaviorism [learning is a change in behavior-overt behavior], humanism [learning is about developing a person-covert behavior], cognitivism [learning is a mental process-schemata], social cognitivism [learning is mental process driven by social interaction-socially bound through observation, interaction, modelling etc.] and constructivism [learning is about creating meaning from experience]). Their discussion on andragogy show that self-directed learning, and transformational learning are offspring of the humanistic learning theory. Through their discussion on the model of adult learning, they show the characteristics of adult learning based on Knowles (1980) which they cited in their book. They assert that self-concept which project in adult learning is the root of the self-directed learning seen in adult learners. Also, the abundant experience in adult life is a rich learning resource. Adult learners are intrinsically motivated in that they have target or self-determined goals to achieve. Furthermore, adult learning is more problem centered that subject centered and that social roles conflict with adults’ readiness to learn. Loughran’s (2006) introductory chapter talks the importance of developing a pedagogy for teacher education. It gives a contextual explanation of pedagogy and its main foci (learning about teaching and teaching about teaching). The author shows the need for both teacher educators and the teacher educands to pay attention to learning about the content and the manner of teaching. He asserts that teacher educators should be open-minded so that they can enhanced their knowledge and practice. Critical Analysis: The three different readings this week were very informative and thought provoking. They all dealt with the concern of maximizing adult learning. As Svinicki & McKeachie (2014) focus of the best practices college teachers can adopt to make their learning environment and strategies adult learner-friendly, Merriam & Bierema (2014) focus of andragogy, giving a brief background and the need the for adult to learn despite the challenges that come along with adult learning so to succeed in this information and technological world in which education has become a commodity the it only knowledge that can be used to buy. Loughran (2006) follows with the need to for transformation in the assumption of teaching and learning regarding teacher education. These insightful is laudable and eye-opener, however, I think some of the suggestions given by Svinicki & McKeachie (2014) may not be applicable in all situation and context. For example, given students choice of due dates for assignment and having students submit draft of assignments for instructors to give feedback for students to revise it before grading may not be suitable for large classes. I also think having students. I think the latter will also discourage some students not to put up their best because they would be dependent on the teacher. This notwithstanding, the strategies and information they provided are very helpful especially to novice college instructors. Reflection: As I was reflecting on this week’s readings, I realized that it is true that instructors can make learners goals for learning be mastery or just for performance depending on the environment they set and the strategies they adopt. I could see these through the way I studied some of the courses I have read and reading during my adult school. I could see that I could still remember some of the things I learned from teachers who were concerned with my success in their course as an individual and not as I was compared with the performance of my colleagues. This is very revealing as I have never given it a thought. I saw Merriam & Bierema’s (2014) explanation of ‘Brain Circulation’. From their explanation, I could see that I am currently a beneficiary of the brain circulation because I had the chance the come and read my PhD in early childhood (which no university offer currently in my home country) as a result of this. I have got the opportunity to study at a place where I have seasoned mentoring in the area I aspire to be an expert. Merriam & Bierema (2014) assertion that the quality and quality of learning has become in the information and knowledge world today and that one does not desire for the best he/she cannot be successful in this quality knowledge demanding world. I also see reflection of the six models of andragogy in my adult study. Because I have a goal for the acquisition of the PhD degree, I am intrinsically motivated to learn and succeed despite the challenges I am currently undergoing in the pursuit of this degree. That desire alone urges me on and it connects with Svinicki & McKeachie (2014) assertion that motivation begets resilience. Most of the learning I am doing in my adult studies are based on experience in that experience give me a good platform for understanding issues that are similar to my prior knowledge. Reference Loughran, J. (2006). Developing a Pedagogy of Teacher Education: Understanding Teaching and Learning About Teaching. London: Routledge. Merriam, S. B. & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Svinicki, M., & McKeachie, W. J. (2014). McKeachie’s teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (14th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. here to edit. |
1 Comment
9/3/2015 06:29:28 pm
I'm so glad that you could connect the readings to your experiences as an adult learner and that these readings made some of the strategies of your previous professors apparent. I wondered about whether or not you could see any of these strategies in your own teaching. Did you/Could you recognize either strategies that you are using and connect them to theory? How about opportunities where you could make changes to your teaching because of the theory you are learning?
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