Adult Learning

      Throughout my experience in Professional Development and Lifelong Learning I have attained a much greater understanding of what it means to be an adult learner. I have examined many of these discoveries, in depth, throughout my "Individual Reflection" assignment. I would like to highlight some of the discoveries that I have made throughout my learning journey in EDUC 455. 

1. Adult learning does not necessarily mean that I taken time off from school and come back as an adult to be educated. I have not left school since I began pre-school when I was three years of age. However, adult learning means being a lifelong learner. Rather than learning purely from lectures, I will be learning from personal and work experiences, discussions with others, etc.  Throughout my time in this course I have learned a great deal about myself and am now able to classify myself as an adult learner.

(Spencers13, 2013)

I chose this image to represent my discovery of adult learning due to the fact that earlier in my learning journey I resembled the child on her father's shoulders. She relies on her mother's and father's guidance to learn the fundamental skills required for success in education. However, as I have aged I have moved towards the parents. The parents no longer require assistance to learn the fundamentals of knowledge. They rely on their own knowledge and learn through the experiences they have through interactions with each other, their child and work life. As an adult learner, I will never stop learning, however, my form of learning will change. 

2. As an adult learner I consider myself an "autonomous individual capable of identify[ing my] own learning needs" (MacKeracher, 2004, p. 26). Adult learners need to rely on themselves to develop their knowledge more fully. As adults age, they will have less teachers around them that tell them how to learn and what to learn. To prevent stagnation, I as an adult learner, must take my learning into my own hands in order to progress my understanding and knowledge. Being an autonomous learner is significant for me as a lifelong learner as it demonstrates to myself that I have the motivation and drive to better myself throughout my learning journey.

3. I am a very goal-oriented adult learner. Every class I take in my education career has been specifically chosen to improve myself as an individual and contributes to my goal of becoming a teacher. As I accomplish each class I know that I am taking a step closer to reaching my goal of becoming a teacher. This provides me with a greater intrinsic drive to continue on my school learning journey to reach my goals. Outside of my career goals, I am also working on personal and health goals. These goals keep me focused. I choose to learn more about activities that will improve myself to be able to reach my personal and health goals, along with my career goals. Goal-oriented lifelong learning allows me to be a more well-rounded individual through expanding my knowledge in a variety of areas.

This is my ten year vision and incremental goals that I have made for myself. Although some of my goals require a sanctioned education in order to complete them, many of my goals require other forms of knowledge and education to make them a success. As an adult learner, I will be a lifelong learner in areas that are relevant and interesting to me.

4. As an adult learner, I connect knowledge to real life examples. This allows me to take the information that is relevant and make it more meaningful for myself. For example, whilst in EDUC 425: Educational Psychology I found most of the theories to be very dry and irrelevant. However, when I studied how the theories could be applied in my classroom, I was able to develop a much greater appreciation for psychology. I also received a hunger to learn more about the topics presented to assist me in my future teaching endeavours.

5. As an adult learner I must be open to new experiences. By allowing myself to be open to diverse thoughts and experiences I am able to attain a much greater amount of knowledge. These experiences will allow me to understand more fully what is important to me and what my self-concept truly is. When I am open to my self-concept and other diverse experiences I will be a much more effective teacher. This effectiveness will result from knowing who I am, my strengths and weaknesses, etc. Students do not learn from teachers that "distance themselves from the subject [and the students] they are teaching" (Palmer, 1997, p. 16). When I am a teacher, I will more fully understand my desires and knowledge to better assist my future students.

6. Finally, as an adult learner I must constantly attempt to deconstruct and decolonize my knowledge (Smith, 2012). Smith (2012) explains that history is written by the victor. As a result, a great deal of the 'knowledge' I have attained thus far in my life may be biased towards Western winners. I must decolonize this knowledge to develop a strong understanding of the truth about history. This will allow me to be a more knowledgable individual by questioning what I believe to be true. As a teacher, I must allow my students to question and ponder what they are learning in order to develop a fuller understanding of the world around them.

Since my involvement in the "Individual Reflection" assignment, many of my discoveries have remained the same. However, my knowledge and growth has developed substantially even in this short period of time. Throughout my readings and experiences with my C.o.P., I have become a more professional individual that is very accepting of the idea of being an adult learner. New knowledge can, and will, always be attained. This new knowledge will not only better me as an individual, but also my future students.

References

MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning. (2nd ed., pp. 26-52). Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.

Palmer, P. J. (1997). The heart of a teacher: Identity and integrity in teaching. Change, 29(6), 14-21.

Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. (2nd ed., pp. 61-80). New York, NY: Zed Books Ltd.

Spencers13. (Artist). (2013, Nov 18). Loving, Learning Family [Web Drawing]. Retrieved from http://spencers13.deviantart.com/art/Loving-Learning-Family-414397565