LEARNING THEORIES
ANDRAGOGY AND ADULT EDUCATION
The resources have direct relevance to their learning objectives. They would like to improve their fluency and communication skills to be able interact with their peers and fellow experts in a professional context.
We are working together on the class content: building on what they need, they are actively involved in the material and are responsible for their own learning.
We have been using Articulate Rise so that I can add blocks which contain resources that directly apply to what we have seen when we meet.
Recently, two colleagues have asked me for help and are on a mission: they want to improve their English language skills.
Some background information
They are both highly qualified adult learners who hold positions of responsibility in an academic environment; they learned English as a foreign language at school, in a traditional way, by doing routine grammar exercises and studying vocabulary lists. They are struggling when it comes to speaking and listening and lack the self-confidence needed when one encounters foreigners and has to resort to English as a lingua franca.
The experience that they both have is something that we try to integrate in our discussions as much as possible. Their experience of language learning is also something that I need to take into account: fears, self-deprecation and resistance to change are all aspects that characterise adult learning. I have at times observed signs of rigidity when they were exposed to a more communicative approach of grammar.
They expect a lot from the classes – they are highly motivated but also ambitious when it comes to their learning targets. They want to improve their language skills fast and are sometimes impatient. Avoiding discouragement and frustration has been one of the biggest challenges so far.
Pappas, C. (2013, 8 May). Eight Important Characteristics Of Adult Learners. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/8-important-characteristics-of-adult-learners
Pappas, C. (2013, 9 May). The Adult Learning Theory - Andragogy - of Malcolm Knowles. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-malcolm-knowles