3.3 Leading adult learners: preparing future leaders and professional  (Page 5/9)

• Verbal/Linguistic: reading, writing, speaking, and listening
• Logical/Mathematical: working with numbers and abstract patterns
• Visual/Spatial: working with images, mind mapping, visualizing, drawing
• Musical/Rhythmic: using rhythm, melody, patterned sound, song, rap, dance
• Bodily/Kinesthetic: processing information through touch, movement, dramatics
• Interpersonal: sharing, cooperating, interviewing, relating
• Intrapersonal: working alone, self-paced instruction, individualized projects
• Naturalist: spending time outdoors, sorting, classifying, noticing patterns
• Existentialist: wondering people, philosophical, seeking the bigger picture

Gardner’s work continues to redefine the learner and what attributes he has identified has led to specific learner strategies. Influences from Bruner and Piaget are found in Gardner’s work.

Adult learning and pedagogy

The founding father of adult learning is often attributed to Knowles. Knowles (1990) uses the term andragogy for adult learning distinguished from pedagogy which is children based. Knowles suggested an endpoint to adulthood, as noted by (Rogers, 2002) that adulthood is attained when individuals perceive themselves to be essentially self-directing. Knowles (2002) identified the following principles:

• Adults need to participate: plan and evaluate their instruction
• Experiential learning activities should be provided
• Topics must be relevant to their jobs or personal life

Learning for adults should be problem-centered vs. content-oriented.

Cronbach and Snow (1977) identified attitude at the heart of their theory. Learning they said is best achieved when strategies are geared directly to the learners specific abilities. Their theory is called Attitude Treatment Interaction.

Adult learning contains critical reflection characteristics which require analysis for the learner (Freire, 1972) and are action based for the learner (Knowles, 1990). As stated by Alan Rogers (2002), “Freire…suggested that learning is accomplished by critically analyzing experience and acting on the basis of that analysis… [and for] Knowles…action is an essential part of the learning process, not a result of the learning process,” (107).

Patricia Cross’s Characteristics of Adults as Learners model (CAL) wrote guidelines for adult education programs. These guidelines are practical and situational on adult learning with attention to characteristics such as, full time versus part time; required (compulsory) or voluntary, etc. Cross’s three principles to adult learning are: (1) Learning should capitalize on one’s experience; (2) Age of the learner is a factor; and, (3) Challenge the adult to continue to grow. Choices on how the learning is organized are important to the adult learner.

Engaging adult learners

All the learning theories mentioned in the preceding brief summary have impacted the evolution of adult learning and pedagogy: some to a greater degree than others. Cognitive and social constructivisms are strong underpinnings to adult learning, as are Humanist and Motivation-Personality Theories. Figure 1 depicts the relationship of learning theories to adult learning and pedagogy.