Adult Education - Creating Overwhelmingly Successful Learning Programs for the (supposed) Adults in Your Organization

Every organization understands the value of ongoing education and training. We all want to have a staff of professionals who continue to grow and improve themselves in their specialty, to learn the ropes of their industry, and to learn about your company and your customers.

Active adult learners make the best employees. But many managers and trainers fail to recognize the fact that adults learn very differently than children and younger adults who are in the formal school system.

The Solution
This article is a comparison and discussion of the concepts of andragogy, meaning “the art and science of helping adults to learn”. . . contrasted with pedagogy, the art and science of helping children to learn. There is some discussion about whether androgogy is a theory of learning, a theory of teaching, or a set of assumptions. Despite the controversy, androgogy is a workable concept and an excellent “conversation-piece” to describe many of the issues with adult education and ways it can and should be different from the education of children. What follows are five of the key factors that define androgogy and differentiate it from pedagogy, together with illustrations or examples of how they might be used by an instructor.

The need to know
In a classroom of children, there are some concrete guidelines established by a school board with cultural and demographic information that establish what children should be expected to know by the fifth grade, for example. Adults, on the other hand, may be influenced by the boss or co-workers, or friends and family, or may even be compelled to enroll in some educational programs. For the most part, however, adults determine what they want and need to know for themselves. The largest majority of adults elect to enroll in classes, seek private instruction, or engage in independent learning projects.

It is very important to ensure the course is positioned and marketed appropriately. Perspective learners that select a particular course need to be assured that the course objectives and materials. That would help ensure the adults that enroll have a stronger desire to learn. The instructor should also conduct a short needs analysis (depending on the length and complexity of the course) in the first session to find out WHY each person enrolled and what they expected to learn.

The learners’ self-concept
The self-esteem of children is fragile yet fairly malleable. Most children can be persuaded to take part in various activities using fairly simple methods. Adults, however, sometimes have self-concept issues that interfere with learning. Overcoming a self-developed label, such as “I’m not technical” or “I’ve been out of school too long” can interfere with an adult’s participation or success in a learning endeavor. It is important for the instructor to ferret out these concepts if they are causing problems, and to address them directly. When I encounter a student with a self-concept issue of “I’m not technical, and this assignment is technical, therefore I won’t try it.” I break down a web-development assignment into smaller pieces and go through it on an individual or small group level, using a comfortable and familiar metaphor, such as following a recipe to bake cookies or building a house. (The learners themselves often suggest a good metaphor with some intelligent questioning.) One early success in a course often goes a long way toward resolving this difficulty.

The role of learners’ experience
Children generally have fewer unique experiences to draw knowledge from, partly because they have had less time to accumulate it and partly because children in public school have a similar experiential background. Adults often have rich layers of experience that are very different from one another and that provide excellent, relevant and compelling learning material, if it can be tapped for a course.

I recently attended a process planning workshop hosted by IBM. There were six attendees, all of whom were from related departments at Wells Fargo. In a needs assessment, the instructor hit on an issue that we were having. She scrapped the generic example used in the course materials and used our “case study” instead. She incorporated our example throughout the course as an example. My classmates and I were very motivated by the opportunity to solve a real world problem during the course. The course became much more powerful for us because it was immediately relevant.

Readiness to learn
The curriculum for children is often designed so that courses follow the predicted developmental stage of the child, courses build on each other in sequence. With adults, the instructor cannot make such assumptions. Material taught before the student is ready to begin using it will not be as effective as material that can be used right away. As an example, I was part of a team that delivered software training to a group of people. The training was successful, and got excellent reviews. However, the software that was supposed to be delivered and used at the conclusion of the training was delayed by two months. We were asked to design and deliver a refresher course (at a considerable cost to the company) because the students were not comfortable using the software because of the delay between matriculation and availability.

Readiness to Learn also addresses the potential of learning disabilities and other disabilities. Many adults have disabilities that were not diagnosed when they were children, so this possibility (and eventuality) must be addressed.

Motivation
Children can be motivated to learn nearly any topic by an enthusiastic and supportive teacher. Adults need more specific motivation. As an example, many adults engage in learning activities with anticipation of a better job. By providing placement services, networking opportunities, and marketable certificates; a learning opportunity can better meet that expectation and hence, more effectively motivate students to complete and excel at the program.

It is important for an instructor to understand the concepts of androgogy when teaching adults. In many key factors, there is a significant difference between adult and child learners. By designing courses with the needs and characteristics of adults in mind, an instructor or educator stands a much better chance of success. When designing educational programs for your company, design your training programs for adults.

References:

• Charles, S. and Pasupathi, M. (2003).Age Related Patterns of Variability in Self-Descriptions: Implications for Everyday Affective Experience. Psychology and Aging, 18 3 524-536. 

E-Text Merriam, S. et al.
  
• Adult Learning Theories, Principles, and Applications. University of Phoenix, John Wiley and Sons. Llewellyn, G. et al (2002)
• Home-based Programmes for Parents with Intellectual Disabilities: Lessons from Practice. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, l 15 4, 341-354.
  
• Principles of Pedagogy and Androgogy, University of Phoenix Material. Retreived December 10, 2003 from https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp