Introduction:
As the American Council on Education points out on its web site, learners over the age of 25 who uses to be considered non-traditional students now comprise close to 40% of students engaged in college studies. . These students are more in touch with how they learn. They know if they want to jump right in or look at the situation; if they should go find a mentor or a book. They are also frequently more motivated, they want more than the degree, and they want the education as well. Because of this combination of motivation and self-understanding adult learners are ready to take advantage of the edge that understanding their personal learning style and making the most of it.
Annotated Bibliography
AAACE. (2013, 09). Adult Learning. Retrieved from American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE): http://www.aaace.org/adult-learning-quarterly
The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education “is dedicated to the belief that lifelong learning contributes to human fulfillment and positive social change.” As part of its commitment to furthering adult learning its web site provides has a commission for Affiliate Organizations page that provides links to dozens of associated organizations and educational institutes that can provide further resources. This makes it an excellent resource for further research. Some of these links are to regional divisions of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education. These regional chapters provide different levels of information varying from local events and educational opportunities to scholarly papers written by members. Other links are to educational institutions that actively promote Adult Learning, either by direct adult education, classes for educators, or both. As with the local chapters of AAACE, the educational institutions provide different levels of information varying from local events and educational opportunities to scholarly papers written by students and faculty members. AAACE also publishes a quarterly journal that is available as a paid download for an individual issue or as a subscription.
American Council on Education. (2013). Adult Learners. Retrieved from American Council on Education - ACE: http://www.acenet.edu/higher-education/topics/Pages/Adult-Learners.aspx
The American Council on Education starts off by observing that adult learners, defined as learners over the age of 25 frequently are considered non-traditional students although in reality they comprise close to 40% of students engaged in college studies. In recognition of the effects of life learning as well as class studies they provide assessments for this knowledge called Prior Learning Assessments or PLAs. This permits the adult learner to educate themselves in the way they learn best, then complete the appropriate PLA. They also provide further information on other learning opportunities for adult students. Currently featured content, and links to past featured content.
Brookfield, S. (1995 (2013), 06 20). Adult Learning: An Overview. Retrieved from Ser Professor Universitario: http://www.serprofessoruniversitario.pro.br/m%C3%B3dulos/ensino-n%C3%A3o-diretivo/adult-learning-overview#.Uj1cBj9l3SM
Stephen Brookfield in his paper Adult Learning: An Overview Postulates that “To understand adult learning we need to know of its connections to learning in childhood and adolescence and to the formation during these periods of interpretive filters, cognitive frames and cultural rules.” His overview is a concise well written summary of various issues relating to this in addition to a well sourced bibliography that may hold additional resources in the more than thirty scholarly articles, books and other references he cites to.
Felder, R.M., Heochst, C., & Soloman, B. A. (2013). LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES. Retrieved from North Carolina State University: http://152.27.13.226/uploads/SSC/20090925-InstructionalDesign_Handouts.pdf
North Carolina State University like most colleges and universities in the United States, presents opportunities for faculty and staff to coordinate, cooperate and publish their work. There joint paper is a result of one such joint collaboration and focuses upon active and reflective learners. From the outset it indicates. “Everybody is active sometimes and reflective sometimes.
Florida State University. (2013). Adult Learning. Retrieved from Florida State University: http://www.fsu.edu/~adult-ed/jenny/learning.html
Florida State University has an extensive web site that covers a number of the aspects regarding Adult Learning.
Starting from their General Overview you can link onto individual pages for:
- Intelligence and Adult Development
- Assumption of Andragogy
- Kinds of Learning and Settings for Learning
- Transformative Learning
- Motives and Barriers for Learning
- Principles for Effective Adult Learning
- Want to Increase Your Intelligence?
With this combination of overview and successive links there is a successful working that allows student and educator alike an efficient way of accessing the material. It is also of particular value that they address some topic not always included in more vertical source material such as androgyny, along with motives and barriers for learning.
Hickcox, L. K. (1995). Learning Styles: A Survey of Adult Learning Style Inventory Models. R. R. Sims, & S. J. Sims (Eds.), The Importance of learning styles: understanding the implications for learning, course design, and education (pp. 24 - 28). Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ECi3gFMEvh8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA25&dq=adult+learning+styles&ots=-g6Y5bgTXP&sig=O6zoqEdX1RkOTaA7tWRpWzntZ4A#v=onepage&q=adult%20learning%20styles&f=false
The Importance of learning styles: understanding the implications for learning, course design, and education is a text that is still relevant and uses in many courses today despite its 1995 initial publishing date. The relevant section, Learning Styles: A Survey of Adult Learning Style Inventory Models. Comprises pages 24 through 28 of this text and defines an adult as a student over 18 years of age. It offers an International prospective as to how people learn and the interaction between the different learning styles. As part of its scope it also addresses how these learning potentials are developed in different institutions on several continents, comparing similarities and differences in the approaches.
learning-styles-online. (2013).
Overview of Learning Styles. Retrieved from learning-styles-online: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/
Learning Styles On Line addresses not only the individual leaning types, but recognizes that each person uses their own particular is a mix of learning styles. Their Overview page sets out these as, visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social, and solitary. These are clearly defined along with the portion of the brain that this sensory input affects the most. A clear graphic accompanies this.
Following this information are links to other areas on their web site that have tests, and further information regarding learning styles.
Lujan, H. L., & Ciarlo, S. E. (2005, 10 10). First-Year medical students prefer multiple learning styles. Retrieved from Advances in Physiology Education: http://advan.physiology.org/content/30/1/13.long
Heidi L Lujan and Stephen E. DICarlo in their paper entitled First-Year medical students prefer multiple learning styles present their findings for a study they conducted into the learning style preferences of first year medical students preferred using multiple sensory input to maximize their information intake and retention. In this study they found “most students (63.8%) preferred multiple modes [2 modes (24.5%), 3 modes (32.1%), or 4 modes (43.4%)] of information presentation.” The purpose of this study was to develop appropriate learning approaches for medical students. They used the VARK questionnaire to identify the students’ preferences and concluded that this method enriched the learning experience.
Sunburst USD. (2009). What's YOUR Learning Style. Retrieved from Sunburst USD.Edu: http://sunburst.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/
The University of South Dakota maintains the Sunburst web site space for its faculty. One of the faculty publications is devoted to Adult Learners and the educators who teach them. The writing is addressed to the self-motivated adult reentering the education world and mature enough to want to get the most out of the experience. In short, the adult learner who wants further education along with a higher degree. First published in the Instructor Magazine in their August, 1989 edition it has been completely rewritten for Internet publication in 2009. Study Questions (termed – Processing Suggestions) are:
- How could knowing your learning style be of benefit to you, personally?
- How can it be helpful in your interactions with others?
- How do you think this could help you in your studies?
- How do you think this could help you in lectures?
- How do you think this could help you in note taking?
On line links provide a self-evaluation test called an “Inventory,” a summary of learning styles, and a link to help understand and identify the different styles.
Thurber, J. (2003). Adult Learning Styles. NMPA, pp. 18 - 19. Retrieved from National Property Management Association: https://npma.org/Archives/15-1-Thurber.pdf
Jessica Thurber wrote for the Bay Area Chapter of the National Property Management Association. Her paper on Adult Learning Styles was inspired by her working experience and by Dr. Goetz’s presentation skills in a lecture she attended. Like Felder and Celanese professors from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Solomon the Coordinator of Advertising for the First Year College at the North Carolina State University who also addressed adult learning; Ms. Thurber is written from educational and life experience. She relates her educational experience back to the benefits of continuing education for all individuals.
Marcey, V. (2001, Spring). How the VARK learning style inventory can be used to improve student learning. Journal of the Association of Physician Assistant Program. Retrieved from VARK Learning: http://www.vark-learn.com/documents/VanessaMarcy.pdf
Vanessa Marcy Addresses Adult Learning Styles: How the VARK© learning style inventory can be used to improve student learning for the Journal of the Association of Physician Assistant Programs. Her interest is centered upon how the continuing education process for physician’s assistants can be enhanced if the participants are evaluated first using VARK evaluation methods. Once evaluated the information can be used to help those individuals understand how they learn. By participating in and understanding the process the physician’s assistants can employ it to get the greatest benefit from that education. They can also use that information in their efforts to find best way to apply their educational experience to their work experience.
Conclusion:
Because adult learners have established learning techniques that work for them and are frequently more motivated than some of the younger, less experienced students they are to use the edge that understanding their personal learning style can give them. . The educators who work with adult learners also find that more experienced students who are studying for higher degrees appreciate it as well. This makes the study of learning styles beneficial for both the students and their educators.
Bibliography
AAACE. (2013, 09). Adult Learning. Retrieved from American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE): http://www.aaace.org/adult-learning-quarterly
American Council on Education. (2013). Adult Learners. Retrieved from American Council on Education - ACE: http://www.acenet.edu/higher-education/topics/Pages/Adult-Learners.aspx
Brookfield, S. (1995 (2013), 06 20). Adult Learning: An Overview. Retrieved from Ser Professor Universitario: http://www.serprofessoruniversitario.pro.br/m%C3%B3dulos/ensino-n%C3%A3o-diretivo/adult-learning-overview#.Uj1cBj9l3SM
Celanese, H., Felder, R. M., & Soloman, B. A. (2013). LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES. Retrieved from North Carolina State Universiy: http://152.27.13.226/uploads/SSC/20090925-InstructionalDesign_Handouts.pdf
Florida State University. (2013). Adult Learning. Retrieved from Florida State University: http://www.fsu.edu/~adult-ed/jenny/learning.html
Hickcox, L. K. (1995). Learning Styles: A Survey of Adult Learning Style Inventory Models. In R. R. Sims, & S. J. Sims (Eds.), The Importance of learning styles : understanding the implacations for learnind, course design, and education (pp. 24 - 28). Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ECi3gFMEvh8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA25&dq=adult+learning+styles&ots=-g6Y5bgTXP&sig=O6zoqEdX1RkOTaA7tWRpWzntZ4A#v=onepage&q=adult%20learning%20styles&f=false
learning-styles-online. (2013). Overview of Learning Styles. Retrieved from learning-styles-online: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/
Lujan, H. L., & Ciarlo, S. E. (2005, 10 10). First-Year medical students prefer multiple learning styles. Retrieved from Advances in Physiology Education: http://advan.physiology.org/content/30/1/13.long
Marcy, V. (2001, Spring). How the VARK learning style inventory can be used to improve student learning. Journal of the Association of Physician Assistant Program. Retrieved from VARK Learning: http://www.vark-learn.com/documents/VanessaMarcy.pdf
Thurber, J. (2003). Adult Learning Styles. NMPA, pp. 18 - 19. Retrieved from National Property Management Association: https://npma.org/Archives/15-1-Thurber.pdf
USD, S., & James, B. W. (2009). What's YOUR Learning Style. Retrieved from University of South Dakota: http://sunburst.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/
