The Differences Between Adult Education and Traditional Undergraduate

The Differences Between Adult Education and Traditional Undergraduate Education Dr. Tom Phelan, President Strategic Teaching Associates, Inc. Associate Professor, American Public University System Instructor, Elmira College

Areas of Differences Experience Maturity Classroom Management Attendance/Schedules Full time/ Part time Daytime/ Evening Networking Technology

Experience Traditional Undergrads – Limited Work Travel Research Self-Direction – Broad Technology Flexibility Classroom Adult Learners – Limited Time Technology Research APA/MLA – Broad Work Travel Interpersonal Historical Perspective

Maturity Traditional Undergrads – Age (26 average in community colleges) – 18 – 22 (most colleges) Born 1992 – Socially varied – most unmarried – Diverse – Technologically mature – High Tolerance Adult Learners – Ages to 65 – Many married with children – Diverse – Self-directed – Technologically immature – Lower Tolerance

Classroom Management Traditional Undergrads – – – – – – – Attendance Problems Instant Messaging Accustomed to Groups Brick & Mortar Grade Conscious Blackboard/Angel Time Management Adult Learners – Work/School Schedule Conflicts – Discussion-oriented – Group work averse – More frequent breaks – Furniture /comfort – Presentation focused – Desire to share

Attendance/Schedules Traditional Undergrads – – – – – Fixed, five day week Daytime hours Not too early Not Friday afternoon Conflicts Sports Special Events Other classes Adult Learners – Evenings/weekends – On line – Conflicts Work travel Family Access to Library Group meetings Fixed Exam Schedule

Daytime/Evening/Any Time Traditional Undergrads – Daytime – Five days/ week Adult Learners – Evening or late afternoon – Weekends – On line/ any time

Networking Traditional Undergrads – New Concept – Social Networking vs. Career Networks – Finding Contacts – Internet focus – Friends – Lack of Sources Adult Learners – – – – – – – Work related LinkedIn.com Associations Business Meetings Conferences Client focused References

Technology Traditional Undergrads – Latest Innovation Laptop Cell (iphone) Blackberry – e-books – Internet Searches – Electronic/Digital .docx Open Office Skype – Poor Contingency Plans Adult Learners – Traditional Library Print Media – – – – – – Internet Explorer Go To Meetings Webinars Word.doc Hand-holding Paper Backups

Not your Father’s Classroom Cyrile Houle Benjamin Bloom Malcolm Knowles Allen Tough Alexander Charters Roger Hiemstra Tom Phelan

The Inquiring Mind The Inquiring Mind: A Study of the Adult Who Continues To Learn by Cyril Houle 1. More people continue their education from the late 20s until age 50 than at any other time; 2. The higher the formal education of the adult, the more likely it is that he or she will take part in continuing education; 3. Learners were usually readily discerned as such by their friends; 4. For the learning oriented, education was an almost constant rather than occasional activity; 5. Enrollment in formal education is largely vocational in nature; 6. Some learners attend educational classes for the activity itself and the social opportunities the educational setting provides; and 7. Influences on learning included family background, teachers and schools, public libraries, occupations, and the examples of friends--but how these influences worked were varied. 1960

Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Domain – Knowledge – Comprehension – Application – Analysis – Synthesis – Judgment* 1956

Bloom’s Little Known Domain Affective Domain – Receiving – Responding – Balancing – Organizing – Internalizing Values

Pedagogy to Andragogy The Modern Practice of Adult Education; Andragogy versus Pedagogy by Malcolm Knowles (what year?) This book is a guided inquiry into the newly emerging technology of adult education based on an original theory of andragogy (the art and science of helping adults learn) as distinguished from pedagogy (teaching children and youth). Its central thesis is that adults in certain crucial respects are different from young people as learners, and that a different approach is needed. 1970

Allen Tough’s Adult’s Learning Projects http://allentough.com/

Alexander Charters “The third stage of Adult Education into which the world is now moving . . . might be called the knowledgebased stage. It is not to consider knowledge as a product but knowledge as the basis for knowing. Knowledge encompasses all aspects of learning, and it behooves all adults to continue to learn in areas and at levels appropriate for them.” Dr. Alexander Charters, 8 September 1996 http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/a/AlexanderNCharters/flyers/chartersflyer.pdf

Jost Reischmann on Andragogy http://www.uni-bamberg.de/fileadmin/andragogik/08/andragogik/andragogy/ index.htm#our

Roger Hiemstra Perseverence - staying with the process of being a better professional; learning to do better as you grow and develop as an experienced educator of adults Pride - pride in yourself, pride in your profession; this includes learning to love yourself and recognize the personal attributes you have; it also may need to include reading personal development books Patience - with yourself, with learners; remember that something like becoming a highly proficient and skilled self-directed learner takes time Patterns for success - there are existing models for teaching or training adults that work; individualizing the instructional process, selfdirected learning, etc. are some of them; find a mentor that understands these various patterns or models and seek guidance Persnickety - become more organized and disciplined in what you do; depending on your personality style, this may take lots of effort, but it is worth it

Hiemstra, cont’d. Preparation/preparedness - do your homework, practice everything before you do it, refuse to "wing" it when you are working with adult learners Personal philosophy - develop a personal philosophy statement, statement of personal ethics, and/or a personal statement of professional commitment that will serve as the foundation for what you do in the future Presentation skill development - continuously work on developing your platform skills; seek feedback, obtain evaluations, video tape yourself, etc. Professionalism - develop your professional writing skills, join and participate in a professional association, contribute to your profession in various ways, understand professional standards that apply to you, develop a personal portfolio Potentiality - strive to live up to the potential that is within you; I truly believe there is a greatness in each of us that only remains to be unlocked, to be developed; you can do it!!! http://www-distance.syr.edu/adulted.html

Tom Phelan Adults learn best when having fun Storytelling as a teaching method Self-Direction in Adult Learning Provide opportunity for sharing experience Reinforce basic skills Explore new and effective technology Use the liberal arts approach Grading – Don’t punish adults for learning

Thank You! 6385 Willson Road Vernon Center, NY 13477 (315) 829-4199 [email protected] www.drtomphelan.com Dr. Tom Phelan 23