Adult Learning: Opportunities for Adults
Running head: Opportunities for Adults 1
Transformational Learning Opportunities for Adults in the Online Christian Classroom
Heidi Bunten
INFT 101
Opportunities for Adults 2
Online education is a way for many adults to return to school. The convenience of being able to attend class from home makes it easier for them to work their course loads around family and job duties. Having knowledge of how adults learn is important for educators and specifically educators in an online program where there are a lot of adults attending. It is also important for the adults who are living them. Adult learning theories are a way to understand the differences adults have when they learn verses children. All people have factors like beliefs, family roles, views of themselves, and personality types playing lead or supporting roles in how they act in the world. These differences cause people to process information differently and learn in individual ways (Cercone, 2008). This paper will look at adult learning theories and some of the tools that educators can use in an online classroom to tailor the experience more appropriately to adult learners.
The first article this paper will look at talks about what an adult learner is like and how to translate that to an online classroom. There are things about adult learners that are unique to them and their learning process. Some of these include: having responsibilities outside of school and learning how to maneuver online. Understanding a few of the main ideas behind andragogy, which is the study of how adults learn, gives educators an idea of how to proceed in building the online classroom. Andragogy was developed by Dr. Knowles and since then learning theories have developed from his ideas. These are: Experiential
Transformational Learning Opportunities for Adults in the Online Christian Classroom
Heidi Bunten
INFT 101
Opportunities for Adults 2
Online education is a way for many adults to return to school. The convenience of being able to attend class from home makes it easier for them to work their course loads around family and job duties. Having knowledge of how adults learn is important for educators and specifically educators in an online program where there are a lot of adults attending. It is also important for the adults who are living them. Adult learning theories are a way to understand the differences adults have when they learn verses children. All people have factors like beliefs, family roles, views of themselves, and personality types playing lead or supporting roles in how they act in the world. These differences cause people to process information differently and learn in individual ways (Cercone, 2008). This paper will look at adult learning theories and some of the tools that educators can use in an online classroom to tailor the experience more appropriately to adult learners.
The first article this paper will look at talks about what an adult learner is like and how to translate that to an online classroom. There are things about adult learners that are unique to them and their learning process. Some of these include: having responsibilities outside of school and learning how to maneuver online. Understanding a few of the main ideas behind andragogy, which is the study of how adults learn, gives educators an idea of how to proceed in building the online classroom. Andragogy was developed by Dr. Knowles and since then learning theories have developed from his ideas. These are: Experiential