Facilitating the Adult Learner

@MHWILLEKE | FACILITATING THE ADULT LEARNER
Facilitating the Adult Learner
MARIAN WILLEKE, PHD
MHWILLEKE.COM /IN/MARIANWILLEKE @MHWILLEKE
Trevecca Nazarene University • Faculty Workshop

Evette.
This photo represents the persona of the individual rather than the
actual person in order to respect privacy.

Gary.
This photo represents the persona of the individual
rather than the actual person in order to respect
privacy.

Shalonda.
This photo represents the persona of the individual rather
than the actual person in order to respect privacy.

Fred.
This photo represents the persona of the individual rather than the
actual person in order to respect privacy.

The Stress Levels
The Adult Learner’s
Stress Reality
 Career (income)
 Education (more income)
 Family (dependents)
The Traditional Learner’s
Stress Reality
 Social Matters
Adult learners do not indicate significantly more stress than the
traditional 18-22 year old.
Forbus, Newbold & Mehta, 2011

Mindset: Understanding Our Consumers
 Wanting career advancement or needs a
job
 High cognitive overload with few filters
 Out of school for years
 Afraid

Increasing Demand from Employers
Higher communication skills
Better decision making skills
Effective critical thinking and problem solving skills
Armstrong & Fukami, 2010; Hoover, Giambatista, Sorenson, & Bommer, 2010; Kraiger, Ford, & Salas, 1993

Movement
from
dependency
to self-
directed
Applies
experience
to learning
Learning
readiness
connects to
social roles
Problem
centered
(vs subject
centered)
Internal
motivations
are more
effective
Knowing the
“why” is
essential
Andragogical
FrameworkKnowles, 1980

What Do Our Consumers Expect?
SPEED
COMPETENCY
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
DIVERSE MEDIA
PERSONALISATION
Movement
from
dependency
to self-
directed
Applies
experience
to learning
Learning
readiness
connects to
social roles
Problem
centered
(vs subject
centered)
Internal
motivations
are more
effective
Knowing the
“why” is
essential

Mixture of collaboration, introspection, and
research (authentic assessment)
PBL and SBL capstone approach
(competency)
Embedded reading and watching relevant
to that assignment (personalization)
Clear connection between objective and
assessment (speed)
Supporting sources and tools (diverse
media)
Adult Focused Curriculum Approaches

Your Action….
Pick one approach.
Do it.
Incorporate it in your class.
Reflect on the experience afterwards.
Decide what should be adjusted for
improvement.

Illeris, 2002
ENVIRONMENT
SOCIETY
FUNCTIONALITY SENSIBILITY
SOCIALITY
Meaning ability Mental balance
Integration
Acquisition
Interaction
Learning Process

Employing Illeris’ Model
 What focused skill do you want them to
investigate?
 How are you wanting them to relate to it?
 What environment are you going to set
up for them to share and learn?

Mezirow, 2001
DESCRIPTION
What happened?
 Context
 Roles played by you and others
FEELINGS
What were you thinking and
feeling at the time? How have
those feelings changed?
EVALUATION
What was good and bad about
the experience? Make a
judgement.
ANALYSIS
What sense can you make of the
situation?
 Explore details & the ‘why’ of your
judgements.
 What challenged you?
TEXT
How do class readings and
lectures relate to your
understanding of the incident?
CONCLUSION
What did you learn? What else
could you have done? Asses the
impact on you and on your future
actions.
REFLECTIVE
CYCLE
Transformative
Learning

ACT
Concrete Experience
Facts (What Happened?)
Theory of Action
CONCEPTUALIZE
Abstract Conceptualization
Findings (Why Did This Happen?)
Revise Theory
REFLECT
Reflective Observation
Feelings (What Did I Experience?)
Asses Behavior & Consequences
APPLY
Active Experimentation
Futures (What Will I Do?)
Implement Revised Theory
DAVID KOLB ROGER GREENAWAY CHRIS ARGYRIS & DONALD SCHÖN
COMPILED BY ANDREA CORNEY
www.edbatista.com/2007/10/experiential.html
Learning
Cycles

Your Action….
Pick a framework.
improvement.

Cognitive Learning
 MEASURABLE
 “FROM THE NECK UP”

Affective Learning
 PERSONAL AWARENESS
 CONNECTION TO PERSONAL
VALUE SYSTEM

Catalyst: Whole Person Learning
 Cognitive Learning Domain
Bloom, 1956
 Affective Learning Domain
Krathwohl, Bloom, & Masia, 1973
Affective learning has been
found as a predictor to
attitude and motivation.

Cognitive Learning
Domain
Simple recall
Explain in own
words
Perform task
Deconstruct
elements of
system
Critique based
on experience
and theory
Add to
existing
knowledge

Affective Learning
Domain
Present and
Listening
Actively
Participates
Believes Strongly
Organise Values
into Personal
Value System
Value System
Influences
Others

Simple recall
Explain in own
words
Perform task
Deconstruct
elements of
system
Critique based
on experience
and theory
Add to
existing
knowledge
Present and
Listening
Actively
Participates
Believes Strongly
Organise Values
into Personal
Value System
Value System
Influences
Others

Individuation
 Metaphors and stories vs literal analysis
provides emotional connection.
 The emotional connection creates paths for
resolution of issues.
 Free writing, journaling, and symbol images
helps pattern discovery individually and as
groups.
A Path to
Transformation
Through
Understanding
One’s Self
Jung, 1969

Felt Encounter Framework
 Approach a learning encounter as a verb instead
of a noun.
 Facilitate with the understanding that individuals
will have a unique way of knowing something
that is equally valid to a different way.
 Distinguish between emotion and feeling in the
learning.
 Feeling: detecting what you feel through inputs
 Emotion: determining what the feelings mean
Designing Learning
Experiences to
Include Affect
Heron, 1992

Authenticity Model
 Maintain strong personal self-awareness.
 Be aware of the differences and preferences
of the individuals in your audience.
 Develop unique relationship between each
individual and yourself.
 Be aware of constraints.
 Engage in reflection.
Fostering Authentic
Relationships
Cranton, 2006

Your Action….
Pick one model.
improvement.

Armstrong, S. J., & Fukami, C. V. (2010). Self-assessment of knowledge: A cognitive learning or affective measure? Perspectives from the management learning and
education community. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 9(2), 335-341. doi:10.5465/AMLE.2010.51428556
Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, handbook I: The cognitive domain. New York, NY: McKay Co Inc.
Cranton, P. (2006, Spring). Fostering authentic relationships in the transformative classroom. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 109, 5-13.
doi: 10.1002/ace.203.
Forbus, P., Newbold, J., Mehta, S. (2011). A study of non-traditional and traditional students in terms of their time management behaviors, stress factors, and coping
strategies. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 15, 109-125. Retrieved from http://alliedacademies.org/public/Journals/JournalDetails.aspx?jid=5
Heron, J. (1992). Feeling and personhood: Psychology in another key. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Hoover, J., Giambatista, R., Sorenson, R., & Bommer, W. (2010). Assessing the effectiveness of whole-person learning pedagogy in skill acquisition. Academy of
Management Learning & Education, 9(2), 192-203. Retrieved from http://aom.org/amle/
Illeris, K. (2002). Three dimensions of learning. Roskilde, Denmark: Roskilde University Press/Leicester, UK: NIACE.
Jung, C. G. (1969). The archetypes and the collective unconscious. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Knowles, M. (1980). The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Kraiger, J., Ford, J. K., & Salas, E. (1993). Application of cognitive, skill-based, and affective theories of learning outcomes to new methods of training evaluation.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(2), 311-328. Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&uid=1993-31480-001
Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., & Masia, B. B. (1973). Taxonomy of educational objectives, handbook I: Affective domain. New York, NY: McKay Co Inc.
Mezirow, J. (1990). Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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