NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
ERIC Number: ED227244
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1982
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Putting the Horse before the Cart: Teaching Adults about Teaching Adults.
Gillen, Marie A.
Through personal experience, an adult educator came to the conclusion that adults come to a course labeled "Teaching Adults" primarily to learn about themselves, their own self-development, and their own process of learning. Only secondarily do they come to learn the ways and means of communicating knowledge and ideas to others. In the first teaching experience, the educator focused the course on helping adult educators become good facilitators of learning. A combination of mini-lectures, discussions, small-group work, and films was used to deliver content. During the course a new participant interest emerged, namely that adult educators wanted to learn about themselves. The course was revised to combine the experiential learning model and Knowles' andragogical ideas that are based on learners' needs. To meet the altered course objectives, a change in process was demanded. Personal reflection, the putting of theory into practice in work situations, and case studies were used. For most participants the discussion on adult learning styles was particularly significant, especially regarding the need for a variety of activities in any learning experience. (YLB)
Publication Type: Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A