Importance of Adult Education.

Adult Education

Adult education is a training whereby the adults involve in systematic as well as activities of self-educating so as to gain new forms of skills, values, knowledge and attitudes. It can also mean any form of learning that adults involve in beyond traditional schooling, comprising basic literacy to individual satisfaction as a lifelong learner. In specific, adult education reflects a particular philosophy regarding learning as well as teaching based on the assumption that adults want and can learn, that  they are capable as well as willing to take responsibility for that learning , and that the learning itself should react to their requirements.

Differences between Adult Learners and Traditional Students

Because they have a lot of years of working experience, the adult learners depend on the depth and breadth of life experiences when it comes to the project participation and group discussion. On the other hand, traditional students depend more on reading the textbooks to give examples as well as make points during the project presentation and class discussion.

Adult learners have better skills time management since they are required to assign time for their job as well as study while carrying out their family obligations. On the other hand, because traditional students focus more in their study as a number of them are young and do not have as many family responsibilities as the adult learners do, they have more time to be assigned to their study.
traditional student use the latest Innovation such as laptops, cell (iPhone), blackberry and e-books. On the other hand, the adult learner use traditional library, print media, internet explorer and also go to meetings. In terms of attendance/schedule, the tradition students have fixed schedule, five day week attendance and attend the class during daytime hours. On the other hand, adult learner attend classes during the evenings/weekends or on line.

In terms of classroom management , the traditional student have attendance problems, instant Messaging, accustomed to groups, brick & mortar, grade conscious, blackboard/angel. On the other hand, the adult learner is discussion-oriented, have group work averse, they have more frequent breaks, focus on presentation.

In terms of networking, the traditional students learn new concept in the classroom. They also focus on social networking vs. Career networks. The traditional student since tey are young, they focus on the internet as well as finding contacts and interacting with friends. On the other hand, the adult learners learn things related with work. They also have associations related to their work. The adult learners usually attend business meetings as well as conferences and they are always client focused.

Motivational theory

It should be noted that any theoretical model that tries to explain and asociates adult learning to an educational theory should have two essential elements that is, reflection and motivation. One such theory is selfdetermination. This theory identifies the usefulness of intrinsic motivation, as well as considers that there are three basic requirements that should be satisfied in order to sustain it. They include competence, autonomy, and a feeling of belonging or ‘‘Relatedness’’. One of the issues regarding learning is that a low expectation of success will lead to poor motivation to learn, unless the perceived value of success is overwhelming. This is partly described by the theory of Maslow of needs, although it probably does not capture the balance amid the disparity competing drives of hopes and expectation of learning as opposed to the time and effort required to engage with the process.

It should be noted that the Chain of Response model concerns participation by adults in learning projects . In this model the three essential internal motivating aspects are inter-related including attitude of the learner on education, self-evaluation, and the usefulness of goals as well as expectations. The major external obstacles to motivation are life transitions and events, opportunities, as well as barriers to learning or getting information.

claim that “Motivation is an important quality that pervades all aspects of teaching and learning.

 

 How the theory will enhance organizational effectiveness

It should be noted that the participation of adults in higher education as well as other learning endeavors is predicated on motivation and that the adult learners areusually  motivated though different aspects. This motivation theory in an organization  will postulates perform four main tasks including, directing the attention of learners to the task at hand as well as making them less distractible. It will also change what learners pay attention to thus  assisting learners to be persistence when they encounter challenges and obstacles. It will also serve as a benchmarks that the learners can apply to monitor their own learning as well as recognize when they are making progress and when they have finished a task.