Adult learning (AL) involves individuals who are considered mature in experience and status. According to Saxon et al. (2015), AL is a formal or informal process that involves students who are 24 years and above when enrolling in an institution of learning. Adult learners go to school mainly to finish degrees or diplomas or get new ones. The motivation for learning change as one becomes older, and it is the primary reason why AL is different from pedagogy or child-focused learning (Saxon et al., 2015). In AL or andragogy, the student is aware of the surroundings while in pedagogy, the teacher has to help the students create awareness. Therefore, the developments that come with AL can become difficult without understanding andragogy theories and principles. This study explores AL strategies and principles that would be suitable for a class of medication administration students.
How Adults Learn
Adult students learn differently from regular learners. In this case, unlike pedagogy learning, adult learners have reached adulthood and are responsible for their decisions and actions. Therefore, adult learners learn by seeking information to make their decisions. Adult learning models revolve around giving students information they need to make decisions (Speed et al., 2015). Furthermore, since adult learners have reached adulthood, they like to be respected and valued for who they are and the experiences they bring to the learning process. Primarily, since adult learners are in charge of their decision and learning, facilitators must be aware of how they learn best. There are three characters of adult learners that explain how they learn best (Saxon et al., 2015).
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One is that adult learners are visual learners. The students like to be taught using illustration, diagrams and graphs. In other words, adult learners focus more on what the teacher is doing and prefer to sit at the front to avoid obstructions. The students learn best through white boarding, worksheets and phrases that stimulate their visual processes (Taylor & Hamdy, 2014).
The second characteristic is that adult students are auditory learners. The learners pay attention to acoustic patterns of the lesson. Adult students pay attention to what the facilitator is saying, and it is the primary reason why they participate in discussions (Speed et al., 2015). Therefore, the best way to teach adults is by speaking clearly and asking questions. Lastly, adult students are physical learners and like to be actively involved in things. Physical learners like to do things physically, such as role-playing and assisting instructors in the classroom. Thus, the adult learning process should allow students to take responsibility for their learning (Saxon et al., 2015).
Adult Learning Theories
Many theories explain the andragogy learning process. These theories offer necessary explanations and principles of how to teach adults and include self-directed theory, andragogy theory, transformation learning theory and experiential learning theory.
The cross-over point of these theories is that they are based on the fact that adults should be given responsibility for their learning. Also, the adult learning process should be active rather than passive. The self-directed theory states that adults should be allowed to take initiatives without outside help. In this case, they need to be given a chance to evaluate and take responsibility for their learning process (Tennant, 2019). According to self-directed theory, adults should be allowed to set goals and make decisions about the teaching methods, content, plus the evaluation of the leaning process. Andragogy theory, on the other hand, states that the adult learning process should be based on the students’ experiences. Adult students are individuals with considerable experience. Thus, their learning experiences should be used to achieve future learning outcomes. Andragogy theory dictates that learning should be experienced and not content centered (Tennant, 2019).
The transformative theory also advocates for students to be the pinnacle of the learning process. Transformative learning calls for individuals to be taught in a manner that allows them to think about their actions and their influence on the world. The learning is intended to change the way students think about themselves and their surroundings (Tennant, 2019). Lastly, the experiential learning theory is based on experience and reflection as the foundations of learning. In this model, knowledge can be gained through experiences and without the presence of a teacher. The primary assumption of this theory is the past experiences give students analytical skills that can be used in future learning. Therefore, learners can make meaning of knowledge on their own (Tennant, 2019).
The point of departure of these this theory is that self-directed theory can be ideal for individuals with low-literacy skills. Individuals with low-level literacy skills have a disadvantage in setting goals and making decisions about the content and the evaluation of the leaning process. Andragogy theory is biased to the abilities of the learner to use past experiences to learn new things (Tennant, 2019). Individuals differ in terms of experiences, while some have experiences that could have negative outcomes on the learning process. Transformational learning relies on personal relevance. The context in transformational learning is personal and eliminates the importance of institutional learning, considering that individuals are driven by how much they want to gain from the process (Tennant, 2019). Lastly, experimental is limited to institutions that facilitate learners to learn from hand tasks. Active experimentation requires many institutional resourced to achieve desirable outcomes.
Teaching Strategies
The theories of learning dictate that adult learners should be the main stakeholders of the learning process. Also, they should be allowed to take responsibility for their learning because of past experiences (Speed et al., 2015). The following is a learning strategy for teaching medical administration to adult learners. The model will be based on psychomotor, cognitive and affective domains of learning.
The first step in the teaching strategy will involve identifying addressing the cognitive processes of the students. This step will involve helping students arrange information in a taxonomical order that will help them learn medical administration (Taylor & Hamdy, 2014). In this step, students will be taught how to use previous knowledge to understand problems and create possible outcomes. After this step, students will learn how to use past experiences to respond to stimuli and create possible outcomes of an event (Speed et al., 2015).
Success completion of the first step will lead led to the next step, which will revolve around the affective domain of learning. In this step, students will become more aware of their actions and self-reliant. The role of this step is to help learner organize their knowledge and make appropriate decisions. As a result, the students will be internally motivated to make proper choices (Speed et al., 2015). The step will be facilitated with immediate feedback, especially when student’s make mistakes. Also, the training space will be kept enjoyable and safe for all students to encourage exploration of feeling and attitudes that might bring inequality in class (Taylor & Hamdy, 2014).
The final step will involve the psychomotor domain of learning which revolves around movements in conscious mental activities. Psychomotor learning revolves around the relationship between cognitive processes and physical learning. For instance, psychomotor learning deals with skill such as body movement and coordination. Adults are physical learners which mean that targeting psychomotor skills will be valuable in learning medical administration (Speed et al., 2015). Enhancing psychomotor skills will be enhanced by allowing the students to practice medical administration in real-life situations. The model will involve the students actively and allow them to develop the necessary skills involved in medical administration (Taylor & Hamdy, 2014). Learning objectives of the course will be designed to help students to use their psychomotor skills to achieve cognitive goals.
Conclusion
The findings of this paper have shown that AL is different from pedagogy learning. In AL or andragogy, the student is aware of the surroundings while in pedagogy, the teacher has to help the students create awareness. Some theories that explain the adult learning process include self-directed theory, andragogy theory, transformation learning theory and experiential learning theory. These theories advocate for adults to be the center-stage of the learning process. Strategic steps to teach adults should involve cognitive, affective, psychomotor domains of learning. This domain will help students learn how to experiences to develop internal motivation that will lead to physical outcomes of medical administration.
References
Saxon, S. V., Etten, M. J., & Perkins, E. A. (2015). Physical change & aging: A guide for the helping professions . Springer Publishing Company.
Speed, S. A., Bradley, E., & Garland, K. V. (December 01, 2015). Teaching Adult Learner Characteristics and Facilitation Strategies Through Simulation-Based Practice. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 44, 2, 203-229.
Taylor, D. C. M., & Hamdy, H. (2014). Adult learning theories: Implications for learning and teaching in medical education . Association for Medical Education in Europe.
Tennant, M. (2019). Psychology and adult learning: The role of theory in informing practice . Routledge.
