Developing Adult Learning Theories

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Developing Adult Learning Theories

• Connections

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Developing Learning Theories

• Is the development of theories a linear process?

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Developing Learning Theories

• Or is development of theories more of a
  reflection on the learning process itself?

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Transformation Learning Theory

• Adult Learning is experiential and transforms the
  learner.

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Transformation Learning Theory

• The learning process is seen as cumulative
  transformations in related meaning schemes

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Transformation Learning Theory

• Adult Learning can be epochal, a sudden
  transformation of the learners perception

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Three major schools of Learning Theory
Theories based on the study Of learning in
children

• Behaviorist
• Cognitivist
• Constructivist

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Transformation Learning Theory

• Focus on adult learners
• Four Major schools of Transformation learning
  theory
• Conscientization (Freire)
• Cognitive/Developmental (Mezirow)
• Motivational (Daloz)
• Holistic (Boyd)

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Transformation Learning Theory

• Conscientization
• Learning as a form of social reform. Education
  should be a process of action and reflection
• Theorist Paulo Freire
• Example Highlander School in New Market Tennesse.
• http//www.hrec.org/

Highlander in the 60s
Highlander 2002
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Constructivist Learning Theory

• Key Theorist
• Vygotsky

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Transformation Learning Theory

• Based on cognitive and developmental psychology
• Key theorist Jack Mezirow
• Learning is a social process that takes place
  within the individual learner

Jack Mezirow Emeritus Professor of Adult and
Continuing Education at Teachers College,
Columbia University
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Cognitivist Learning Theory

• Key theorists Piaget, Gagne, Bruner, Ausebel,
• Learning is a change in memory, stored knowledge
• Focus is on internal aspects, associating
  previous knowledge with new information,
  organizing knowledge and reinforcing memories

Gagne
Bruner
Piaget
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Cognitivist Learning Theory

• Learning is an internal process I-P-O
• Input- Attention selectively receiving
  information
• Process- EncodingTranslating information into a
  meaningful form which can be remembered
• Output Retrieval identifying and recalling
  information for a particular purpose

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Cognitivist Learning Theory

• But before the Cognitivists there was
• Freud and
  DeCartes

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Transformation Learning Theory

• Motivational
• Focuses on the motivations and developmental
  aspects of adult lives
• Key theorist Laurent Daloz

Laurent Daloz Associate Director and faculty
member of the Whidbey Institute in Clinton,
Washington.
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Behaviorist Learning Theory

• E.L. Thorndike and B.F. Skinner
• Learning is a change in behavior
• Focus is on external aspects

Skinner
Thorndike
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Behaviorist Learning Theory

• Learning is as simple as A-B-C
• Antecedent (stimulus)
• Behavior (action)
• Consequence (re-enforcer)

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Behaviorist Learning Theory

• But before Thorndike and Skinner was Pavlov and
  his dogs

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Transformation Learning Theory

• Holistic
• Focus on the emotional and spiritual dimensions
  of learning
• Key theorist Robert Boyd

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Constructivist Theory

• Learning is a
• change in
• meaning constructed from experience
• Focus is on internal aspects, building
  understanding

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Constructivist Learning Theory

• Before Vygotsky there was
• Freud,
• DeCartes,
• as well as
• Marx,
• St. Augustine,
• Aristotle,
• Plato, and far to many others to give
  proper credit here.

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Developing Learning Theories

• So what fed and shaped the thinking of Freire,
  Mezirow, Daloz and Boyd that they came up with
  their theories of Tranformation learning?

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Developing Learning Theory

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Developing Learning TheoriesThings to think about

• What was going on in the world while these
  theorists were coming up with their theories?
• How did world events influence the resultant
  theory?

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Developing Learning TheoriesThings to think about

• How do the theories impact each other?

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Developing Learning TheoriesThings to think about

• Is theory development a linear process?

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Developing Learning TheoriesThings to think about

• Why are are none of the theorists black, asian or
  female?
• Hint, look up
• Maslows
• Heirarchy
• of needs

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Developing Learning TheoriesThings to think about

• Two questions were implied at the beginning
• of this presentation-
• How are learning theories connected?
• Is the process of developing theories similar to
  the process of learning?

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Developing Learning TheoriesThings to think about

• What I learned from making this presentation-
• more learning theory facts
• that all learning is experiential
• how to better construct a slide show
• that there is a lot more stuff I want to learn

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Developing Learning TheoriesThings to think about

• Did you learn anything from this presentation?
  
• If so, how?

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Resources

• Busse, C. (2002) Transformative Learning
  (unpublished)
• Driscoll, M.P. (2000) Psychology of Learning for
  Instruction, 2nd ed., Allyn and Bacon Pub.
• Knowles, M. (1998) Modern Practice of Adult
  eduction from Pedagogy to Andragogy, Cambridge
  adult press
• Newly et. al, (1996) Instructional Technology
  for teaching and Learning, Prentice Hall Pub.
• Mezirow, J. (1994) Understanding Transformation
  theory, Adult education quarterly v.44 no. 4