Adults are not simply tall, grown-up kids. You are not the same person you were yesterday let alone 25 years ago. You have changed physiologically, psychologically, and socially. You view time differently than you did as a child. Your understanding of world events is probably different today than they were just a few years ago. You have acquired life experiences that impact how you process new learning. Sometimes life experiences can actually stand in the way of acquiring new ideas. Don’t believe me? Just try to explain the virtues of the Democratic Party to a life-long Republican. How often have you heard, "But, we always do it that way?"
As adults, we have changed. Our views toward learning and teaching have changed. We want and deserve respect from our instructors. Learning, so central to human behavior yet so elusive to understanding, defies easy definition and simple theorizing. There is no "one size fits all" theory of adult learning. But few would disagree with the notion that adults are different than children. Just as you don’t wanted to be treated as a child neither do adult learners.
Just how do adults change? What are the implications of these changes for teachers of adults? In this unit, we will look at the changes that take place over a lifetime and will frame them in the context of teaching and learning at Capella University
ORIENTATION TO LEARNING
Directions: The following contains a series of general statements about adult learners (over 25 years of age) and their orientation to learning.
If you think the statement is TRUE, put a "T" in the blank. If you think the statement is FALSE, put an "F" in the blank. Please respond to each statement.