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CAE 213 Introduction to Adult Education

Medford_____

Name:__Megan

The Adult Learner Textbook Reading Accountability Form 2016

Maximum 5 points for each submission (9) for a maximum total
of 45 points
This form can be used as the electronic template for writing
answers to the textbook questions as identified under each
submission.
Please write out the question from the book before you begin
writing your answer.
1.
T Jan. 26 Grade: ________
1.1 What are your general thoughts about how humans learn?
Every human is going to learn a little bit differently, seeing as every
human is different. There is definitely similarities in the general
sense of how people learn, but when you are teaching it is
important to recognize that even a small difference in learning style
can have a large impact. It is important for an educator to know
how to best address the various learning styles. Though learning
styles differ in general between people, there is also a big difference
between educating children, adolescents, and adults. It is definitely
important to recognize this whenever you approach a classroom.
1.3 Why is andragogy in practice presented as a holistic learning
model?
It covers the many different aspects of an adults life, and
recognizes how they shape the way a person learns. It takes many
things into account, such as a persons goals, and their situation in
order to assess the best course of action in progressing their
education. Andragogy is also very adaptable between people.
2.1 What is the connection between theory and practice?
Theory is a set of guiding assumptions. Practice is theory in
application. The general summary of the two is that practice is
what we do, and theory is why we do it. Either one can form out of
the other. A person can come up with a theory or an idea, and then
start doing it, putting it into practice. The opposite being that
someone could recognize a pattern in the way things are, practice,
and then make a theory of why things are that way.
2.3 What is the essential difference between the concepts of education
and learning?
Education emphasizes the educator, and learning emphasizes the
student. Learning is the process of gaining knowledge and
expertise. Education is an activity designed to affect changes in
knowledge, skill, and attitudes.

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2.
T Jan. 26 Grade: ________
3.1 From your own experience, think of a situation that clearly
illustrates pedagogy and one from andragogy.
I can remember a time in high school where I was not doing
particularly well in a class. I was focusing on understanding and
applying the material that I was learning in class, but all of the
assignments only wanted wrought memorization of what the
teacher told us. I was growing increasingly frustrated with the class
and spoke to my counselor about it. My counselor, in short, told me
that to do well in the class I needed to stop thinking about the
material and just listen to what the teacher was saying, noting
frequently used phrases, and then reword it. She said that at least
for this class it was not about actually learning anything, but about
spitting back what the teacher told us. I think that this serves as an
example of when pedagogy is practiced inappropriately, or past the
age when it is useful.
So far I havent had a lot of experience with andragogy, but I
definitely see it in college more than in high school. In college you
pick your own major by choosing what is most interesting to you or
what you perceive to be the most beneficial. You also choose your
classes that way. It is very self-lead and self-motivated.
3.6 For each of the six andragogy model assumptions, report on a
personal experience that highlights and supports that assumption
1. In the past few years it I have noticed that there are certain
subjects or classes that I put much more effort into than others.
It was not based on how hard the class was, but on how
interested I was in the subject, or how necessary I thought the
subject was. I find that this continues to be true.
2. In high school, during my junior year, I took pre-calculus. The
teacher I originally had would only allow things to be done in a
very specific way, her way. In math however, there are often
different, yet still correct and accurate, ways to do things. If you
didnt do the problem that exact way she wanted it done then it
was counted wrong, even if the answer and methodology was
correct. This class drove me insane because the majority of the
time I had the correct answer yet I was still failing. Luckily I was
able to switch to a different teacher that allowed you to do the
math whatever way best suited you.
3. In many of my English classes in high school, when we would
discuss novels, you could always see how peoples experiences
influenced how they interpreted the text. I have also seen that a
lot here and at church when talking about the Bible. People will
often say things like well this is what that means to me, which
is not something that happened when I was younger or with a
group of younger people. It is not only our previous experiences,

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but what we are going through right now that shape how re
view and respond to things.
4. I have a friend, who when she was in high school was taught
how to breastfeed a baby in her health class. She told me that
the boys in the class had to learn too. Though it is not my
personal experience, it is a great example of being taught
something they were not ready to learn.
5. There is a circulating post online that I will see every now and
then that complains about how more life skills need to be taught
in high school. It says something along the lines of I dont know
how to do taxes, write a business letter, or change a tire, but
thank goodness I know that mitochondria is the powerhouse of
the cell. Though it is a joke, it has a valid point on how many of
the things that high school focuses on are not necessary in real
life.
6. As time has gone on my motivation to do well in school has
changed from wanting to make my parents or teacher happy, to
wanting to get into a good college, to wanting to be a productive
and educated member of society. The shifting motivating factors
has influenced how I learn, from memorizing facts, or
understanding and applying concepts.
3.7 How does the andragogy model fit with your own learning style?
Andragogy fits with my learning style very well. I have always
been very self-motivated, and have often taught myself. There are
many times thought that I have not seen the significance of what I
am being taught and thus I dont put in the effort, and the goal
becomes passing not learning. I also find that I learn much better
from experience, whether I am doing something right then to learn
from it, hearing about another persons experience, or relating it
to an experience I have already had.
3.
T Feb. 9
Grade: ________
4.2 Report on a personal experience where the climate was not
conducive to learning. Cite ideas from the chapter that speak directly
to the situation.
The main time I can think of when I was trying to learn in a
nonconductive environment was my freshman year in government
class. The classroom was completely unorganized. There were
stacks of papers and books everywhere, and the walls were
covered in random pictures and articles. It was very distracting to
always be surrounded by such clutter. On top of that, the teacher
had no control over the class, so it was always loud and
rambunctious. I didnt hardly learn anything that semester, and we
almost never got anything done in class. This example displays
what is discussed on pages 53 and 54 about the effect of the
physical environment on learning.

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4.5 What are your initial understandings of adult learning in the
context of human resource development?
It appears to me that adult education/learning it the sole basis for
the development of human resources. It is through the use of
appropriate teaching techniques that adults can be further
developed in order to help grow various organizations.
4.
T Feb. 16 Grade: _________
5.1 Discuss the ideas of adult learning and adult education and the
implication of the difference
Adult education is the act of trying to facilitate learning. Adult
learning is an adult gaining understanding or knowledge. It is
important to recognize the difference because you shouldnt
assume that the two things are always happening at the same
time. Just because someone is teaching doesnt mean the students
are gaining a better understanding. The reverse is true as well,
when someone does learn something, it is not always because
someone sat down to teach them.
5.3 Discuss the utility of the andragogy in practice figure from a
practitioner perspective
The andragogy in practice figure seems very useful to an educator.
It helps give a framework for figuring out the best way to help
facilitate adult learning given the situation and goals of the learner.
By better understanding the learners purpose for being there, the
educator can better shape their instruction and guidance towards
what the learner needs. This will help prevent frustration on both
sides.
5.
T Feb. 16 Grade: _________
6.3 What are some of the important points derived from elemental
model learning theory?
Out of the elemental model of learning came Thorndikes law of
readiness (helps define circumstances for learning), law of exercise
(says practice helps one learn), and law of effect (says
consequences strengthen or weaken connections). It also brought
about the concept of conditioned reflexes, which helped shape and
form behaviorist thinking. All this led to the eventual understanding
that reinforcement [is] an essential characteristic of learning
(p105).
6.4 What are some of the important points derived from holistic model
learning theory?
The holistic model learning theory led to functionalism, which
provided the conceptual basis for progressive education (106). It
also led to a new understanding of how people organize their
perceptions. They came up with four laws to describe this
organization: the law of proximity (thing are often perceived in
groups), the law of similarity and familiarity (objects similar in

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some way are often grouped together, and familiarity establishes
patterns that affect how we group things), the law of closure
(people want to reach a state of equilibrium and will fill in gaps or
missing parts), and the law of continuation (we perceive things as
continuing on in the same way as they have been). By studying
perception, they concluded that learning occurs as a result of a
change in cognitive structures.
6.
T Feb. 16 Grade: _________
7.2 What ideas from Guthrie and Skinner make the most sense to you
and why?
All of Guthrie and Skinners ideas that are mentioned in this
chapter make sense. Im not sure why they wouldnt. Their
methods of teaching have been proven time and time again to
work not only in humans, but many other species as well. How well
it works is just going to be based on what a person is trying to
learn. If they are trying to gain a better understanding or improve
their knowledge of a subject, Guthrie and Skinners ideas would not
be effects. If they are trying to modify a behavior then their ideas
are perfect.
7.6 How do you see teaching through inquiry and teaching through
modeling as being useful?
Both forms of teaching inspire the student to bring about change
by their own motivation. This is a more effective way of teaching,
compared to trying to make someone learn something. It also helps
create a person that will continue to learn and grow outside of the
classroom.
7.7 Describe a transformational learning experience that you or
someone else you know has gone through
I have a disorder called Trichotillomania. Even though it is not rare,
it is not well known. This often causes sufferers a lot of shame and
isolation. I have been lucky enough to have been able to attend the
annual conference for it multiple times. Every year I see it radically
change peoples lives. At the conference we go to different
sessions; in some we learn about the disorder from a lecturer, and
in others everyone talks and shares their experiences. In both
types of sessions people learn a lot and grow a lot. Many of us keep
in touch through social media. Through this, I often see people
going home more confident and happy with themselves. Even if the
disorder itself does not improve, people begin to love and accept
themselves, and it changes their entire life.
7.
T March 9 Grade: __________
8.3 What is your general position related to the idea of adult learners
controlling their own learning?
I think it seems pretty good in theory. Let them learn what they
want to learn, when they want to learn it, and how they want to

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learn it. The only real problem I see with it is that many people
may not be able to do this on their own. Having always been
taught, it can be hard for some people to learn how to learn for
themselves, and having a teacher to help just a single person on
something so individualized is impractical. In my opinion, the only
people that this way would likely be successful for in real life, are
people who have already had enough education to know how to
learn. If they have already have a lot of education, then they
probably wouldnt be the adults going back to school.
21.3 Discuss a specific strategy you would propose to advance
andragogical concepts in the context of adults using the internet for
learning purposes.
You could have a highly interactive program in which the user is
regularly rating how well they understand the concept. It could
start with some sort of pre-test to see what they already know. This
would include more subjective questions as well to find the users
confidence level. Then depending on how they score they would
move on to programs with different levels of self-directedness. This
could allow for the more pedagogical start, and as they improve it
could become more andragogical.
8.
T March 9 Grade: __________
9.1 Report on a personal experience confirming the principle, Learners
need to know
9.2 Report on a personal experience confirming the principle, Selfdirected learning
9.3 Report on a personal experience confirming the principle, Prior
experience of the learner
9.4 Report on a personal experience confirming the principle, readiness
to learn
9.5 Report on a personal experience confirming the principle,
orientation to learning
9.6 Report on a personal experience confirming the principle,
motivation to learn
9.
T March 23
Grade: __________
10.3 What is the difference between learning and learning how to learn
and learning?
10.5 As an adult learner, how do you see yourself evolving over the
next decade?

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GRADE: ______________ / 45 maximum