The Tall and the Short of It!

The biggest difference I find between the younger and older learner is one is usually voluntary and the other isn’t.  Young students are generally interested in a grade and progression to the next level. Adults have a more closed-ended product in mind. Policy makers, administrators and teachers generally frame the pre-graduates track and the undeveloped learner depends on others to map that path for them. The emerging scholar is more likely to be in a developmental process; to reach for his learning style and experiment with various ways to examine material. 

Learning Is Developmental Regardless of Your Age 

The established learner is climbing toward a learning goal within a framework of an application or relevant product.

Young learners and adults do share common ground and the trend has been to move pedagogy and andragogy together as a progression. Of course, in some instances it will, in fact, depend on the age span.  Both have objectives. At the end of the instruction period, a specific concept should have been explored and understood.  Everyone must be engaged and willing on some level to pursue learning.  Most students bring prior experience or a learning base; albeit, diverse.  In either realm, we can find different learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses and knowledge and learning are being developed

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K.. (2003). Adult Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.),      /
     Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved  from 
     http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt
Hiemstra, Roger (2004). Helping people take responsibility for their own learning. Retrieved from 

     http://www-distance.syr.edu/distancenew.html

.

When we talk about adult learners the best picture that comes to mind is one of responsibility. Corporations manage their knowledge and call them human capital. Connie Malamed, an elearning coach, states these learners have characteristics that set them apart from traditional school or college learners. The person is generally beyond undergraduate work or age (24+), is reliant on self and most likely responsible for others, and works. In her blog, The eLearning Coach,Connie Malamed, also claims the aged learner is generally motivated to better themselves on some level. That leads me to the question: What is the motivation? Motivation whether from within (intrinsic) or an outside source (extrinsic) is the ingredient that spurs us forward into another level. 

Some intrinsic influences for adult learning might be:

• Ø  Keeping current with trends.
• Ø  Interest in a particular topic.
• Ø  Aspiring for intellectual depth.
• Ø  Pursuing a hobby or leisure activity.
• Ø  Enhancing memory or cognition.
• Ø  The pure joy of learning.

External motivators are more goal-driven:

• Ø  Career
• Ø  Skill Seeking
• Ø  Social interaction
• Ø  Recognition
• Ø  Competition

The age-old question of “Are you motivated by a desire to succeed or are you motivated by a fear of failure?” also brings into play the possibility that oftentimes a person is dually motivated. Daniel H Pink, American author and journalist  gives a great lecture and RSAnimate on findings around being purpose-driven even in a corporate setting.  He states that when profit motives are separated from purpose motives, production and profits suffer and for a company to be a profit maximizer, movement into purpose maximizing is imperative for success.  Examples of these companies would be Apple, Google and Skype.

Connie Malamed, 2011, Characteristics of Adult Learners (Web log comment). Retrieved from

http://theelearningcoach.com/learning/characteristics-of-adult-learners/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc