Development of Learning Strategies

Learning/Thinking Styles

Learning/Thinking styles refer to the preferred way individual processes information.

They describe a person’s typical mode of thinking, remembering or problem solving.
Furthermore, styles are usually considered to be bipolar dimensions. However a particular
learning style may lie at a point, the learning style of the learner is usually described as a
personality dimension which influences your attitudes, values and social interaction.

There are several perspectives about learning-thinking styles; sensory preferences and
the global-analytic continuum.

Sensory Preferences. Individuals tend to gravitate toward one or two type of sensory
input and maintain dominance in one of the following types:

Visual Learners. These learners must see their teacher’s actions and facial expression to
fully understand the content of a lesson. They tend to prefer sitting in front so no one would
block their view. They may think in pictures and learn best from visual aids including: diagrams,
illustrated text books, overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and hand-outs. During a lecture
or classroom discussion, visual learners often prefer to take detailed notes to absorb the
information.

 Visual-iconic. Those who prefer this form of input are more interested in visual imagery
such as film, graphic displays, or pictures in order to solidify learning. They usually have
a good “picture memory,” a.k.a iconic imagery and attend to pictorial detail.
 Visual-symbolic. Those who prefer this form of input feel comfortable with abstract
symbolism such as mathematical formula or the written word. They would prefer to read
a book than a map and would like to read about things than hear about them. They tend to
be good abstract thinkers who do not require practical means for learning.

Auditory Learners. They learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through
and listening to what others have to say. Auditory learners interpret the underlying meanings of
speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. Written information
may have little meaning until it is heard. These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and
using a tape recorder.

 The “Listeners”. This is more common type. ‘Listeners’ most likely do well in school;
they remember things said to them and make the information their own. They may even
carry on mental conversations and figure out how to extend what they learned by
reviewing in their heads what they heard others say.
  The “Talkers”. They are the ones who prefer to talk and discuss. They often find
themselves talking to those around them. In a class setting when the instructor is not
asking questions, auditory-verbal processors (talkers) tend to whisper comments to
themselves. They are not trying to be disruptive and may not even realize that they need
to talk.

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners. These are the type of learners who’d benefit much from hands-on
approach, actively exploring then physical world around them. They may find it hard to sit still
for long periods. They may not benefit so much from the discussions or the written materials,
and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration. They tend to prefer
“learning by doing,” preferring the use of psychomotor skills to, say, abstract thinking skills,
they tend to have good motor memory and motor coordination.

Global – Analytical Continuum

Analytic. These thinkers tend toward the linear, step-by-step processes of learning. They
tend to see finite elements of patterns rather than the whole; they are the “tree seers.” They are
more comfortable in a world of details and hierarchies of information.

Global. Global thinkers lean towards non-linear thought and tend to see the whole pattern
rather than particle elements. They are the “forest seers” who give attentions only to the overall
structure and sometimes ignore details.

Several theorists have tied the global-analytic continuum to the left-brain/right-brain

continuum. In accord with Roger Sperry’s model, the left-brained dominant individual is
portrayed as the linear (analytic), verbal, mathematical thinker while the right-brained person is
one who is viewed as global, non-linear and holistic in thought preferences.
Understanding the Challenges in Adult
Learning
Adult learning

Focuses on various dimensions including developmental processes, learning styles,

intellectual skills, relevance of life experiences, and the meaning of educational experiences to
individual learners.

 Refers to the practice of teaching and educating adults.

 Lifelong education, usually in the form of short or part-time courses and training designed
to make professionals up-to-date with the latest development of in their field.(Rao, 2004)

 Education prepares for life; it is a way of life.

 The famous philosopher John Dewey once said that “education is life in itself".

 Acquire and develop skills from basic skills.

It is more complex process that no one can fully understand (Gtazek and Sarason, 2007).

Characteristics of Adult Learning

 Adults have accumulated knowledge and experiences that can add and hinder the learning
experiences

 Most adult education us voluntary; the participants are generally motivated

 Adults apply their knowledge in practical situation.

They have reasonable expectations that the knowledge recently gained will help them in
furtherance of their goals.

1. Adults need to be involved in planning and evaluation of their instruction. (Self-concept and
motivation to learn).

2. Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities (experience).

3. Adults are more interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or
personal (Readiness to learn).
4. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content oriented (Orientation to learning).

Andragogy in education Literature

Refers to the way adults learn. It is an attempt to build a comprehensive model about
adult learning.

The andragogy model asserts that 5 issues must be considered and addressed in formal
learning such include

1. Letting learners know why something is important to learn;

2. Showing learners how to direct themselves through information;

3. Relating the topic to the learners' experiences;

4. People will not learn until they are ready and motivated to learn; and

5. Helping them overcome inhibitions, behaviors, and beliefs about learning.

Twelve Principle of Adult Learning

A Principle is a beginning of an action. it allows us to make informed decisions that will

work best for teaching.

• Needs assessment- is both standard practice and basic principle for adult learning. There
must be a regular diagnosis of their needs in order to identify what areas still have to be
intensified.

• Safety- is a principle related to respect. Safety is a guiding principle that helps us

throughout the planning stage which creates an inviting setting for learning.

• Sound relationship- is built around trust and confidence. Dialog education that helps
build equity, relevance, and mutual responsibility should transpire between the teacher
and adult learners.

• Sequence and reinforcement- sequence means the proper programming of knowledge,

skills, and attitudes in a simple-to-complex order and from group enterprise to individual
performance. On the other hand, reinforcement refers to the repetition of knowledge
skills, and attitudes in a meaningful and interesting way until everything is learned.
• Praxis- praxis is doing things with reflection. We use reflection by considering our
previous actions and decisions that have bearing with our present situation. Also, we use
reflection to teach knowledge, skills and attitudes in order to practice what we have
learned and then reflect on the changes and possible implications.

• Respect for learners- means consideration for their own feelings about learning. In fact,
adults are decision makers all their lives. They do not want to be dictated, act like robots,
or treated like objects because they, too, are human persons who need respects.

• Ideas, feelings, and action- are important things to consider in adult education. In
teaching, we should emphasize the three important aspects of learning: cognitive,
affective psychomotor.

• Immediacy- it is for the purpose that we need to provide them with practice and praxis,
student must feel the importance of learning and how it can be used for future actions and
decisions.

• Clear roles and role development- are two delicate social issues and are culture bound.

• Teamwork and use of small groups- are effective means of generating insights,
assurance of quality learning and teamwork.

• Engagement- must also be involved in whatever activities-decision-making thinking,

sharing, and other forms of learning tasks that require active involvement and
participation.

• Accountability- spells the learners’ responsibility to create the content so that it is

immediately useful in their real context. Responsibility in learning account for

1. What is planned to be taught must be taught

2. What is meant to be learned must be learned

3. The skills intended to be acquired must be manifested in all the learners

4. The concepts and knowledge learned should be reflected the way they reason and the way
they think.
RULES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ADULT EDUCATION

Meriam, Courtenat, and Cervero (2006) have identified the roles and responsibilities with
both structural and individual dimensions. They are as follows:

 Create space and listen to voices

 Adopt a critical stance
 Attend to policy
 Develop partnerships
 Foster collective learning and action

Compared to children and teens, adults have special needs and requirements as learners. So,
it is important for an effective teacher to understand how adults learn best. The field of adult
learning was pioneered by Malcolm Knowles. He identified the following characteristics of adult
learners:

 Adults are autonomous and self-directed. It means they need to be free to direct
themselves. Teachers must actively involve adult participants in the learning process and
serve as facilitators to them.
 Adults have accumulated a foundation of life experiences and knowledge that may
include work-related activities, family responsibilities, and previous education. They
need to connect learning to this knowledge or experience base.
 Adults are goal-oriented. It means that upon enrolling in a course, they usually know
what goal they want to attain. They, therefore, appreciate an educational program that is
organized and has clearly defined elements.
 Adults are relevancy-oriented. They must see a reason for learning something. Learning
has to be applicable to their work or other responsibilities to be of value to them.
 Adults are practical, focusing on the aspects of a lesson most useful to them in their
work. They may not be interested in knowledge for its own sake.
 Adults need to be shown respect. Teachers must acknowledge the wealth of experiences
that adult participants bring to the classroom. These adults should be treated as equals in
experience and knowledge and should be allowed to voice their opinion freely in class.

Another aspect of adult learning is motivation. At least six factors serve as sources of
motivation for adult learning:

 Social relationships include making new friends, meeting a need for associations and
friendships.
 External expectations are comprised of instructions from someone else; fulfilling the
expectations or recommendations of someone with formal authority.
 Social welfare involves improving ability to serve mankind, preparing for service to the
community, and improving ability to participate in community work.
  Personal advancement deals with achieving higher status in a job, securing professional
advancement, and staying abreast of competitors.
 Escape or Stimulation deals with relieving boredom, providing a break in the routine at
home or work, and providing a contrast other exacting details of life.

Unlike children and teenagers, adults have many responsibilities that they must balance
against the demands of learning. Because of these responsibilities, adults have barriers against
participating in learning. Some of these barriers include lack of time, money, confidence, or
interest, lack of information about opportunities to learn, scheduling problems, “red tape,” and
problems with child care and transportation.

The best way to motivate adult learners is to simply enhance their reasons for enrolling and
decrease the barriers. Teachers must learn why their students are enrolled (the motivators) and
they have to discover what is keeping them from learning. Teachers must develop a packet for
motivating students to learn. The following are helpful considerations to help them learn:

1. Adults seek out learning experiences in order to cope with specific life-changing events
(e.g., marriage, divorce, new job, promotion, being fired, retiring, losing a loved one,
moving to a new city)
2. The more life change events an adult encounters, the more likely they are to seek out
learning opportunities.
3. The learning experiences adults seek out on their own are directly related – at least in
their perception – to the life-change events that triggered the seeking.
4. Adults are generally willing to engage in learning experience before, after, or even during
the actual life change event.
5. Adults who are motivated to seek out a learning experience do so primarily because they
have used for the knowledge or skill being sought. Learning is a means to an end, not an
end in itself.

There are ten specific factors that apply to adult learners and how teachers can help
accommodate their needs in the classroom. Below are as follows:

1. The motivation factor. Most adult learning is voluntarily; it’s a choice. It stands to
reason, then, adults are more motivated to learn. There are several areas that serve as
sources of motivation for adults. They include: a) community welfare: adults are
interested in the improvement of the community; b) social relationships: adults have a
need for associations and friendships; c) prestige: adults want to enjoy personal
development and achieve a higher statues to fulfill the expectations of others and comply
with relevant instructions; e) acquisition of knowledge: some adults learn for the sake of
learning; they want more knowledge simply because they have an inquiring mind.
2. The control factor. Adults have an innate need to have some master or control over their
own lives. They need to be self-directed and take responsibility for themselves. They tend
to strongly resent not being able to make choices.
3. The experience factor. Adult learners have already experienced a wide array of training,
beginning at home, then in school, and perhaps in various jobs prior to pursuing career
education. Some of those experiences are positive and others are not.
4. The diversity factor. Adult learners vary greatly from one another in terms of experience
and age. The variety they bring to the classroom can greatly enhance the learning
environment. By using collaborative efforts and group discussion or projects, adult
learners can all benefit from their shared experiences.
5. The aging factor. The speed of learning tends to decrease with age, but the depth of
learning increases. While it may takes us longer to learn as we get older, we do grasp
what is learned at a deeper and more relevant level.
6. The goal factor. Adults enter career education with a specific goal in mind. They want to
apply what they have learned as soon as possible. They want the information to be
presented in a well-organized manner with all the key elements clearly defined.
7. The relevance factor. Adults must be able to identify the reason for learning something.
It must be applicable to their personal or professional lives if it is to be of any value. As
educators, in defining program objectives, we must make sure that the theories and
concepts are relevant to the learners’ needs. We must also let adult learners choose
projects and activities that reflect their own interests.
8. The habits factor. Adult learners may come into the classroom with behavior patterns
that are contrary to what we will be presenting. They may be less flexible or more
difficult to persuade than younger learners. They may even feel threatened when told
those behaviors must change. Their opinion about certain subject matter may not always
be productive or appropriate, but should be recognized as important.
9. The change factor. While some adult learners are motivated by change, other tend to
resist it. Learning usually involves changes in attitudes, actions, and behaviors that can
cause some learners to become suspect. As educators, we need to carefully explain the
“why” as well as the “how”.
10. The respect factor. All students deserve respect; adult learners expect and demand it. As
educators, we must learn to treat our adult learners as equals and allow them to voice
their thoughts and ideas freely in the classroom. We must recognize that even though
they are students they are also our peers, not our subordinates.
KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADULTS AND CHILDREN AS LEARNERS

Adults differ from children as learners. Adults have assumed responsibility for
themselves and others. Adults differ specifically in self-concept, experience, readiness to learn,
time perspective, and orientation to learning. Traditional teaching applied to children is “jug and
mug”; the teacher is the big jug filling up the children as the little mugs.

CHILD AND ADULT LEARNING CHARACTERISTICS

Children
Rely on others to decide what is important to
be learned.
Accept the information being presented at face
value.
Expect what they are learning to be useful in
the long term-future.
Have a little or no experience which to draw,
are relatively “blank slates.”
Little ability to serve as a knowledgeable
resource to teacher or fellow classmates.
Adults
Decide for themselves what is important to be
learned.
Need to validate the information based on their
beliefs and values.
Expect what they are learning to be
immediately useful.
Have substantial experience upon which to
draw. May have fixed viewpoints.
Significant ability to serve as a knowledgeable
resource to the trainer and fellow learners.

Prepared by:

Natuil, Irish
Nazareno, Danielle Joei R.
Ricasa, Krizha
Vivar, Aileen

Submitted to:

Ms. Susan C. San Pedro