Absorbing Chapter 4 of Learning
in Adulthood on my own, and through the eyes of our very own James Cantrell
(who knew we were amongst such a talented performer!!!!), has definitely
provided some food for thought. First
off, I’m struck by what a fitting assignment our class blog is when considering
Knowles first assumption about the concept of Andragogy- that as adults mature
they become more independent and self-directing. This blog serves a blank canvas for our adult
group to do just that. I find a sense
of empowerment in knowing that this forum offers us the chance to take our
learning and discussions in all sorts of directions. I’m excited to see how each of grow and
mature in this endeavor.
I think perhaps of all the modes discussed in this chapter I’m
most intrigued by McClusky’s Theory of Margin.
McClusky suggests that adults’ ability to learn is affected by a balance
of energy. Adults struggle to find the
amount of energy they need from the amount of energy they have available. This seems particularly relevant for
community college students. Too many of
our students enter our doors with an energy level that is pretty close to being
zapped. They have got financial
hardships, they have family responsibilities, they are underprepared
academically, and they are working and studying. It’s an exhausting load for a lot of them. I hope that each of us as future
administrators can play a role in providing our students with the margin of
power they need to be successful. I’m
hopeful that we can help our institutions to continue to take innovative
approaches to providing support services that truly make a difference for
students.
Andragogy verses Pedagogy and perspective to consider
ReplyDeleteAndragogy, (Knowles 1970)” The art and science of helping adults learn” verses Pedagogy and perspective which is a continuum ranging from teacher-directed to student-directed that both approaches are appropriate. (Knowles circa 1980) As Knowles changed his position in 1980 his perspective changed and shaped the future of how instructors practice even today.
His theory of the adult learner was challenged by McClusky (1999) and Illeria (2002) Each of these have in their own right , vastly different perspective. The learning model with five stimuli, aka raw material; perception, transmission, experience, imitation and activity or participation (Illeria) His thought process is that of comprehensiveness, also simplicity. Much of the current adult learner is nothing short of a task master. The demanding situations that most adult learners are under trying to balance work, home and college is just short of miraculous.
As developed years prior until the most recently, the dominant form of instruction in Europe and America is pedagogical practice. Scholars have debated this thought process as didactic, traditional, or teacher-directed approaches. A competing idea in terms of instructing adult learners, and one that gathered momentum within the past three decades, has been dubbed andragogy. The purpose of this resource piece is to provide the interested reader with some background information regarding both instructional forms. (Hiemstra)
Difficult to evaluate where one stands on this fence. Having Rachel (1983) noted that these two approaches are not neatly dichotomous and mutually exclusive. The teacher-directed approach would still require the instructor to follow a free exchange of ideas and to allow students to pursue personal interests (through papers, projects, or presentations) as long as they went along with the course objectives. In the self-directed approach, instructors would still set the general requirements for the course and serve as more than merely resource persons. They must also provide leadership and take primary responsibility for evaluation.
Hiemstra, R., & Sisco, B. (1990). Individualizing instruction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass http://www-distance.syr.edu/andraggy.html
Ratcliff-Draffon, Dr. Sandra 2003 http://www.trainandeducate.com/docs/ipte_te2.pdf
Sarapin, Marvin I. et al.Fall 2000, Journal of Technology
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/Summer-Fall-2000/holmes.html
Sue- Thanks for sharing and for providing a great synopsis of our reading. I agree that it gets messy trying to determine whether the self-directed approach or teacher-directed approach is most appropriate for adult learning. I think what excites me about this chapter is the concept that adults can and should be partners with instructors in the learning process. We can use our experience and backgrounds to not only participate, but provide our unique perspectives in shaping the learning process.
DeleteMcClusky May Have Been Ahead of His Time
ReplyDeleteMcClusky’s Theory of Margin is based on a balance between load and power, and proposes that if load, which drains energy, exceeds power, the ability to learn is impaired. Although it may be more about managing life’s curve balls, demands, and stress than a theory restricted to learning itself, McClusky’s theory is strongly supported by research. A recent study conducted by the University of California suggests sustained stress affects the chemical interactions in the synapses between neurons in the brain and body, creating an environment detrimental to one’s health, memory and ability to learn. Specifically, stress activates chemicals called “corticotropin-releasing hormones,” or CRH, which disrupt the normal exchange of chemicals and damage the synapses. Both learning and memory are adversely affected by this disruption (Chen, Dube, Rice & Baram, 2008).
Most of us have probably experienced various degrees of stress in our lives, and it does not take a rocket scientist to convince us that when we are juggling “too many balls in the air” we do not have the time or energy to devote to taking a class or learning a new skill. We may also feel more forgetful, which is frustrating and creates additional stress. Now we have scientific evidence to prove this isn’t just a lifestyle issue. Our brain simply cannot learn as well or remember as well when we are experiencing either short term acute stress or long term sustained stressful living. But don’t despair if you find yourself in the middle of a stressful lifestyle. The study also suggests that removing CRH from the area of the synapse results in regrowth of the spine-like protrusions between neurons, called dendrites, on which the synapses reside (Chen, et al., 2008). This finding supports new medical research to develop compounds designed to eliminate CRH in the synapse. But why not simply adopt a healthier lifestyle now? Just as it is difficult to read a page of text if there is no white space, so it is difficult to maintain health and happiness in a life with no margin. Learn to say “no” to energy-draining activities and people, and say “yes” to life-giving, energizing ones. Leave some “white space” on your schedule every day to ponder, breathe, and move about. The research says so!
Reference
Chen, Y., Dube, C. M., Rice, C. J., & Baram, T. Z. (2008). Rapid loss of dendritic spines after stress involves derangement of spine dynamics by corticotropin-releasing hormone. The Journal of Neuroscience, 28(11), 2903-2911. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0225-08.2008
McClusky’s theory of margin as presented in Learning in Adulthood, “is grounded in the notion that adulthood is a time of growth, change, and integration in which one constantly seeks balance between the amount of energy needed and the amount available” (p. 93), thus presenting the main quandary that every college student faces – academic demands verses available time and resources. How can college administrators assist students through their academic and personal growth journey so that they may create balance in what McClusky calls the “margin of life?” How can we help our students to ramp-up their power supplies so that can successfully navigate the increasing load placed upon them by work, family or extra demands resulting in a lack of readiness for college level work?
ReplyDeleteOne possible solution might be to implement more cross-functional partnership programs in order to help students bridge the academic and social arenas of the college setting. Partnership programs, like those created between student affairs and academic affairs “facilitate students’ academic and social acclimation to their institutions” and assist students with a smooth transition into the college learning environment (Nesheim, Guentzel, Kellogg, McDonald & et al., 2007). These partnership programs actively includes students in the learning process by assessing the needs of the student and facilitating services or programming that branch across the silos of individual college divisions. Successful partnership programs include those that welcome students into the college learning environment, provide opportunities for student engagement both inside and outside the classroom, connect students to academic services and assist with career planning (Nesheim & et al.); the reason most students are in college in the first place. This type of thoughtful programming can serve as a fueling station for students by empowering and energizing not only the individual student, but also the total learning environment.
Reference
Nesheim, B. E., Guentzel, M. J., Kellogg, A. H., McDonald, W. M., & al, e. (2007). Outcomes for students of student affairs-academic affairs partnership programs. Journal of College Student Development, 48(4), 435-454. doi: 10.1353/csd.2007.0041
Review of literature and support for combined theoretical approach:
ReplyDeleteNo single adult learner theory provides or fulfills the needs for all adult learners. An informed and multi-faceted approach seems to be the most powerful and reliable for insuring success of adult learners.
So far we have covered basic underlying assumptions or surrounding frameworks for designing, implementing and managing adult learning using posited theories, models or frameworks. Each of the theories covered have origins and characteristics emanating from traditional learning approaches or philosophies.
Rosseger (2012) provides a comprehensive description of these base theories. Although Rosseger focuses on motor learning, his conclusion, which proposes a combined approach using concepts from differing theories, applies to other adult learning skill domains. Adult learning professionals gain a more comprehensive set of tools and approaches by using appropriate pedagogical approaches from different leaning methodologies.
Sawchuk (2008) likewise proscribes a combined approach for designing an adult learning epistemological rubric. He calls this “cross-fertilization” of adult learning concepts. Sawchuk uses the term “informal learning” synonymously with adult learning.
Hiemstra (1998) provides a brief history of educational theory for and about adults. Aging and not merely maturity or experience defines an adult. He presents very interesting facts and views from McClusky who is known for his theory on power, load and margin.
Le Cornu (2005) performs an enlightened dissection and advances a concise critique of Jarvis’s learning model. She concludes with a discussion highlighting Jarvis’s own use of multi-disciplined approaches to learning and learning theory.
Chan (2010) argues for using andragogical approaches for adults as well as and children. Furthermore, Chan concludes that traditional pedagogical approaches are not appropriate for adults.
Finally, Taylor (2009) provides a brief progressive overview of and definition of andragogy and posits a path for furthering and solidifying its acceptance and usage. Taylor stresses the importance for developing an “instrument” to measure where students fall on the andragogical scale. This measurement would then prescribe methods and inherently provide measurable outcomes.
Bibliography
Chan, S. (2010). Applications of Andragogy in Multi-Disciplined Teaching and Learning. Journal of Adult Education, 39(2), 25–35. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ930244&site=ehost-live
Hiemstra, R. (1998). From Whence Have We Come? The First Twenty-Five Years of Educational Gerontology. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, (77), 5–14. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ562210&site=ehost-live
Le Cornu, A. (2005). Building on Jarvis: Towards a Holistic Model of the Processes of Experiential Learning. Studies in the Education of Adults, 37(2), 166–181. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ759748&site=ehost-live
Roessger, K. M. (2012). Toward an Interdisciplinary Perspective: A Review of Adult Learning Frameworks and Theoretical Models of Motor Learning. Adult Education Quarterly: A Journal of Research and Theory, 62(4), 371–392. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ983007&site=ehost-live
Sawchuk, P. H. (2008). Theories and Methods for Research on Informal Learning and Work: Towards Cross-Fertilization. Studies in Continuing Education, 30(1), 1–16. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ784100&site=ehost-live
Taylor, B., & Kroth, M. (2009). Andragogy’s Transition into the Future: Meta-Analysis of Andragogy and Its Search for a Measurable Instrument. Journal of Adult Education, 38(1), 1–11. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ891073&site=ehost-live
Like Mr. Stillerman, I was intrigued by McClusky’s “Theory of Margin” and concur with his post and personal comments. I felt as though I was learning about the students I serve every day, but also myself since I, too, am an adult learner. If each of us took five minutes to write down the load that we personally carry and attempt to describe the power at our disposal, I think we will not only learn a lot about ourselves but also our students. As administrators we attempt to treat adult learners with the same approach and expect them all to learn and react the same way. This chapter clearly explains that we are not the same and students, specifically adults, bring a host of complexities to the Admissions desk when they enroll at our college.
ReplyDeleteWhile looking up more information about McClusky’s “Theory of Margin” I found a journal article entitled “The Adult Persistence in Learning Model: A road map to counseling services for adult learners” written by Fiona MacKinnon-Stanley. This journal article details learning process issues, environmental issues, and personal issues of the individual adult learner. It also illustrates how they relate to counseling services using an Adult Persistence in Learning (APIL) model. She explains that “it is important to remember the uniqueness of each adult learner who attempts to continue in higher education” and explains that tailoring counseling services towards each individual’s differences is the key to success, even referring to each student as a “universe of one”.
After reading this chapter I have identified new ideas and approaches that I would like to test and implement. Did others feel the same way? I would love to hear what others gathered from this chapter and what ideas they may have had.
MacKinnon-Slaney, F. (1994). The adult persistence in learning model: A road map to counseling services for adult learners. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72(3), 268-275.
Joey, what are you thinking about trying?
ReplyDeleteWe are getting ready to host "FAFSA Day 2013" on our campus in a couple of weeks and I am in charge of marketing it to both high school students and current RCC students. So far we have sent out postcards like normal, but I have added a new twist this year.
ReplyDeleteIn an attempt to communicate with students through different formats, I've crafted three different emails that will go out each Friday this month. The first was a detailed email explaining the perks of applying for aid and encouraging everyone to join us for FAFSA Day (geared more towards adult learners), the second was a brief email with hyperlinks and pictures (geared more towards young adults), and the third is going to be little more than a eCard (geared towards traditional college students/high school students). I'm wanting to see if we can increase our FAFSA Day participation by communicating with each "group" of learners in a format that appeals to them.
I'm also part of a committee that is developing a communication plan for Student Services Division, and one piece of it will be to allow students to pick which type of communcation they prefer (i.e. paper or email) and communicating with them in that manner throughout their college career. Unfortunately, we've encountered a few technical issues with this and are in the process of working through them.