Adult Learners

Theories and Principles

1. "They’re Not Just Big Kids: Motivating Adult Learners" by Dr. Karen Jarrett Thoms, Professor, Learning Resources & Technology Services; Director, Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence, St. Cloud State University.
   This article’s sections include: characteristics & skills of a motivating instructor, principles of Adult Learning, and characteristics of Adults Learners strategies to help motivate Adult Learners. (Link)**
   
   
2. "PRINCIPLES OF ADULT LEARNING," first printed in VISION, Fall 1991 by Stephen Lieb, Senior Technical Writer and Planner, Arizona Department of Health Services & part-time Instructor, South Mountain Community College.
   This article includes the topics: Adults As Learners, Motivating the Adult Learner, Barriers and Motivation, and Learning Tips for Effective Instructors (Link)
   
   
3. Adult Characteristics
   This site contains a chart that compares and contrasts adults and children as learners. (Link)

Organizations and Associations

1. The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education
   According to its website, the AAACE is the nation's premiere adult education organization. AAACE publishes two of the nation's leading periodicals in adult education and learning:
   Adult Learning and the Adult Education Quarterly. Its links list is thorough and comprehensive. Some of the topics include: Workplace Education/Training, Technology, Evaluation, Educational Research, U. S. Government, and LISTSERVs.
   
   
2. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)
   CAEL is a national non-profit organization which creates and manages effective learning strategies for working adults through partnerships with employers, higher education, government and labor. There are links to CAEL’s principles of effectiveness for serving adult learners and a 15-page report on Adult Learners.
   
   
3. The Project IDEAL Vision
   Project IDEAL is a consortium of states working to develop effective distance education programs for adult learners. The Project IDEAL Support Center at the University of Michigan helps consortium states by developing training materials and web-based tools.
   
   Although the audience is adult basic education, the Handbook of Distance Education for Adult Learners is very relevant to the college setting. This handbook is available for download.

Articles from ERIC

1. "Adult Learning in Groups: Practice Application Brief" by Susan Imel (1997). Click on "view full text" to read the article. This brief provides information that can be used in developing adult learning groups in formal educational settings. First, the nature of learning in groups is considered, followed by discussions of the role of the facilitator and forming groups. Guidelines for structuring group learning experiences for adults are included.
   
   
2. " Contextual Learning in Adult Education: REIC Practice Application Brief" by Susan Imel (2000). Click on "view full text" to read the article. This brief provides an overview of contextual learning, reviews recent research in adult education, and provides recommendations for practice.
   
   
3. "Multiple Intelligences and Adult Education: ERIC Trends and Issues Alert" by Sandra Kerka, (2000). Click on "view full text" to read the article. This ERIC Trends and Issues Alert discusses MI in the workplace, MI and multimodal learning using technologies, and implications of MI for adult literacy learners and adults with learning disabilities. Howard Gardner's (1999) theory of multiple intelligences (MI) views intelligence as a set of abilities, talents, and skills in eight areas: mathematical-logical, spatial-visual, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic, verbal-linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.
   
   
4. "Self-Directed Learning: ERIC Myths and Realities" by Sandra Kerka (1999).
   
   Click on "view full text" to read the article. For several decades, self-directed learning (SDL) has been a major focus of adult education (Merriam and Caffarella, 1999). However, controversies and misconceptions about the definition and dimensions of SDL continue to arise. This publication examines these myths and realities.