Implications for Traditional and Online Learning
Adult learning, especially technology-enhanced education, is still in progress phases.  We are getting to know more about how we learn as we investigate the latest content areas themselves!
As we develop in our realization about what it takes to teach grown-ups efficiently, we are observing distinctive patterns in how adults are inclined to learn. Here we will try to classify some of the most widespread and significant patterns to be familiar with before improving adult learning opportunities.
Adult Learning Pattern One
Adult learners are inclined to anticipate learning to be conveyed in a conventional, teacher-led manner, and to anticipate the staff member to carry out the “work” of the learning.
The grown-up learner is there to take up the learning.
Now, that does NOT state that this is an efficient method to educate adults. This means that nearly all of us, for years, have been educated using a definite way, faculty-led instruction, in particular. We have not been anticipated to be part of the concrete learning process. This is a pattern, which is in the process of being broken down; nevertheless, we are talking about breaking down a pattern that has existed for many years, even centuries. This approach is not going away simply, and to suppose grown-up learners to automatically accept a brand new way of learning at once, or without appropriate course, is expecting too much.
Adult Learning Pattern Two
Adult learners who are inclined to undertake a project by themselves (as opposite to those being assigned the project) do similarly with the objective of resolving a problem, or applying the information immediately, as opposite to learning a new issue for just learning it.
That may be an aspect of our “speed up” culture; our everyday life abounds in home, work, and family responsibilities. Any free minute we have should be utilized as efficiently as possible… and we can observe how this extends to adult learning. It is not surprising that a lot of online courses, for instance, are viewed mainly as fine “training” courses, and not essentially “educational” ones.
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