ADULT LEARNING ADULT LEARNING PRINCIPLESPRINCIPLES

Implications for Teaching, Implications for Teaching, Learning & CurriculumLearning & Curriculum

Raja C. BandaranayakeRaja C. Bandaranayake

LEARNINGLEARNING

A change in the potential to behaveA change in the potential to behave

TEACHINGTEACHING

To facilitate learningTo facilitate learning

Bring in much experienceexperience

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Provide opportunities to Provide opportunities to share share their experiencestheir experiences

Respond best to a Respond best to a non-threatening non-threatening environmentenvironment..

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Establish a good learner-Establish a good learner-teacher teacher relationshiprelationship..

Intrinsic motivationIntrinsic motivation is more is more powerful than extrinsic powerful than extrinsic motivation.motivation.

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Create in them a Create in them a desire to learndesire to learn by showing the importance of by showing the importance of learning for professional and learning for professional and general lifegeneral life

New learning is always built on previous learning.

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RecapitulateRecapitulate relevant previous relevant previous learning before exposing them learning before exposing them to new learning.to new learning.

Want to Want to selectselect their own their own learning experiences.learning experiences.

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Provide them with a Provide them with a variety of variety of learning methodslearning methods, when , when possiblepossible

Ask questionsquestions and seek answers

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Give them opportunities to Give them opportunities to ask ask questionsquestions, and always find , and always find means of means of finding answersfinding answers

Prefer a Prefer a problem-orientedproblem-oriented approach to learning.approach to learning.

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Frequently Frequently pose problemspose problems for for them to solve, either in groups them to solve, either in groups or individually.or individually.

Learn best by doing.

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Give them regular mental and Give them regular mental and practical exercises for practical exercises for active active learninglearning..

Value relevancerelevance to daily work

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Always Always show them the show them the relevancerelevance of what they are of what they are learning at the time of learning.learning at the time of learning.

Want to Want to applyapply their new their new knowledge and skills knowledge and skills immediately.immediately.

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Provide them with Provide them with opportunities opportunities for applicationfor application of knowledge of knowledge and skills, not merely recall.and skills, not merely recall.

Want to contribute from their Want to contribute from their own reservoir of knowledge and own reservoir of knowledge and skills to skills to help others learnhelp others learn..

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Get them to Get them to teachteach each other. each other.

Reinforced by peerspeers

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Let them Let them discussdiscuss issues issues themselves.themselves.

Want to Want to assess themselvesassess themselves against a relevant standard to against a relevant standard to determine their educational determine their educational needs.needs.

Want to know how they are Want to know how they are progressingprogressing..

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Undertake regular assessment, Undertake regular assessment, or encourage self-assessment, or encourage self-assessment, which is of a truly which is of a truly formative formative nature.nature.

Encouraged by constructive feedbackfeedback

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Always provide Always provide verbal or verbal or written feedbackwritten feedback when they are when they are assessed.assessed.