Journal Reflection

Abstract Aimee Horton and Malcolm Knowles were giants among lifelong learners and had many similarities as well as several contrasts. Their passion was adult learning. Both spent their career passionately facilitating learning for adults while achieving advanced degrees. The two scholars were very similar in their desire that all adults wanted to and could learn. They saw a rapid ever-changing world and the need to adapt to ensure that adult learners was not left behind or taught like children.

This chapter was very interesting explaining how exploring foundation knowledge of program planning is evaluated. Program planning is examined in five ways, adult learning, cultural differences, relationship building, power and interests, and technology. Knowing how adults learn and how to operate a constructed program that will connect with all adults. Adult programs consist of continuing education, psychology, sociology, anthropology, neurosciences, and cultural studies (Caffarella & Daffron, 2013). Adult education is a field that mature students returns to college and choose as a major. Adult learning discusses different programs that adult learners may be interested in continuing their education. Today there is many programs that adults can experience and learn about to help them decided how to continue their education in life.

In last week's journal entry I stated that this week PVEPD would be conducting active shooter training, but the training is postponed for now. During this week’s shifts, I finished the putting together the emergency operation plan binders, cleaned the briefing room, and went to the department’s shooting range where I had the opportunity to shoot AR-15 and a Glock 22. I spent both Monday and Tuesday’s shift at the shooting in the basement of the police department. The shooting range which is located underneath the department and can be accessed through the parking garage. There are two rooms in the basement one room is storage for the gun range and the other room is the actually shooting range. Each room requires a special type of key and passcode

Over the last decade there has been a steady rise in college and university enrollments. The vast majority of the enrollees are from the 25 to 40 age bracket, and this trend is only expected to continue into the foreseeable future. The trend has been recognized and embraced by colleges and universities all of the country, and as a result the traditional educational methodologies have been adapted to accommodate the adult learners of today.

"The resource of highest value in adult education is the learner's experience. Therefore all genuine education will keep doing and thinking together"¦experience is the adult earner's living textbook," so said Edward Linderman in his work The Meaning of Adult Education. For generations, education has tended to shy away from experience-based learning in favor of more structured models. However, utilizing experience within the process of education is still a powerful tool for instructors of students of all ages. Adult education students can benefit the most, as they already have a wealth of experiences and resources to bank on in their quest to adopt new learning into what they already knew and experienced. Therefore, it is true that within the context of the adult learner, experience is one of the most crucial learning resources.

Today's workers need to prepare with continuous job training, growth and development. Given the increased age, experiences and diverse lifestyles of the working population, it is understandable that adult education practices must move beyond the traditional model of teachers and learners, while new skills, working with local companies to match their needs and sending staff into factories and other workplaces to spread the word about state and federal retraining assistance. While trying to decide how to rebuild your life after loss of employment and lack of job opportunities following the current recession, or devastated from a divorce? Adult students faced with other struggles; studies have shown that older adult students face different hurdles, family problems, and poor self-image. These along with poor time management, weaker academic preparation and a need for remediation an increased focus on adult learners and their needs can help. (armour)

I work as a writing tutor at Quinsigamond Community College, we are not allowed to proofread the student's papers, which in turn anger some students who were expecting that service. Whenever problems like those arise I always calmly explain to the student what our policy is and then ask them if they would like to read through and go over their

The learning material should be relevant to their social positions and lifestyle, and because the learning material directly concerns their lives, they would want to be involved in the whole process – from the introduction of information to the outcome. Adult learners zero in to the elements that are of most relevance to their immediate needs and conditions. Those aspects that well give them the necessary knowledge and skill to resolve life-centered or problem-centered learning experiences.

The assumptions of Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory, first proposed in 1980, have since become an accepted part of the framework when one considers how adults learn. It is difficult to argue with the fact that adults enter each new day with a background of previous experiences. In formal learning situations, an instructor can use the variety of life experiences brought in by students to build a learning

For years, as an educator, it has been my passion and privilege to help my adult students succeed inside and outside of the classroom. As such, I have created, developed and facilitated numerous courses in Adult Basic Education, GED and ASVAB preparation, Career Placement Testing preparation and Learning Strategies. Courses and websites I have developed have produced excellent results as students have achieved (and surpassed) their academic or professional goals upon completing my courses.

Knowles, M. S. (1980). The modern practice of adult education from pedagogy to andragogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Cambridge Adult Education.

"Education is life--not a mere preparation for an unknown kind of future living…The whole of life is learning; therefore, education can have no ending. This new venture is called adult education--not because it is confined to adults but because adulthood, maturity defines its limits." (Lindeman, E.1926p.6)

My impression of adult education has changed immensely. First and foremost, the first lesson learned that teaching adults are a separate, intensive, and long debated process. Portions of certain theories learned illustrated below. I have extended knowledge about Meizrow (Transformational Learning) and Knowles (Andragogy). The six key features of Adult Learners are:

I believe that the purpose of adult education programs is to foster the growth of the non-traditional student population. Students who have either been displaced or chosen to return to college for a variety of reasons. It is critical that we, as instructors and administrators, realize that each of these students may learn in a different manner. We must take into account known strategies such as Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences as we design and deliver courses within our chosen fields. I for one am primarily a very kinesthetic learner, and learn

Basically, this article by Malcolm Knowles is a conglomerate of all aspects of adult learning. It outlines aspects of adult learning, theories of adult learning, and expands on them. The main idea of this article is to create awareness on the existence of adult learning, and to help instructors of adult learning to know how to go about it successfully. Additionally, the article is of help to adult learners to enable them to learn the most they can (Knowles, 2007).